HIDDEN
The first photography book to reveal the everday lives of Romani Americans, with stunning intimacy and depth
ABOUT THE BOOK
Hidden: Life with California’s Roma Families by Cristina Salvador Klenz takes us behind the scenes of a little-known ethnic minority routinely reduced to stereotypes, photojournalist Cristina Salvador Klenz captures the beauty, resilience and traditions of the American Roma.
Shot over several years beginning in 1990, Hidden is the first photography book to document Romani Americans. With 120 black-and-white photographs, it offers a rare window into the lives of West Coast Roma families — featuring moments of celebration, hardship and community, all richly contextualized by one of the world’s leading Romani scholars.
What you’ll discover:
Intimate portraits of Romani family life across California
Visual stories of marriage, birth, loss, and resilience
An introduction to Romani history and culture in America
Deep insight into multiple Romani "nations," from Kalderash to Mihais
Rich commentary on photography, access, and trust in journalism
An update: Hidden is only the beginning. Cristina Salvador Klenz is now working on a follow-up book that explores the lives of the next generation of Romani Americans — those coming of age in a culture shaped by resilience, tradition and change. Follow her journey on Instagram @CristinaSalvadorKlenz
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photojournalist Cristina Salvador Klenz has worked for newspapers in New York and California. She was part of a team of photographers named as finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in 1995. Born in Porto, Portugal, Klenz immigrated to the United States as a young child. Her documentary photography work on the Roma culture has been published worldwide. Her images are part of the collection of the Romani Archives & Documentation Center at the University of Texas at Austin. She and her husband live in Long Beach, Calif., with their two sons.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“Some of the best photographs documenting the Roma community I have ever seen. Each photo brings you into their lives and intimate moments and tells a complete story of its own. Incredible work rarely seen in contemporary photography these days. I look forward to holding this gorgeous book in my hands.”
— Jamie Johnson, photographer and author of Growing Up Travelling
“How little we know about one another, until we dare to take a closer look. Every photograph in this powerful collection offers an intimate and emotional window into the hidden culture of the American Romani people. Klenz’s lens shields us from nothing, stripping away the secrecy to expose the beauty and wonder that has been concealed for too long.”
— Julie Cantrell, author of Into the Free.
"Cristina Salvador Klenz's book is a striking example of visual storytelling. It captured my heart from the very first image, lending me entry into an intimate world of the universal human experience, filled with love, sadness, and hope."
— Oksana Marafioti, author of American Gypsy: A Memoir
“Klenz’s sensitivity and skills as a professional photojournalist resulted in intimate photographs documenting the community’s daily life; milestones including birth, death, marriage; child-rearing; and extreme poverty set in the suburbs. Her subjects did not flinch from allowing her to see and photograph their most private moments. … Klenz’s work is unique and will become a photojournalism classic.”
— Ken Kobre, author of Photojournalism: The Professionals’ Approach
