August 2007: 10 best photos

living history
William Hicks, 90, World War II veteran. I met William at a mall in Newark, NJ. He started our conversation in a bookshop, then we sat outside and continued for an hour. In 1944-45 he was with the Buffalo 42nd Mechanised Infantry Division and served in France. He sustained major injuries to his spine, hands and head (that's why he wears a hat), and was left for dead until a field medic noticed he was still alive. "The only thing that keeps me alive today is reading. Even though I've been pretty much illiterate most of my life and can barely write, I still want to learn about the past. I don't want to read books that look at our history, particularly black history, in terms of religion. Religion is bullshit. I know there's no heaven, but hell is living in America today." ( 8 AUG )

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