A Chronicle of Life and Pain in Upstate New York – The New York Times

Brenda Ann Kenneally’s masterful new photo book, “Upstate Girls: Unraveling Collar City,” is a deep study of a group of girls from two or three extended families in Troy, N.Y. Most of them live in the same neighborhood, even on the same block. “Upstate Girls” begins in 2004, when Kenneally is drawn to the story of 14-year-old Kayla, who is pregnant. Kayla’s partner is Sabrina, also 14. The baby daddy is Sabrina’s cousin Joshua, and the pregnancy is a result of a casual encounter between Kayla and Joshua while Kayla and Sabrina were on the outs. But with the baby almost due and Joshua in prison, Kayla and Sabrina are back together, determined to be co-parents.