David Graham is a noted photographer whose other books include Only in America (Alfred A. Knopf, 1991) and American Beauty (Aperture, 1987). Taking Liberties is the third book of this trilogy. He also produced a book of portraits, Land of the Free (Aperture, 1999). Graham teaches at the Univeristy of the Arts in Philadelphia and works regularly for magazines such as The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Time, Fortune, and Forbes. His photographs are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Peter Wilkinson is a writer with a wide following. He has been contributing editor to Rolling Stone since 1988 where he has written about Americans in every dimension. He and Graham have worked together on a wide range of stories since 1991.