Product Description

First published in 1989, I Dream a World, a collection of 75 portraits, has become a landmark in publishing history. Now the 10th anniversary of this book is being celebrated with this completely revised and updated edition that charts the achievements of a remarkable group of African-American women and their continued impact on the world.

Many changes have occurred since Brian Lanker set out to capture the faces of both the prominent and unsung women who've made a difference. Sixteen of the original 76 women are no longer among us, including Septima Clark, Barbara Jordan, Clara McBride (Mother) Hale, and Betty Shabazz. But, as this new edition reveals, all of them have left behind an enduring legacy for future generations.

Most importantly, in revising and updating I Dream a World, we celebrate not only the event of its publication, but the continued achievements of an extraordinary group of women who remain vitally alive as role models for the next century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1413825 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 171 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This companion volume to an exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., documents the aspirations and achievements of 75 black women--from "unsung heroine" Priscilla L. Williams ("I had fourteen children. Seven of them was my sister's" sic) to former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm--in the arts, politics, business, academia, athletics and other fields. Photographs by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lanker are often striking, quietly revealing pride of character, whether borne with predatorial glamour (Leontyne Price) or guileless pleasure (Gwendolyn Brooks). His verbal portraits, spoken in the words of his subjects, are largely a disappointment, however--brief, surprisingly full of platitudes and lacking in personal signature, they tell a dramatic story of struggle and success in a flatly generic voice. But notable exceptions, such as law professor Eleanor Holmes Norton, comment on their lives with uncompromising intelligence ("Black people get their moral authority in this country not simply because they have suffered, but because they understand the suffering of other people").
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A double-paged format of photograph, brief biographical information, and first-person accounts of women from all walks of life. The 75 photographs (and interviews) by Lanker were exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The book can function as art, history, literature, or social commentary. Though Barbara Jordon, Alice Walker, and Priscilla Williams inspired this white man's project, many other women provide the names he needed to produce the final 75. Amazingly beautiful and moving (to laughter or to tears), this book cannot be treated adequately on paper; go quickly and purchase copies for your library and yourself.
- Rebecca Sturm Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
I Dream a World is a collection of stunning black and white photos of 70 Black women who followed their dreams. (Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Brian Lanker arranged these photo shoots over a two year period, collecting stories from the women along the way.) Alongside each woman's full-page photo are her stories, shared bits and pieces of her life and who she is. Each, in combination, creates an eloquent reflection of a woman who managed to create a life of meaning and beauty, even in the face of extreme hardship and prejudice. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by Ilene Rosoff

Customer Reviews

It encourages one's own dreams!
I Dream a World is inspiring in its beautiful photography and the brief stories it shares about the women in the pictures. While it touches on their life stories, this book shares these women's thoughts. That is what draws me closer to this book each time I open it. The women inside, and the book itself, will make you think about your dreams and encourage you to work towards them.

No matter what your race or gender, give this book to anyone who needs encouragement. I especially enjoy recommending this book to young women who can learn a lot from the women within its pages.

I LOVE this book. I saw it on a commercial.
I saw this book on a commercial to help educate our black women, so I searched all over the place for this book and finally found it in a library in Texas. I looked over it and immediately decided that I was going to purchase it. It is extremely inspiring and my goal in life is to appear in one of the next additions of the book.

Sincerely, LaShanda Renee Conner

ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING BOOKS THAT I HAVE EVERY BOUGHT.
I have given this book as a gift several times to other women, to men, to blacks and to whites. Each recipient has raved about the inspiring women who are the subject of this wonderful book