Believing In Ourselves A Celebration Of Women [Hardcover]

Nancy Carson (Editor), Ariel Jennifer Jones (Photographer), Ariel (Producer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2002

Believing in Ourselves is a book of beautiful photos and compelling essays profiling 35 women who have succeeded in achieving extraordinary personal goals or overcoming significant hardships in their lives. The women profiled are a diverse group, and the details of their success stories vary widely. Yet the stories all share the same fascinating plot twist: Even when faced with major obstacles along the way, each woman made a choice to become the person she wanted to be. These are stories of women who refused to allow their fates to be dictated to them."Womanhood is something you claim and seize, not something you grow into. It's about seizing the opportunity to realize your potential, striving to be the best, and making sacrifices," says Claudia Edwards, executive director of a Fortune 500 foundation, whose high school economics teacher had correctly predicted she'd be "pushing a baby carriage six months after graduation." Stories like Claudia's sound a clarion call for women to triumph over their own challenging times and to fulfill their own visions of themselves. This remarkable book will inspire women of all walks of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Every woman will encounter loss, grief, and profound difficulty. But happiness, achievement, and success are in front of us as well," writes editor Nancy Carson in Believing in Ourselves: A Celebration of Women. Carson introduces 35 North American women who, in various ways, have triumphed over obstacles. Susan Edwards-Bell overcame cancer and is now an advocate for the homeless. Sonia Sotomayor grew up in a Bronx housing project and was the first Latina named to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Mary-Lisa Orth lived on welfare during her struggle to become a top industrial engineer. B&w photographs accompany each profile, making this a likely gift item. 100,000 first printing.

About the Author

Nancy Carson is a freelance writer specializing in memoirs and the personal essay. She is a frequent contributor to Take Care!, a publication of the National Family Caregivers Association, and lives in Alexandria, Va. Jennifer Jones lives in Tucson, Ariz. Her photos have appeared in In Style and Tucson Lifestyle magazines

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (March 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740722204
• ISBN-13: 978-0740722202
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,860,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Believing in Ourselves: A Celebration of Women, April 7, 2002

By 

"rosaliej" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Believing In Ourselves A Celebration Of Women (Hardcover)

A perfect gift for your close friends, your sisters, your mothers, this inspiring collection of stories about the triumphs of real women in their everyday lives, written by Nancy Carson and accompanied by lovely photography from Jennifer Jones, is a reminder of the heroines we encounter daily but don't always recognize as such. These are women who have made their way through extraordinary difficulties and built successful lives for themselves - success defined as they see it, not in the narrow confines only of career and money -often helped along the way by other women. Their life stories, beuatifully presented, serve as a reminder to all of us that: 1) we are each the architect of our own life story, and 2)we don't have to do it all alone. Of course, in Ms. Carson's skillful hands, even a less amazing life would probably provide inspiration to others.
Put this book on your own table or next to your bed, to read on a sunny morning, or when the darkness looms and all seems hopeless: at least one of these women will "speak" to you and help you find a way to go forward.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring addition to personal improvement, April 13, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Believing In Ourselves A Celebration Of Women (Hardcover)

The collaborative effort of author Nancy Carson and photographer Jennifer Jones, Believing In Ourselves: A Celebration Of Women showcases the wisdom and inspiration of thirty-five ordinary but nonetheless remarkable women drawn from all over North America. Black-and-white photographs enhance each of the women and their exemplary encouragements placing pinnacle importance upon women having faith in themselves to achieve their goals, dreams, and aspirations. Believing In Ourselves is a very highly recommended and inspiring addition to personal improvement and Women's Studies reading lists.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Publisher Comments, April 2, 2002

By 

Lindsey and Becca (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Believing In Ourselves A Celebration Of Women (Hardcover)

Believing In Ourselves
From a housing project in the Bronx to the U.S. Court of Appeals, from life on welfare to working as a top industrial engineer . . . the stories of these amazing women inspire dreams.

Believing in Ourselves: A Celebration of Women (Andrews McMeel Publishing,..., April 2002) introduces the reader to 35 amazing, inspiring, and unstoppable women from all over North America and from all walks of life. Many of these women have overcome significant obstacles in their lives. Others have succeeded in fulfilling unusual personal goals. Each of them will amaze and inspire you with their courage and fortitude.

Strengthened by hardship and made generous by their experiences, they offer up their stories to guide and encourage others. In this new book you will learn about:

--Mary-Lisa Orth, Tucson, Ariz., who struggled out of welfare to become a top industrial engineer - while raising four children on her own.

--Beth Bakke-Stenehjem, Bismarck, N.D., who gave life and hope to a friend and coworker through the gift of one of her kidneys.

--Sonia Sotomayor, New York, N.Y., who went from a housing project in the Bronx to sitting on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

--Sinthea Brown, Seattle, Wash., who overcame drug addiction and poverty to become a counselor to the homeless in her community.

Believing in Ourselves celebrates the gifts of women who pursued goals that people told them were impossible. They proved themselves by taking the hard road instead of the easy road. Their journeys have instilled each of them with self-awareness, inner peace, and a sense of satisfaction.

About the Author and Photographer
Nancy Carson, a freelance writer from Alexandria, Va., writes regularly about everything from educational technology to family caregiving, but her favorite form is the personal essay. She travels widely and is often in Manhattan, the home of her artist daughter.

The pages of Believing in Ourselves are enhanced by the graceful black-and-white photography of Jennifer Jones of Tucson, Ariz. She attended the New England School of Photography in Boston, Mass. Her photographs have appeared in a number of newspapers and magazines.