Customer Reviews

Dream Reachers

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Length:: 3:22 Mins

Author Betty Dravis and celebrity interviewer and poet Chase Von have together penned an inspiring collection of interviews with people who not only dare to dream but strive to make their dreams happen, ranging from mega movie star/director/ producer Clint Eastwood to politico Ted Kennedy along with a plethora of actors, actresses, poets, artists, singers, dancers, musicians, photographers and more. One of this reviewer's favorites: the interview with Debra D. Griffin, author and photographer, who lost her battle with cancer. Debra's inspiring words: "Smile and keep a lot of smiling faces around you. Keep busy; take this time to do all your favorite things. Sing and make a joyful noise." Very poignant words from a gifted woman.

One common denominator that stands out with this collection of interviews: the belief that life is a gift. These talented people understand and appreciate they are each unique unto themselves and blessed with life, which inspires them to reach for their dreams, some of whom have made it, others who are well on their way.

Dream Reachers is an intriguing read which will motivate those readers who until now might not have taken that first step toward their dream to reach out and grab for it as well as those working toward their dream to keep going. All readers will enjoy the stories behind the interviews and the powerful message each interview delivers.

The authors generously donate a portion of the profits from the sale of this book to the Breast Cancer Care Research Center.

I purchased Dream Reachers out of pure curiosity. The simplicity of the book made me curious so I ordered it from Amazon not really knowing what I was going to be in for. Without further setup, here is my review...

Dream Reachers by Chase Von and Betty Dravis is an interview collection of artists ranging from writers and actors to poets and musicians. I especially enjoyed the behind the scenes stories at the beginning of the book documenting some of the big stars that Betty Dravis had interviewed.

Dream Reachers is an eclectic combination of interviews filled with talented people who know what it means to persevere over life's difficulties. If you enjoy peeking into the lives of people who are making their dreams come true then this is the book for you. I personally enjoy gleaming wisdom off of folks who have worked hard and the journey that they've gone through to get where they are.There is something for everyone in this book and a great gift for the entertainment junkie. I found Dream Reachers to be inspiring and entertaining. I've heard there will be a sequel and look forward to buying it. Dream Reachers is voyeurism at it's finest.

I give this book a 5 of 5 star rating.

Daniel L Carter
Author of The Unwanted Trilogy

This book brings to us stories of those we might all have heard of 5-10 years from today.
All of them share a dream, I find it an inspiring content.
It also contains interviews with oldies, famous people like Clint Eastwood, .... written by Betty Dravis, and "delicious" to read. She has the gift of juggling with words, creating an addiction within me to read more.
I felt invited to read more once I got started, wanting more of those inspiring thoughts shared by the creative people featured in this easy to absorb book. Which brings me to Chase Von, who has his very own style of interviewing the nr-1 Stars of tomorrow.
All are people with a dream, a desire and a creative effort. It could be me, your partner, sibling, or....you. Ofcourse reading about people I do know in person brings out excitement, knowing from first hand how talented one is.
Though also the ones who I have never met so far, actually made me feel their excitement and wanting.

Have fun reading Dream Reachers :)

If you've ever thought that the famous, the well-established, and those on the way to the top merely sailed on to their goals because of good connections or plain good luck, you are in for many great surprises thanks to Chase Von and Betty Dravis! If you've ever wondered about the character of those who've made it, the answers are here as well. One of the stories that touched me was about one of my all-time favorite stars, Ann Southern. Betty Dravis' brief, unexpected meeting with her under personally challenging circumstances was an absolute delight.

Attitude, drive, character... it's all part of the journey to the finish line that only you can create. The quote from Henry Ford in Dream Reachers absolutely sums it all up: "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."

I personally have stopped reading most interviews and have even less interest when the interview is televised or on radio. For the most part these interviews are filled with canned, "prescreened" questions and the responses seem more packaged than candid. There is also the sense that the interviewee is on another plane from the rest of us and the interview is merely a privileged glimpse we (the hoi poloi) can have into their lives, or at least what they would like us to see of them. This book, however, is refreshingly different. Chase Von and Betty Dravis offer readers a portrait of their subjects that is at once conversational and relaxed while also being informative. As a result, we learn far more about both the subjects of the interview and the authors themselves.

Mr. Von's contribution is by far the larger part of the book. He offers insightful conversation with a variety of artists: writers, poets, singers, and dancers. One of the recurring themes of these interviews is that the subjects are for the most part quite ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Implicit in the discussions is the broader point that we all have some talents; we just need to manifest them more in our lives. I found the conversation with Dawn Huffaker (poet of nature) a joy simply because it was nice to find a "celebrity" that I felt I could connect with on at least one level. Von himself is able to discover a connection with many of those he interviews. During his conversation with Aberjhani, for example, both find that they have been heavily influenced by Kahil Gibran.

If Chase Von offers us a new, more conversational style of interviewing, then Betty Dravis' contribution to the book is to offer a new picture of the interviewer. Often interviewers in magazines are "faceless" (we almost never see pictures of them, only the subject). They hide behind an apparent wall of "objective" questions that are often short and not terribly revealing (for either party, much less the reader.) But Dravis offers us a very human picture of the reporter conducting interviews. At times it is entertaining, as for example when she reflects on her "bad hair day" when meeting Clint Eastwood. At other times, it is poignant, as when she reflects on her meeting with Senator Ted Kennedy years before his prolonged struggle with cancer. But in all her anecdotes, Dravis offers readers a picture of how the interviewer, far from being a neutral questioner, is affected by the meeting with her subjects.

On the whole then, this is a good book. Von and Dravis have collectively offered us a new, more informal and conversational form of interview. It is a style which is far superior to the interviews still conducted by the mass media in this country. Readers of this book will find that they share an intimacy with subjects and authors that more traditional forms of interviews preclude.

Dream Reachers by Chase Von and Betty Dravis had me turning pages faster and faster as I read along; I can't believe how fascinating these interviews and memories really are! Chase and Betty write very well to say the least; and their passion for interviewing people from all walks of life shows through very clearly. This book explores the importance of working hard to achieve your dreams as the authors share interviews and stories of the people they interviewed over time. The numerous photographs that are in this book are very well presented and they all show good artistic judgment. Moreover, a portion of the book's proceeds goes to The Breast Cancer Care Research Fund and to Stem Cell Research; I think that's very special.

The book begins with incredible stories by the very gifted author Betty Dravis who writes with such precision and emotion you'll disconnect the phone to keep on reading this nonstop! Betty fondly recalls her experiences interviewing Clint Eastwood, Tanya Tucker, Jane Russell, Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, Ann Sothern and former San Francisco Mayor Joseph L. Alioto. Betty combines her personal memories of the interview experience with the core facts of the actual interview to highlight how people CAN achieve their dreams in life. It's very inspirational and there are many touching stories.

We also get incredible personality interviews from Chase Von, an experienced celebrity interviewer as well as a published author and poet. There are so many interviews I couldn't properly discuss them all even if I tried. Therefore, I will give you a list of some interviews that I found to be particularly special.

Darcy Donavan: Darcy didn't have it easy when she was growing up. Other kids made fun of her and she became an outcast while her mother slaved away at two jobs just to make ends meet. She survived an abusive relationship--and where is she today? She's the "New Eminem" and adds that she's "always been a fighter." She's worked in movies with Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd; and she has numerous ongoing projects including a couple of books and a television series! Now THAT'S what I call success!

Kitania Kavey: The ultimate success story. Kitania, or "Kitty" as she is often called, endured a troubled childhood after her biological mother couldn't care for her; and she was homeless for five years at a time. Moreover, she sustained severe injuries in an accident that left her with some brain damage to this day. Did that stop her? NO! She refused to listen to the "specialists" and taught herself how to speak and function with a minimal amount of assistance. She can write in HTML and she is a member of MENSA too! Kitty has been a guest on several radio talk shows and her list of acting credits includes Lieutenant Turkel in "Star Trek New Voyages." She models and does voice-overs as well. So what can't you do, Kitty? I guess the answer to that question is nothing!

Barbara Evans: Although it may appear that she's had a "fairy-tale" lifestyle; Barbara will tell you "it was quite a challenge" to reach her dreams. She was one of eleven kids so she really had to work hard to get where she wanted to go in life. She eventually moved from the United States to Europe to pursue a serious modeling career and she considers herself somewhat fortunate that being a size ten didn't prevent her from being a top model. Barbara admits that even after she moved to Italy there were unexpectedly awkward or unpleasant moments; she comments that "(even) some of the Africans in Italy looked at me differently." However, Barbara never let any of this discourage her. In 2006 she became an ASCAP publisher in addition to her modeling; and she has several projects in the works that will keep her quite a celebrity for a long, long time to come.

Jenny McShane: This brilliant star grew up on a rural pig farm and had a rough life of hard labor chores to do outside with her father--she even had to drive a tractor when she was only four years old! But she worked hard to get away from the farm life and realized her dream of stardom; she's worked with numerous luminaries including Keanu Reeves in The Watcher, Don Johnson in Nash Bridges and Wayne's World II with Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Heather Locklear, Christopher Walken, Drew Barrymore, Kim Basinger, Tia Carrere and the late Chris Farley. WOW!

MT Robison: What an artist! He tried other lines of work purely for the money; but he was so miserable he returned to music for better or worse financially. This guy is passionate about his music-making; he wants badly to use his music as a tool to bring happiness and even joy into the lives of his fans who he calls his "Angels." He's opened for Great White, Vixen, Blue Oyster Cult, Tray Guns of Guns `n Roses, and Night Ranger, too. Over time he's "gone from gangster to Hillbilly Urban." Check out his new CD called Promise! You won't be disappointed; this guy's worked hard to make himself a real winner.

Dream Reachers gives me a renewed sense of confidence and faith in myself. I also got a much needed extra shot of courage to tackle issues of my own so that I too can work to achieve my lifelong dreams. Sure, I may not be planning on becoming a United States Senator; but that's not the point. The point is that anyone--anyone--can achieve their lifelong dreams if they try hard enough and stick to it.

Author Betty Dravis has done an outstanding job of presenting a potpourri of interviews. She takes us on a literary walk, where we brush shoulders with the famous, and those who are on the road to fame. For me, reading about her interview with Clint Eastwood, and Rosalind Russell was a delight:)

This is a unique read and entices one to keep turning the pages. We see Betty shining in both lights as the interviewer and interviewee. This style of presentation made the read seem much more personal, which was refreshing:) At times, I felt as if I was in the room with her...which takes more than just interviewing, it takes talent.

Chase Von's interviews, are more present day, liberally sprinkled with touches of body language. You see the smiles and the laughter. Another unique way of presenting, and keeping it personal.

This is a wonderful book to keep on your shelves, readily available to share with company and friends. I intend to lay it on my coffee table, so I can drift by, have a look, and smile as I recall (especially on a day I "need" it) that dreams really are achievable:)

This is primarily a collection of interviews conducted by Chase Von for the Student Operated Press. The Student Operated Press (SOP), according to its website, is a news organization dedicated to showcasing the talents of beginning writers, student journalists and amateur broadcasters. After interviewing renowned California journalist and author, Betty Dravis, Von followed up on her suggestion to compile his interviews into a book. The result was Dream Reachers.

Von's material may be the meat of this 444-page anthology; however, his co-author, Dravis, is the heart. In addition to Von's lengthy and telling interview of this truly delightful (and funny) personality, Dream Reacher's opening excerpts are Dravis's own accounts of some of her more colorful interviews. They include "Bad Hair Day," a charming story about the day she met Clint Eastwood; "A Treasured Moment in Time," which is about meeting Senator Ted Kennedy; "Lobster Anyone?" an interview with Jane Russell; and recollections of the days she met San Francisco Mayor John Alioto, actress Ann Southern, and country singer Tanya Tucker.

In addition to being entertained and inspired by the stories contained within the pages of Dream Reachers, I recommend this book to all aspiring journalists for tips on conducting successful interviews. Well done and I look forward to reading Dream Reachers II.

--Reviewed by Michele Cozzens, author of Irish Twins.

Dream Reachers by Chase Von and Betty Dravis

I'm not much for reading about celebrities and rarely pay any attention to all the hoopla about them but Dream Reachers by Chase Von and Betty Dravis may have just changed that. With their insightful interviews and stories, Ms. Dravis and Mr. Von have made me see that no matter how famous--or yet to be famous--a person is, they are, like me and you, unique individuals who have a dream and more important, a belief that they can make that dream come true.

Dream Reachers is a fascinating collection of intriguing interviews with people who have "made it" and others who are well on their way. It includes interviews with people who have become "household names" and with those "up and comers" who might someday be the celeb who everybody's talking about--and they all have one thing in common, they know how to dream and they believe in their own ability to make those dreams come true.

The authors' voices are different but somehow they manage to come together to create a book that is a joy to read. A number of other words come to mind when I think about this book; engaging, encouraging, fascinating, uplifting, riveting, fun, but most of all, inspiring. This isn't a book that will sit on my keeper shelf, but rather one that will have a permanent home right next to my office chair. I'm sure I'll reach for it again and again when I need motivation or simply to buoy up my belief in myself. And most especially when I'm fighting that self-doubt that seems to hit every author at one time or another. With Dream Reachers, Chase Von and Betty Dravis have proven to me that anything is possible if I believe in myself and more importantly that I should never, never give up. I know it's cliche, but hope does spring eternal--even though it may be hard to recognize at times and even harder to grasp--and I think I may have just discovered the source of the spring.

Nicely done, Ms. Dravis and Mr. Von!

This book shares the stories and interviews of extraordinary people, who were determined to reach their dreams. It shows us how determination can lead to success, how misfortune can be overcome and even give additional purpose to our lives. It is not only inspirational, but gives us hope when we face road-blocks.