I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America [Paperback]

Barbara Summers (Editor), Brian Lanker (Photographer), Maya Angelou (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1989

A celebration in photographs and interviews of African-American women who have in some way changed or contributed to the American nation. They include writers, poets, lawyers, singers, activists, sportswomen and journalists. Each woman speaks of her life and her work, and of her hopes for the future. Brian Lanker won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. He has worked for various newspapers and frequently has photo essays published in "Life".

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Stewart Tabori & Chang (March 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155670092X
• ISBN-13: 978-1556700927
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 10.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #938,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It encourages one's own dreams!, April 25, 2003

By 

Rebecca Bergfield - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women who Changed America (Paperback)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE this book. I saw it on a commercial., January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America (Paperback)

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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING BOOKS THAT I HAVE EVERY BOUGHT., July 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America (Hardcover)

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