Customer Reviews

In Her Hands: Craftswomen Changing the World

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Her Hands: Craftswomen Changing the World is a gorgeous photojournalistic volume about women around the world who make indigenous crafts. The crafts, varied and wonderful as they are, are sold at market so that the women can have an income stream to improve their economic situation. Money earned this way is most often used to pay for children's education and improved nutrition. These are often women who live in abject poverty, many without the help of income-generating husbands, who are passionate about giving their children better lives. One admires their focus, their intelligence, and the joy with which they live their lives, as documented by the two author/photographers, Paola Gianturco and Toby Tuttle. This is a wonderful coffee-table sized book with glorious images for anyone who loves crafts, travel, photography and for anyone who thinks and cares about the lives of women around the world. Well-done! I've already bought three!

Amazing photography and unique insight into far lands and distant peoples. "In Her Hands" takes you on a journey to the places you've always wanted to go and into the lives of the people you wish you'd meet when you travel. Women around the world, working to create art and improve their lives. No flashy get-rich-quick success stories, no explosive dot-com egos, but real people who truly earn their success, day by day. The book deals fairly and honestly with complex issues of traditional societies around the world, as women invest their own money in the education of their children and change their local economies.

Beautiful, color-rich images help tell the tale all along. Like photography from LIFE magazine or National Geo, the photos make stories of In Her Hands almost leap from the page.

I highly recommend this to anyone and will be buying many copies as gifts for the holidays!

The glorious color photos and stories have inspired me to meet the craftswomen. I took the book with me on assignment in Guatemala with women weavers and watched the delight and pride from the weavers as they enjoyed the pictures of women like themselves. Each story is a challenge to all of us to seek out these crafts and use them in our daily lives. The well written stories by Paola and the personal essays by Toby are inspirational. They captured the reality of life and the possibilities. I left my copy in Guatemala and just ordered two more as gifts. This is a beautiful book.

This book is absolutely all that the other readers have said. It is precious and very important for all the reasons above. In addition, it has excellent Cooperative and Fair Trade resources. I left my copy in Brazil for others,am now in Mexico, and must have another copy to share with others, and for my home. This book lives in my dreams and adds color, meaning, and celebration to our world. Thank you!!!!
Sakanta Running Wolf

I purchased this lovely volume quite a few years ago and have since purchased multiple copies of the book for gifts. It is a wonderful book. It is a coffee table sized book with numerous color photos throughout of the indigenous women of the world. The photos are excellent and show many of the world's tribal women making their crafts and doing their work.

I have always been fascinated by the industriousness of all the women of the world as mothers, wives, homemakers and communitymakers. Their crafts are usually very utilitarian items used in their lives to accomodate their daily needs. The fact that there are so many similarities in patterns, colors and products made by women who live on separate continents and who have lived generations apart never ceases to amaze and impress me.

It is no accident that women are most often the communicators and peacemakers; for theirs is a role they have had since the beginning of time. All of these efforts conspire to help them change the world and maintain the civilization.

The book is a beautiful book and it conveys its message wisely. It is not only a lovely book to own, but an inspiring one as well.

This is a wonderful book, well illustrated, showing crafts of various cultures spanning the globe. Fiber lovers will enjoy this book. A look at crafts that are becoming increasingly rare.