Our Common Ground: Portraits of Blacks Changing the Face of America (Qty & CN$ are ppb) [Paperback]

Bruce Caines (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 1994

Through his powerful photographic portraits and his subjects' illuminating narratives, Bruce Caines provides a celebration of blacks who are changing the face of America by changing the way America views black people. A stunning tribute to ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Photographer Caines here documents the lives of black community activists, teachers, doctors, environmentalists, artists, and others across the country who are not famous but are making a real difference in their locations. In this beautifully arranged photo album, he provides 57 narrative profiles, many of them of two people together, accompanied by beautiful color photographs. Occasionally, you will bump into a celebrity such as Bryant Gumble, but Caines mostly celebrates the black middle class. The stories about two truant officers in the Los Angeles area, two veterinary students at the University of Illinois, or the man who started his own T-shirt company make for inspiring reading. Recommended for all public libraries and libraries with photography or black studies collections.
Anita L. Cole, Miami-Dade P.L. Sys.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Original photos and narratives of positive Black role models who are changing America make for an uplifting and exceptional title which shows how ordinary people are living extraordinary lives. These are all everyday people who have chosen to make a difference in both personal lives and in society: powerful images and revelations mark an exceptional title. -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1st pbk. ed edition (October 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051788075X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517880753
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,770,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a director, photographer, music junkie, tall guy, and for some reason often mistaken for a well known dancer who acts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Breath of Fresh Air, August 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Our Common Ground: Portraits of Blacks Changing the Face of America (Qty & CN$ are ppb) (Hardcover)

What a wonderful collection of photographs and stories. I stumbled upon this photo essay at a book store and had to take it home. For so long the positive role models for and within the African-American community have supposedly been athletes and entertainers. Mr. Caines' vision is broader, deeper and more realistic than that. A female engineer on the Long Island Railroad; a female stonemason creating sculpture for a Harlem cathedral; a fifteen-year-old boy in Oregon chooses not to end up like his mother, killed in a drug deal, stops selling crack in his neighborhood and becomes and honor roll student; one of 11 astrophysicists of African descent in America all are our modern day, next door neighbor role models. The inclusion of a few celebrities in this gorgeous book brought a whole new dimension to personalities like Bryant Gumbel for me.

Beautiful photography, and intimate narrative profiles by this author brought joy to my heart and a tear to my eye. Makes makes me wish =I= were African American!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BOOK THAT IS NEVER OUT OF SEASON, December 6, 2000

By 

Kathleen Cross (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Common Ground: Portraits of Blacks Changing the Face of America (Qty & CN$ are ppb) (Paperback)

Our Common Ground is the best kind of inspirational non-fiction, because it's not some famous person TELLING us how to live our lives to the fullest, it's a collection of "regular" people DOING just that!

OCG is the perfect gift for a young person (or any person for that matter) whom you would like to inspire to become all they were created to be.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than "I Dream A World"..., November 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Our Common Ground: Portraits of Blacks Changing the Face of America (Qty & CN$ are ppb) (Hardcover)

Not that "I Dream A World" was bad, but in my eyes it clearly lacked something. That "something" was a personal connection with the subjects. Mr. Caines' photographs and text show his obvious appreciation, respect and fascination with his subjects. Unlike "IDAW", the photography in "Our Common Ground" reflects a sensitivity and loyalty to the individuality of the PEOPLE they depict--not the photographic style of the photographer.

Wonderful photographs. Captivating reading. Bravo!