A Perfect World: Words and Paintings from Over 50 of America's Most Powerful People [Paperback]

Debra Trione (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2002

Name two things you hope will be true about the world in 50 years. Tell me about an environment in which you personally thrive. Now paint a picture of your ideal world." That is what author Debra Trione asked over 50 of the most powerful and influential leaders in America to do - describe their perfect world using words, then picture their perfect world using paint. The result is an extraordinary, first-of-its-kind collection that opens a new type of window into the high aspirations and lofty dreams of many of our national leaders. You can be sure tha such public figures as Norman Schwarzkopf, Alan Dershowitz, Nancy Pelosi, and Julian Bond know full well how to set goals and articulate their vision. But when the author pulled out a box of acrylic paints and oil pastels, every one of the usually lucid leaders who were interviewed for this book sat for an awkward moment in stunned disbelief. This is not an area of my brain that I normally call into play," complained national correspondent James Fallows. "I've never used any kid of paint," howled Senator Alan Simpson. "I can't imagine anything more difficult to do," Patricia Ireland protested. One fascinating way to experience this book is to compare the statements and illustrations to each other. What dominant and recurring themes emerge among these varied individuals? Are paintings done by bitter political adversaries as different as one might expect? What new goals or ideals do the paintings uncover that words alone cannot convey? A Perfect World offers graphic answers to these momentous questions and more. This unique book will entertain and enlighten the intelligent, engaged, and curious reader in us all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"I can't really hope for much for a country that is as wackily religious as ours," writes Yale English professor Harold Bloom in his somewhat pessimistic contribution to A Perfect World: Words and Paintings from Over 50 of America's Most Powerful People, edited by journalist Debra Trione. Others featured in this small, colorfully illustrated volume include Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, General Norman Schwarzkopf and chemistry Nobel laureate Dudley Herschbach. A wide range of political perspectives are represented, as well as a wide range of artistic skills: stick figures, landscapes of varying legibility and an abstract painting of interlocking arrows representing "flows of trade, capital, people, ideas and technology throughout the globe" are among the offerings.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Author Debra Trione began work on A Perfect World in 1997 after serving on the President's Council on Sustainable Development, where she helped federal officials, Fortune 500 CEOs, and national advocacy leaders write policy recommendations bound for the president's desk. She has written extensively on current events for Chicago Public Radio, Marketplace, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Honolulu Star Bulletin, and more. During the 1980s she worked at Harvard University Press and Harvard Medical School as an editor. She has also written art criticism for a number of publications around the country. She lives with her husband in Rochester, N.Y.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; First edition. edition (September 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740727265
• ISBN-13: 978-0740727269
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,952,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful idea, awful pictures, May 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Perfect World: Words and Paintings from Over 50 of America's Most Powerful People (Paperback)

Perhaps the drawings in this book were art therapy for the participants; they certainly don't do anything for the viewer. Definitely not worth the trees it took to print, but if you're sent a review copy, the book does have that "can't-help-looking" effect of a car crash.

50+ untrained artists execute infantile drawings in pencil, crayon, and poster paints. The ideas for a perfect world are either predictable (Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA, covers a page with pro-vegan messages; Harold Bloom-in a particularly embarrassing scrawl-draws a girl reading) or so nebulous as to be incomprehensible without an essay (Alan Dershowitz fumbles through three pages without clarifying his painting). I have no doubt the contributors are well-intentioned, but the contributions themselves are surprisingly rote, praising family, ecology, industry, religion, and the like without any unique take on the individual's hopes or desires for the world. A book that drew its responses from grade schoolers might have better artwork or more surprising ideas.

But man, I can't stop looking at that Harold Bloom scribble.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, January 12, 2003

By 

Stephanie A Nankin (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Perfect World: Words and Paintings from Over 50 of America's Most Powerful People (Paperback)

Debra Trione has found a wonderful way to get the heart of each of the 50 people she interviewed. Each interview is personal and engaging. Trione's idea to have each person create a unique painting is simple, yet brilliant. She has taken each of the people she interviewed right back to the age that they last held a paintbrush. The paintings are childlike, yet honest, sincere and captivating representations of many different views of "A Perfect World."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Great Book, December 24, 2002

By 

Sarah Krakauer (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Perfect World: Words and Paintings from Over 50 of America's Most Powerful People (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful journey into the dreams of some well-known Americans, helping us to see them pared down to a spinless core intent on drawing a picture of their vision. What would your dream be?