Dance Books

An amazing read! Thanks Carlton for sharing your spotlight to help guide others on their life's journey.

i couldn't put it down. touching, insightful, candid, fascinating. Carlton destroys his demons with courage and love, and finds peace in forgiveness along the way. a must-read.

WOW! What a book about discovery? I was not expecting to love this book but I did! It lets us all know, we can rise above our insecurities, confront our fears and begin to feel alive.
Carlton, Thanks for being such a talented writer.
All the best
Jo Patrick

CARLTON ROCKS
BEING HONEST IS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING FOR ANY OF US TO BE IN DAILY LIFE... I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT TELLING THE TRUTH... I AM TALKING SOUL BARING HEART WRENCHING WHITE KNUCKLE HONESTY!!!
THIS BOOK IS A BEACON OF LIGHT TO PEOPLE WHO NEED TO FIND THE COURAGE TO LIVE THE TRUTH...

I BOUGHT 5 FOR MY FRIENDS!!!

We live in a world where people hide behind masks! The mask of sexuality, drug addiction, and approval addiction. Fear is the cause of masks. I appreciated Front & Center because it displayed courage as Carlton Wilborn fought his fears. It is truly transparency at its finest. Carlton's writing paints beautiful pictures about his struggles. He draws you into his heart and many of us can relate with the life changing choices that developed him into who he is now. His journey is encouraging and insightful to those who seek the success he has, which is true peace and freedom! I highly recommend this memoir you will be blessed as you experience the transformation that took place in this book. It's not easy living life "Front & Center", but after reading this book you will be confident that it's possible to do it transparent and fearless!

A fast-paced and entertaining paranormal romance that takes the reader beyond the usual confines of its genre. The heroine, a psychiatrist, is a necromancer to whom the hero, a world-weary homicide detective, must turn in order to solve a series of brutal murders. Set, and vividly brought to life, in the author's home of New Orleans, thiis is a compelling introduction to the trilogy and an excellent debut novel by a fine new voice in the genre.

A necromancer, shapeshifter and a firestarter--oh my! For readers loving urban paranormal fantasy, this book is a fast-paced, intricate read. Children are being killed and disappearing in a small Louisiana town, and these three women, meeting in seemingly predestined ways, prepare to stop the killer. The dead speak to the necromancer, giving clues as the women unravel the multi-layered plot involving law officers working the case. Time is short, lives hang in the balance. Using their remarkable talents, will the women be able to save the children and capture the killer? C.J. Parker keeps the reader turning the pages to find out. And sets the stage for a series involving this unlikely trio.

Writer of Journalism, short stories and humor.

Fugue Macabre: Ghost Dance begins in the world famous St. Louis Cemetery Number One where the voodoo queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau, is said to be buried. The cemetery is swarming with police, reporters, and coroners' aids where they are once again faced with a sixth child who has been found murdered and posed nude against a tomb, legs crossed at the ankles, tiny hands folded in her lap and head tilted to one side. Her eyes were plucked out and elaborate symbols had been carved into her torso. Words were written in blood on the tombstone as in all the other murders: Ogou La Flambo, Lieutenant of burning battlefields, gorge with his blood and grant me my revenge. Homicide Detective Derek Bainbridge has been assigned to the case and has not found a shred of evidence since the murders began.

In New York, Tabatha Gray is a psychiatrist who's been away from her home in New Orleans for eleven years. She's in a hospital morgue and talking to a dead body when her friend, Bobbie Luckman discovers Tabitha's ability to speak to the dead. Bobbie tells Tabitha that she is going to New Orleans to bury her brother who has been killed under strange circumstances and Tabitha makes arrangements to meet her in New Orleans as she is going back home to New Orleans herself.

Derek and Tabitha meet and Derek discovers that Tabitha is a necromancer and wants Tabitha to help him by raising the dead children to see if they know who killed them. Tabitha agrees to help Derek and they eventually fall in love with each other.

Fugue Macabre: Ghost Dance starts with a gruesome off stage murder. C. J. Parker has craftily stacked layer upon layer of surprises, twists, and turns revolving around deep dark family secrets, lies told long ago, and treachery to the mystery so that it becomes complex and an interesting and exciting read. Her characters are strong and realistic and remain so throughout the story. At the end, all the questions raised during the course of the story are resolved. And it's set up for a sequel. I can't wait to read it.

Fugue Macabre: Ghost Dance is a page turner and a great read. I recommend it highly

Author, CJ Parker takes you into the paranormal world where murder, mystery and romance coinside. Dr.Tabatha Gray fears nothing or nobody all she wants to do solve the mystery of three dead children. It's how she does solves it that will amaze you. It's Parnormal at its best.
It is a sure page turner. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Fugue Macabre: Ghost Dance is an edge-of-your-seat read with a lot of tension, action and suspense. CJ Parker really knows New Orleans and her writing takes you to the heart of the city, humidity and all. I found this book exciting and a real page-turner. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys superb characterization and excellent plot lines. This is a well-crafted tale and one that would be enjoyable to read many times. This is definitely a keeper!

The book was in very good condition and shipped quickly. I paid about $20 less than my college's bookstore was charging for it.

Definitely a must-have in all drama classes. Don't recycle the same old exercises which have nothing to do with the world around us - the work of Boal is accessible and important to students of the theater of all ages.

This text is an essential publication for any drama practitioner, teacher, actor. It encloses many unique activities that vary in levels of ability that enable the participants to explore various facets within drama/ theatre.

A DEFINATE MUST HAVE!!!

This text represents a valuable introduction to the theories and practice of Augusto Boal. GFA, unlike its predecessor the Theatre of the Oppressed, contains practical exercises as well as an introduction to the important theoretical work of Boal. Boal's major innovations (such as Forum Theatre and Image Theatre) are introduced, discussed, and illustrated with examples, thus effectively allowing the reader to enter into the dialogue of using and refining the techniques. I would recommend this to any performer, artist, educator, or theatre worker who is unfamiliar with the work of Boal, and seeks new methods of understanding and transforming practice, and empowering both audience and participants.

This book has given me several tools to use in my Sunday School class on the gospel of Mark. It helped the group of college students and adults, really get a more embodied sense of the gospel story, human ethics and Christian theology. If you are looking to do something different in your church, buy this book!

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF MOZART:
INSTRUMENTAL WORKS, UNLOCKING THE MASTERS SERIES, NO. 3
by DAVID HURWITZ - PAPERBACK - AMADEUS PRESS, 2005 - 187 PAGES.

RATED 5 STARS & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by MOZART ENTHUSIASTS
for NOVICE MOZART CLASSICAL MUSIC LOVERS!

Over the last 20-years as a MOZART AFFICIANDO, I have read at least 50 MOZART BOOKS and would rate this book - A++ and 5 STARS!!!

Founder and editor of an online daily classical music magazine, author DAVID HURWITZ discusses features of Wolfgang Mozart's classical music in general and specific instrumental works to help listeners better understand and appreciate Mozart's special genius. This book is a guided tour of Mozart most popular musical works historical information on each work's composition, and an analysis about what makes each piece truly "noteworthy." This book also explains and examines MOZART'S CHAMBER MUSIC, ORCHESTRAL MUSIC (SERENADES AND SYMPHONIES), and CONCERTOS (PIANO and WIND). The book contains a free MOZART CD with sample BMG Classics recordings of some of Mozart's most famous musical works.

David Hurwitz is fantatically insightful. Himself a composer, he gets to the heart of Mozart. His discussion is the sort that enlightens newbies, and stimulates the professional by going back to basics.
I enjoyed every page of both the Mozart books, and the musical cds were full of well chosen examples.
Roberta Prada, contralto, author of "The Ear and the Voice" in English, with Francis Keeping andPierre Sollier, and translator of J Faure: "The Voice and Singing" with Francis Keeping. Principal of Vocalimages.com, and voxmentor.com

This is the second volume of a two volume series explaining the genius in Motzart's work. This folume concentrates on the Instrumental Works. To listen to great music and to enjoy it is one thing. Yet the professional student of classical music sees/hears/understands so much more than the rest of us.

In this book David Hurwitz, the founder and executive editor of daily classical music magazine, takes readers through Mozart's seven major operas, one part at a time explaining what he sees in each area. This provides an insite that most of us, particularily those of us living in remote areas, can never see.

I never imagines that you could see so much in this music.

The book comes with a full length CD that includes eleven of Mozarts pieces.

Unlocking the vast rewards of classical music takes more than just casual listening - it requires learning some of the basic aspects of music (rhythm, structure, harmony, etc) and a little of the historical context of the composers and his/her predecessors. Mozart is an excellent place to start into classical music for many reasons - one being his highly-melodic music is considered easily "accessible" to the average listener who can appreciate and enjoy it without any musical know-how.

In this fresh and much-needed new series, vetern music-writer David Hurwitz gives us an enticing roadmap to understanding the music of Mozart in a way that most anyone can deepen their music appreciation and enhance their listening experience. The text is friendly, well writen, without complex jargon and analyzes Mozart's music in simple but enough detail to reveal just exactly "what makes Mozart's music sound like Mozart."

Mr. Hurwitz takes the classical enthusiast through the some fifty major works of Mozart's instrumental music, focusing each chapter on one category (chamber music, symphony, concerto, church music). The vocal works (opera, concert arias, masses) are in a separate volume with the green cover. Within each major work, Hurwitz describes the most common musical "structures" Mozart used - such as the all-important sonata form, theme-and-variations, rondos, and the minuet. His "analysis" of Mozart's well-loved piano concertos is quite interesting and helpful, breaking them down into 10 'groups' to help get your hands around the differences in composition and effect of each. The accompanying CD of several movements helps bring to life Hurwitz's commentary of several featured works that are discussed in more depth.

I also appreciated his defense of "delightful music" such as Mozart's from the critical voices that sometimes devalues such music as merely "cute" - while giving elevated status to the later, more troubling-sounding music of the Romantic or Modern eras ... or as he jokingly terms it: "the suffering, Romantic, artist-hero expressing personal misery in their creations." Great music is not only about dramatic tension, disturbing dissonances and individual emotional expression but also about pleasant, happy tones that anyone can enjoy.

Hurwitz' book is one of the "fun to read" intros to Mozart and classical music appreciation and is highly recommended. It should appeal to both the newcomer as well as those with more experience in classical music as it also has great depth and detail. If your interest is to follow in more detail the actual musical scores for several popular works, a similar but slightly more musically-involved book is by Robert Harris' ("What To Listen For In Mozart"). Harris' books are also easy and interesting to read for the non-music major types.

As another reviewer has already pointed it, this collection would make an EXCELLENT intro to the wonders of classical music, as well as a must-have for Mozart fans. Even if you already have these pieces, having it on one collection makes the drive to work a pleasure rather than a chore. Highly recommend.

God a logs is a remarkable book and gives a new meaning to death and helps you understand death is just another wonderful aspect of life.

I was going to write a nice big review because I have read many of Sam Oliver's books and articles and have the highest regard for him and his work! However the first 3 reviews here have said it all. It doesn't get any better than the words they said. Not a cop out, just the facts. I really believe that this book will help you whether you have a loved one dying or just want to try his suggestions and journal for yourself on the blank pages. Just might become a lifelong habit and wonderful way to get in touch with yourself and God! This book will go far I predict! Don't take my word for it, get one for yourself. :-)

Thanks again Sam!

"Paying Attention..." This is what the book is all about. It is paying attention to the Wisdom that, or shall I say, Who dwells deep inside us and in the very center of our experiences.

For many years, Sam Oliver has been in the mission of caring for the dying. This sets the context of the book.

In this book, Sam gets into a different way of conversing with God. He prayerfully poses two questions to himself daily: "What do you want me to notice today?" and "How do I get there?" By posing those questions, Sam allows God to draw him to a particular truth or to a nugget of wisdom that he needs to see for that particular day. He also allows God to speak to him about it and to direct him on how to go about it. He doesn't only apply the wisdom received on his area of mission and in the dying process but he also implicitly looks deep into his own experiences to see God's wisdom revealed in the very fleeting lives of those entrusted to his care.

After each of his daily encounter with God, he invites his readers to step into their own souls and to allow God to draw them to His truth and His wisdom.

This book is, in fact, a good spiritual work book and to go through the questions each day heightens one's sensitivity to the voice of God that is very much present in one's own thoughts and feelings.

This book is truly recommended for those who take care of their dying loved ones. To take care and to see a loved one in the process of dying can be a heart-breaking and desolate experience and therefore, God can be experienced as distant and cold. But, in this book, Sam Oliver accompanies those who take care of those dying and shows them how they can have a deep and meaningful experience by paying attention to God's voice deep within them and to the Wisdom that is found in their painful experience.

It is amazing to think that at the bedside of a dying loved one, one can experience the warmth of God's embrace and the light of His countenance.

As Sam Oliver writes, "Dying people show us the way into eternity..."

"The need to protect [the] dying loved one or a patient wondering what is about to happen to them reveals a place where our relationships can be guided by the Creator of us all. Such a sacred space is where God can create a path that leads us all home -" p 220

Dr. Sam Oliver's book "God a Logs on Living and Dying" is a map through territory that few of us willingly enter. Through 46 days of meditation, the reader is led not just thourgh words but through experience and interactive meditation on the lessons of living learned from the dying.

Having lived through the experience of nursing two different family members in the months before their deaths, I believe this book offers the opportunity for family members to work through their own emotions, and better support and care for a dying loved on. However, though I can appreciate it now, it may have been too difficult at the time to step back and contemplate these lessons in those moments of adjustment and grief.

Hospice and aid workers who make a career of helping the dying have the most to gain from this journal and the most opportunity to learn from the wisdom Dr. Oliver shares in these pages.

Structured as a daily journal with ample space for the user to add thoughts, realizations, prayers, and other comments this is a book to be used and reused.

It's a gift to give to yourself. We are not very good at approaching death and as a result we are easily dismayed, discouraged, and knocked off the center by death. This book is an opportunity to grasp a lifeline thrown by God in the midst of some of the most turbulent times of our life without losing the center.

This book is a treasure for those seeking to capture their loved one's last moments of living on paper. This journal allows a person to record his or her thoughts about living and dying as directed by the still small voice within him or her. This book takes you on a journey into the heart and soul of guidance revealed by the very wisdom that has created us all. This journey inspires the reader of the devotion sections of the book to be inspired to write his or her own thoughts for the day on the next page. This allows the journal to be a vehicle for awakening the voice of God within you.

This poetry is vitally needed because it introduces us to a God most people do not know - A God who loves us so deeply and wants to share Himself with us - A God who's playful and majestic - A God who wants to dance with us - if we but let Him get close to us. I'm sure that this book (and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) will awaken in the reader a desire to get to know this God of the Universe that Dances in Trees.

she says it all and in a way that will make you laugh and cry. It feels like a hug from NaNa

This collection of poems reads more like a storybook than a poetry book. It flows with love and adoration for more than just the LORD. You cannot help but feel blessed after reading this book.

I never liked poety before - but this was amazing. I read it while comuting to and from work. I laughed, cried, I just sat and enjoyed all the feelings - all the emotions. When I read what the author has shared - I said "me too". This is a must have. You can read it over and over again.

This book was given to me as a gift from my favorite aunt. I was never really a fan of poetry, but each of these poems is a mini short story. When one reads these "stories" you can actually see, hear and feel what the author is sharing. This is a book that is easy to travel with, and read and re-read. Every time you read a poem, you experience different emotions. I in turn have purchased several books to be given as gift to others. Everyone I have shared this treasure with has commented how they have enjoyed the book and each has a "favorite story" that has a special meaning for them.

This is a wonderful book. The author has done her homework and her picks from the famous to the forgotten were excellent choices. If she couldn't confirm a rumor, rather than speculate, or worse yet, sensationalize, she plainly stated the answer would probably never be found.

I recommend this book for all lovers of the silent era. I only wish that Ms.Golden could do full length bios on these people.

Before I read Eve's books, I couldn't tell Buster Keaton from Michael Keaton. I kept confusing Anita Page and Doris Hill with Anita Hill. This woman knows more about Virgina Bradford than Bradford herself. Her book has opened my eyes to the wonderful genre that is The Silent Movie. Eve has taught me not to laugh at the name Richard Dix. She's explained that Charlie Chaplin doesn't wear that moustache and glasses because he's in the Witness Protection Program.

I could go on forever about this book, but I think I'll leave you all with a quote from my favorite silent movie: " ".

Eve Golden as always does her homework on her subjects, and then brings them to life wth insight and warmth. A great collection of Hollywood's known and lesser-known characters-- briskly written, it's a good read.

This book provides 4-5 page biographies of many silent film stars. Some are very familiar to film buffs such as Rudolph Valentino, the Talmadge Sisters, etc. but others are not as familiar such as Martha Mansfield, Milton Sills, etc. Golden's writing style is so easy to read and she has done a great deal of research. Many of the biographies left you wanting to read a great deal more about many of these people. I would recommend this for all silent film buffs!

This wonderful book contains 41 short (5-6 pages each) biographies of silent film actors and actresses. Some like Clara Bow, William Haines, and Rudolph Valentino have been covered more in-depth by other biographers. However, there is no other book that covers the life and careers of Marie Prevost, Milton Sills, Arthur Johnson, Clarine Seymour, Harrison Ford (not Indiana Jones), Pearl White, and Wallace Reid. Even famous personalities who just made a few film appearances like May Irwin and Ormer Locklear are covered. Many of these performers died before the silent era was even over, which is why they are virtually unknown today. These essays were originally written for CLASSIC IMAGES magazine, but have been updated for the book. Ms. Golden's bios are well researched and very easy to read. If you are interested in silent film performers, you will want this book!

GOTTA TANGO (Book and DVD)

There are several excellent reviews that have already been written describing the contents of "Gotta Tango", and its long term importance as a tango resource.

What I want you to understand is something of its revolutionary significance and value as a teaching tool. Everyone knows the old adage `those who can, do, and those who can't teach.' In the case of Paz and Hart, it should read `those who can do, should do, and leave the teaching to someone who really knows how to teach!' They are among the few who not only understand and can effectively communicate the structure of the dance...their brilliance as teachers has allowed them to present the material in a variety of creative ways, so that it is accessible to students with varying learning styles.

There is first the written text, expressing an overview of the concepts being presented. Then there are step by step directions on how to properly execute the particular movements. There are diagrams (cleverly drawn from above) so one can grasp the pattern and flow of the movements, and there are photographs, allowing one to see the authors executing the steps. Each section of material also references the accompanying DVD, where one can see the movements in motion. The DVD has voice over as well as printed text-over so one can reinforce the visual concepts that way as well.

In short, if you read this book, you are going to dance better. If you don't yet dance, you are going to want to dance, joining the tangueros and tangueras of past and future times, sharing Valorie and Alberto's love and passion for the tango.

From the opening description of an eager and silent arrival at a nameless milonga, through the loving details of historical and musical significance, and with a thorough and conscientious discussion of the mechanics of the dance, Alberto Paz and Valorie Hart present a beautiful and invaluable resource for lovers, and future lovers, of Argentine Tango.

Theirs is a methodical approach, gleaned from a tireless dedication to understanding and teaching the structure of this dance, and they hold the keys to unlock for their readers the passion and wonder that so many tangueros worldwide have been fortunate enough to find.

Their detailed and descriptive text is accompanied by diagrams, photographs, and an accompanying DVD, all of which contribute to their enlightening discussion of the mechanics of Argentine Tango. It is well-ordered, logical, and thorough. I found their discourse on the musical history of tango to be especially fascinating, as well. It left me wanting more--and I hope that they do plan to give us more.

Paz and Hart's text is voiced richly and fully by the historian, by the musical theorist, by the accomplished dancer, by the compassionate and skilled teacher, and ever by the dedicated lover of tango. We are exceedingly fortunate to have this timeless resource by master teachers Alberto Paz and Valorie Hart.

I agree with a previous reviewer that it should be "required reading" for any student and lover of Argentine Tango!

This innovative combination of text and DVD provides a unique resource for tango dancers at any level and for instructors as well. We have recommended it to our own students and have found it an appreciated gift to other teachers.

The well-organized information carries the reader/viewer from the most fundamental aspects of the dance into the realm of complex techniques and improvisation, while providing a thorough understanding of concepts and dynamics behind the techniques along the way.

After a first reading, don't put it away. Both the book and the video will be valuable, long-term references.

The Tango was a slightly salacious dance that had its origins in the barrios of Argentina and went on to achieve widespread popularity in the dance halls of Europe and America in the early decades of the 20th Century -- a popularity in ball room dancing that persists to this day. Profusely illustrated and with an accompanying DVD, "Gotta Tango: Argentine Tango Anywhere, Anytime" is the collaborative work of Tango experts and instructors Albert Paz and Valorie Hart. Offering (quite literally) a step-by-step instruction guide, "Gotta Tango" is the ideal do-it-yourself manual for men and women wanting to master and then excel in their performance of this Latin American dancing tradition. All of the concepts, techniques, flourishes and flairs associated with the Tango are covered in depth and in detail. This book/DVD combination is the perfect format and forum for instruction for the novice dancer (as well as a perfect brush up resource for even experienced Tango dancers coming back to the dance after an absence) and is enthusiastically recommended for personal, dance school, and community library instructional reference collections.

Gotta Tango (Book & DVD)
Compact, informative and fun, this integrated digital and print textbook should be "required reading" for all students of Argentine Tango. It is not another coffee-table Tango book. Myth-busters Paz and Hart concentrate the founding history, culture and traditions of the Tango in the initial chapters. They follow this with clear and concise explanations of all the core movements; the text integrates seamlessly with the DVD chapters. All material is representative of the essential elements of Tango covered in some of the most expensive and exclusive classes around the world. Unlike many other "master" teachers, this American-Argentine duo clarifies every term and movement with precision and elegance. Both novice and expert have much to learn from "Gotta Tango".

Sometimes the truly good books are those that cover the aspects of network broadcasting that are not always best remembered. One obscurity is radio soap operas. And to think Jim Cox actually spent the time to compile information about thirty plus radio soap operas is magnificent. True documentation from an author who must love the OTR hobby. Sadly, the only thing going against it is the expensive price (obviously from McFarland who doesn't sell books at low prices for fans, only to University and College Libraries). This book, unlike many McFarland has put out, offers a neat photographic cover. One great thing I can say about this book (and you have to read it to understand what I'm saying), it was such an enjoyable read that I won't part with mine. You'll have to buy one of yoru own.

Jim Cox has done a wonderful job of recalling the most popular soap operas of radio's past. This book would make a great addition to any student's or collector's library of media related books. As an author, I fully appreciate the time and effort that went into this beautifully produced and informative book and congratulate everyone involved in its preparation.

Okay. Soap operas on radio is not my strong point. In fact, I have very little in my collection. But I purchased a copy of this book (requested from a bookstore) and it's a must have. Cox is probably one of the best authors we have to document old-time radio and he digs into subjects we disregard. One thing I can really say this book did is make me order various cassettes from my favorite old-time radio dealer to listen to. More soap operas. That's exactly what a book should do. If you don't know much about this subject or want to hear some interesting stories, I recommend you add this to your collection. The cover is hardback trade, but with a glossy cover instead of cloth like most Mcfarland books. I like it.

This book is invaluable to the student of media as well as those who have memories of these wonderful programs. I have used the information in this book in teaching media classes to generate a better understanding of how entertainment forms came into being. This is also a great read in and of itself and a book to revisit often.

As the editor of an Old-Time radio club newsletter, I received a complimentary copy of "The Great Radio Soap Operas" from the publisher. While I was not a fan of radio soap operas, I decided to read and review this book.

Don't let the title keep you from seeking out this book. It is much, much more than a book on radio soap operas. Jim Cox has written a GREAT BOOK, including comprehensive histories of 31 of network radio's most durable soap operas. Don't be disappointed if one of your favorite "soaps" doesn't have its own chapter. Many others are also discussed in this book.

Each of the series covered in depth includes extensive information on casts, writers, production personnel, sponsors, ratings, dates on the air, and time slots. There is biographical information on many actors, producers, directors, & writers. Also, the opening lines for many soap operas are included. You'll also find interesting appendices and an excellent annotated bibliography.

Jim Cox manages to blend facts, entertaining anecdotes, scripting and plotting techniques, plot lines, and a generous portion of Radio history into a highly informative, readable, & enjoyable book. No small feat in deed! This book really captures the vitality of radio soap operas in such a way that the reader feels like the shows are still on the air. Even though the last radio "soap" went off the air over four decades ago, they live on in Jim's book. The love of his subject matter clearly shows through. "The Great Radio Soap Operas" is a book well worth adding to your Old-Time Radio library.

Once I finished reading the book and wrote the review, I turned the book over to the Club's Library. Then I placed an order with the publisher and purchased a copy of "The Great Radio Soap Operas" for my own.

I've always been interested in theatre and movies, but when I was a kid and even in my mid-thirties, even though I've published books, getting involved in movies seemed like suddenly wanting to become President of the United States. So I bought this book and refer back to it whenever aspects of producing an indie film seem daunting. This book's beautiful and great. GIRL DIRECTOR is another fun book (although originally for little girls). So you should buy this book if you can afford such a beautiful hard cover photograph book, and support the authors so publishers know we're out here and interested.

At first glance, it's a tasteful coffee table addition. Upon closer inspection, it gets intense. The photos, more than mere portraits, are actual tableaus of each subject acting out their careers (in all aspects of filmmaking) in a thought-provoking way. Either in a fantasy setting or an actual on-the-job setting-- sometimes whimsical, sometimes confrontational-- it's apparent that each subject worked with the photographer and author closely to create a unique representative visual statement. This, in union with the insightful written profiles and savvy graphical layout, make for a book that joyfully celebrates the previously little-known world and work of women in film production and the progress they will continue to make in the future.

I just can't say enough about this book. It's inspiring on so many levels. For some, it will give a glimpse into what it takes to make it in the movie business. For others, the photos will serve as a reminder that art and beauty are all around us! I love that the authors didn't just focus on celebrities (although there are several of those, too), but they found great women in a variety of interesting fields. The photos are breathtaking, especially the great shots of Jodie Foster--amazing! I highly recommend this book, as well as the previous book by these folks, "Screenwriters: America's Storytellers in Portrait."

As a woman who is about to embark on the exact same journey this book is all about, I found this text so encouraging. It has become my second Bible. Helena Lumme brings together a mix of inspiring women in tbe film industry. Their insight and experience in the film business is not only refreshingly honest, but inspirational as well. From the early days of film making to the present, women have been a major part of the moviemaking process. It makes me proud to not only be a woman but hopefully become a part of a wonderful legacy of a daring and courageous women. The information is all encompassing to the passion they each feel about not only their work but the journey they took to get there. Mika Manninen photography not only puts a face on most of these unseen women but also captures their very soul in the lens. My heartfelt thanks go to not only Lumme but the women she interviewed for this piece.

As a woman in film school at USC, I craved books like this. Usually what I found was dry text giving me a history lesson, accompanied by some poorly reproduced photos. I opened Great Women of Film and discovered something completely different. This is a book that wants to inspire its readers, through its variety of subjects, presented in bold and evocative portraits, with interviews chock full of realistic advice and lessons learned. There are no stories of nepotism or unearned breaks, each of these women took risks, worked hard and fearlessly dedicated themselves to their crafts. These are woman in front of and behind the camera, directors, writers, set decorators, producers, cinematographers, and special effects artists. As I read, I wished each woman could be my mentor, then I realized that's exactly what this book offers--the advice, wisdom, and can-do encouragement of accomplished women who want to see more of us out there with them. The film industry may still be a male-dominated world, but I would pay double to see a movie whose crew was made up solely of these Great Women of Film. Oh, and the book concludes with an index of resources, from schools to non-profits to guilds and unions that exist to help women in film.