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Chicago Tribune - Worth Reading
Gift Inspiration
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
by Anne E. Stein
Click here for pdf version of review
Washington Post Book Review
Road Reads
Sunday, October 31, 2004
by Jerry V. HainesBook: "Celebrating Women," by Paola Gianturco (powerHouse Books, $49.95)
Target Audience: Anyone with a mother.
Quick Take: In Swaziland, virgins are honored, even by the king, at the annual Reed Dance. It's an ancient ceremony with an urgent, modern subtext: the reduction of teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. In Vienna, women play dress-up at a masked ball where every dance is a "ladies' choice." In Finland, couples compete in an international "wife-carrying" contest where, to discourage anorexia, the prize is the woman's weight in beer. Photojournalist Gianturco combines some of the most striking portraiture this side of National Geographic with insightful reportage from familiar as well as remote parts of the globe: matronly commanders of the kitchen on Guadeloupe; Swedish girls wearing crowns of lighted candles to become Sankta Lucia; celebrants in Calcutta beheading young goats to honor a Hindu war goddess.Gianturco makes a decidedly un-preachy case for the power of women and girls. Even the Miss America pageant, often dismissed as the apotheosis of superficiality, shows women thinking and doing. "I am here for the scholarships," declares Miss South Dakota. "Why else would anyone wear these ridiculous shoes?"
Rant: Glossy paper and an assertively modern typeface sometimes make the text difficult to read, and that's a crime.
Rave: A big, beautiful book - too rich to stay on a coffee table.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
Click here for pdf version of review.
Book Review by Diana Serbe - Creator and Editor of InMamasKitchen.com
If there is a reason to celebrate, it is that we now have Paola Gianturco's beautiful new book, Celebrating Women. With dazzling photographs and vibrant prose, Celebrating Women takes us to festivals and celebrations around the world. Some are indigenous, some familiar, but all have one thing in common: they honor women. Spanning five continents, the variety of festivals startles. Frequently, the female attribute being honored shocks. Click here to see the full article at InmamasKitchen.com.
Advance Praise for Celebrating Women
Celebrating Women captures the collective essence of the joys, exuberance and power of women. It is a vibrant book shouting to the world: We are strong! We are magnificent! We will be heard! I know of no one in the world with more integrity than Paola Gianturco. Everything she does reflects her deep empathy for women. Ms. Gianturco’s intelligence, intuition, drive and vision, combined with her adaptability and ease in communication, have given her unparalleled insights into the identity of international womanhood. She writes clearly with passion and knowledge, while her photographs are compelling invitations to personal experiences with her subjects. A journey through Celebrating Women is at once transformative and deeply affirmative. It is a book that glows from within.
Stephen P. Huyler, cultural anthropologist, author and photographer of Painted Prayers: Women’s Art in Village India and India’s Daughters: Women’s Art and Identity
Paola Gianturco's exceptional photography and intimate interviews reveal the forces that shape femininity in human cultures. Celebrating Women will become the definitive resource for festivals that honor women around the world. As a living institution dedicated to valuing the lives of women, the International Museum of Women is proud to present a multimedia exhibit based on Paola’s photography, recordings and festival artifacts. Both the book and exhibit will raise intriguing questions about the nature of being female and create a new appreciation for women's roles and experiences.
Elizabeth Colton, Chair, International Museum of Women
Once again, with her words and her lens, Paola Gianturco takes us on a magical journey around the world to participate in festivals and rituals, celebrating the spirit of women in cultures as diverse as Peru and Atlantic City. Although radically different in form and intention, they all converge in tapping the greatness of the feminine spirit -- the paradigm for the entire culture. From Thao Suranari in Thailand to Miss America competition, Celebrating Women breaks down our preconceptions of femininity. A substantial gift.
Alev Lytle Croutier, author of Seven Houses
Ending violence against women in all forms; celebrating women in all their diversity. These aims unite feminists across the world. Paola Gianturco’s book, Celebrating Women is a beautiful testimony of the vitality of women in the 21st century.
Anne Balsamo, Associate Director of Stanford Humanities Lab, feminist new media designer, and author of Technologies of the Gendered Body: Reading Cyborg Women.