The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir

Book Description

The story of a remarkable woman's rise out of the foster-care system to attain the American dream—and of the unlikely series of women who lifted her up in marvelous and distinctive ways

Born as a ward of the state of Maine—the child of an unmarried Yankee blueblood mother and an unknown black father—Victoria Rowell beat the odds. Unlike so many other children who fall through the cracks of our overburdened foster-care system, her experience was nothing short of miraculous, thanks to several extraordinary women who stepped forward to love, nurture, guide, teach, and challenge her to become the accomplished actress, philanthropist, and mother that she is today.

Rowell spent her first weeks of life as a boarder infant before being placed with a Caucasian foster family. Although her stay lasted for only two years, at this critical stage Rowell was given a foundation of love by the first of what would be an amazing array of women, each of whom presented herself for different purposes at every dramatic turn of Rowell's life.

In this deeply touching memoir, Rowell pays tribute to her personal champions: the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, mentors, teachers, and sisters who each have fascinating stories to tell. Among them are Agatha Armstead, Rowell's longest-term foster mother, a black Bostonian on whose rural Maine farm Rowell's fire to reach for greatness was lit; Esther Brooks, a Paris-trained prima ballerina, Rowell's first mentor at the Cambridge School of Ballet; Rosa Turner, a Boston inner-city fosterer who taught Rowell lessons of independence; Sylvia Silverman, a mother and teacher whose home in a well-kept middle-class suburban neighborhood prepared Rowell for her transition out of foster care and into New York City's wild worlds of ballet and acting and adulthood.

In spite of support from individuals and agencies, Rowell nonetheless carried the burden of loneliness and anxiety, common to most foster children, particularly those "orphans of the living" who are never adopted. Heroically overcoming those obstacles, Rowell also reaches a moment when she can embrace her biological mother, Dorothy, and, most important, accept herself.

Ultimately, The Women Who Raised Me is a story that belongs to each of us as it shines a glowing light on the transformational power of mentoring, love, art, and womanhood.

Customer Reviews:

Review.......2007-09-07

This was a well written book. The author gives a heartfelt account of her life in foster care. She begins her story as a small child in rural Maine and concludes as an adult actress in Hollywood. This is a great book that deals with foster care, mental illness, achievements, and adversity in a young woman's life.

Wanted more of an autobiography.......2007-08-16

I know the title says the women who raised me, but I really wanted to read more about how she got into acting, what it was like to be on the young and the restless and work with dick van dyke. She spends many chapters about her ballet years, but doesnt mention what it was like to get into tv acting, which is really her career, not ballet. She is known for being a TV star. She did a great deal of research into her families/friends - I think too much. I had to skip many many pages because it got boring. She mentions her marriage, but never talks about getting divorced. I never knew if she married Wynton or not, had to look it up on the net. She doesn't get into her relationships with men much or her children. I got the impression Wynton was raising her son? but who knows. She seems very multi talented though and it was great that she put so much time into writing a book in addition to her other charities/career.

Intriguing,surprising insights about foucs & tenacity.......2007-08-10

This is an exceptionally touching journey through the life of a foster child that was exposed to a number of phenomenal women.

All their lives were woven together beautifully by the author [Rowell]and revealed that despite backgrounds that were so different, these women all exhibited determined, giving spirits through their own talents.

A must read!!

The Women Who Raised Me.......2007-07-28

A very touching story , well written and informative. So sad at times. I loved that there were pictures of these incredible women to put faces on the heroes! Inspiring too, that with love and guidance, our children can thrive in difficult life situations.
As a grandmother to a mixed race child, very distubing also, that we still have so far to go in the US.

A wonderful book.......2007-07-01

I could not put down Ms. Rowell's life journey. I knew very little about her, only that she was an actress in a soap opera. She is an incredibly strong woman. I have great admiration for her. She could so easily have turned her back on her painful past and distanced herself from orphans; but she chose not to. She embraces her birth mother and all who assisted her.

The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them

Average customer rating:

We'll See...
This book was the BEST!
Good guidebook
You'll come home with prize winning photos!

The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
David Middleton , Bruce H. Morrison , and Bruce Morrison
Manufacturer: Countryman Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0881505358

Book Description

A comprehensive how-to/where-to guide to photographing more than 100 sites along the coast of Maine.

From dramatic rocky beaches and austere lighthouses to quiet harbors filled with lobster boats, tourists flock from around the world to photograph Maine's coastline. This book, written by two veteran photographers, tells you exactly where to go and how to go about shooting these "picture-perfect" places.

Directions to each site (including detailed maps), seasonal timing, places to eat and stay, and photographic tips accompany each site location, in addition to appendices featuring the authors' favorite places to photograph and tips on digital photography. Whether you want to capture close-up images of seaside flora and fauna or an old lobster boat to create your own postcard, this book will take you where you need to go. 60 full-color Photos, 15 maps, appendices.

Customer Reviews:

We'll See..........2006-03-16

My wife and I are planning our vacation to Maine for late Summer '06. We enjoyed the book, pictures, and suggestions for "great pictures."
We'll see how it goes!

This book was the BEST!.......2005-09-27

We followed his book to the letter and a great book with valuable infomation. Would recommend this book for anyone traveling to Maine and who likes Lighthouses. Wonderful and helpful tips.

Good guidebook.......2005-09-07

This is a good guidebook. It has enough detail/description to allow one to rationally select "likely sites" without being overpowering. However, there are an number of annoying editing errors present. (For example, every time the text reads "this place is 0.05 mile beyond that place", what's really meant is "0.5 mile". This is wrong in every place it's mentioned!)

You'll come home with prize winning photos!.......2004-05-30

David Middleton and Bruce Morrison have created a very insightful guide to coastal Maine photographic "hot spots". I am a professional photographer based in Maine, and while I am quite familiar with most of the places mentioned in this book I was pleasantly surprised to find out about others I had overlooked or was not aware of. (I also have a few secret spots of my own that did not crop up in the book..thankfully... but that's what makes this fun - a guidebook is best put to use as a springboard for further exploration.)

Photographers who live in Maine or are planning to visit coastal Maine will find much to enjoy here. You couldn't ask for a better resource. Even non-photographer types would do well to mine the gems of this book for general sightseeing and hiking tips.
Middleton and Morrison put you smack dab in the middle of great photo opportunities. A bit of a warning here: after you get a copy of this book you will feel a sudden and intense urge to be out on the Maine coast with your camera.

Product Description

Sabbathday Lake, one of the 19 original Shaker sites in America, was founded in 1794. While all the other sites are now historical re-creations, this hamlet in Maine continues as the vital center of the faith in the 21st century. The photographer Stephen G. Williams has been visiting these Shakers since the early 1970s, drawing spiritual strength from their habits of work and prayer, and artistic inspiration from their quest for harmony, economy, and perfection. "This book," says Williams, "is an endeavor to convey in photographic form my idea of Shakerism: simplicity, beauty, and grace." In its splendid spareness - a beauty borne of stripping away the inessentials - it fully achieves that end.

Customer Reviews:

Moving.......2006-09-02

Beautiful and moving images and stories of life standing still but spirit evolving. You'll want to look at these photographs time and time again and let them fill your soul.

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The Quiet Landscapes of William B. Post
Christian Peterson
Manufacturer: Minneapolis Institute Of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0816648115

Book Description

Currently underappreciated, William B. Post (1857–1921) was a pioneer fine art photographer at the turn of the twentieth century. Admired by Alfred Stieglitz, he was among the first American photographers to compose his images and sensitively craft his finished prints. This catalogue presents approximately thirty of Post’s images, noteworthy for their rich and exquisite tone.

Post’s deep affection for the landscape of rural Maine, where he summered and eventually lived, is evident in his soft-focus capturing of the essence of apple trees in blossom, fields at harvesttime, and most notably snow and water lilies. Like contemplative, Japanese-inspired poems, Post’s subtle platinum prints are quiet homages to his spiritual communion with nature.

Minneapolis Institute of Arts curator Christian A. Peterson follows Post’s life and work and assesses his creative accomplishments, illuminating his important place in photographic history and the unique and sophisticated beauty of his photographs.

Christian A. Peterson is curator at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Distributed for The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

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Maine Mining Adventures
C. J. Stevens
Manufacturer: John Wade Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1882425030

Book Description

A mother lode of tourmaline on a mountain in Newry, a billion dollar discover of copper and zinc in Aroostook County, and mammoth pockets of amethyst in Stow are only a few of these Maine Mining Adventures. For the beginner, there are easy to follow instructions on how and where to find minerals and gold. Many locations are listed, and seasoned miners generously give advice and guidance.

A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster Jr.

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A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster Jr.
harlan Lane
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0807066168

Book Description

Until his death 150 years ago, John Brewster Jr. was one of the most prominent portrait painters in America. Born deaf in 1766, his hauntingly beautiful portraits have a directness and intensity of vision that were rarely equaled. Harlan Lane's groundbreaking biography includes little-known and invaluable information on the early French roots of the American Deaf-World, the first school for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, the integrated Deaf community of Martha's Vineyard, and Contemporary Deaf art. Superbly illustrated with twenty-four pages of color images, A Deaf Artist in Early America provides a rare glimpse of Brewster and his art; it also contextualizes the distinctive culture, language, social institutions, and legacy of the Deaf in America. "This riveting account of John Brewster Jr. will be invaluable not only in Deaf studies and art history, but also in early American history and the social history of American institutions." -Carol Padden, coauthor of Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture

Art on Site: Country Artwalks from Maine to Maryland - Discover Sculpture Gardens, Environmental and Architectural Gems, Painters' Landscapes, and a

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Art on Site: Country Artwalks from Maine to Maryland - Discover Sculpture Gardens, Environmental and Architectural Gems, Painters' Landscapes, and a
Marina Harrison
Manufacturer: M. Kesend Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0935576428

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Country Artwalks from Maine to Maryland
Marina Harrison , and Lucy D. Rosenfeld
Manufacturer: Globe Pequot
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0762736658

Book Description

A unique collection of forty-two outings of artistic discovery along the northeast corridor, this book is for anyone with a curiosity for exploring unusual places of artistic interest. It is both an inspiring armchair read and a practical take-along guide. Each outing has a sense of place, whether as a site for art or an artist, and includes studios, foundries, and workshops, historic artist's colonies, eccentric outdoor monuments, artistic gardens, and landscapes that inspired renowned artists. Driving directions, activities, and nearby attractions are also provided.

Whether following the footsteps of the Hudson River school artists to the magnificent views they painted, touring a vast foundry to observe sculpture-casting first hand, or cavorting with a giraffe, a camel, a swan, and even a unicorn, all made of greenery, readers will gain a true sense of the artist’s space and individual vision. In their search for sites of artistic history or visual appeal, the authors have omitted the more popular tourist spots.

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Beautiful book, beautiful paintings
A superb and memorable tour

Maine Sail
Margaret McCrea
Manufacturer: Down East Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0892726229

Book Description

Artist Margaret McCrea keeps detailed journals while she cruises with her husband in their 32-foot boat Panacea. As they progress down the coast, she not only jots down her thoughts and observations, but she illustrates them with dozens of beautiful and evoactive watercolor sketches. The best from her journals and watercolor sketches have been compiled into this book, which will be appreciated by armchair and cruising sailors alike.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful book, beautiful paintings.......2006-03-25

Just a wonderful book to have lying around. I loved reading it the first time and now I love to just pick it up and leaf through it - this may sound strange, but the whole book with it's tasteful font and peaceful paintings make you forget everything and relax. It somehow has a very soothing feel as well as being interesting and informative. Without a doubt though, it's the illustrations that make the whole book worthwhile.

A superb and memorable tour.......2004-10-12

Maine Sail: An Artist's Journal Of A Cruise Down East showcases the artistic talent of Margaret McCrea, who with her husband, is also an avid sailor taking Maine coasts cruises in the 32-foot Panacea. Color artworks that soothe the spirit and capture the natural beauty of the water and the shoreline, combined with notes and contemplative musings that set the gentle images in context, make for a relaxing and rewarding artbook to page through. The narrative font is an imitation cursive handwriting font, which helps set the homestyle memoir mood. A superb and memorable tour, especially recommended for nautically inclined armchair sailers.

Art of the State: Maine (Art of the State)

Average customer rating:

It catches the spirit

Art of the State: Maine (Art of the State)
Beem Edgar Allen
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Beloved by residents and tourists alike for its rustic woods and beautiful beaches, Maine embodies true Yankee tradition. Ranging from Brunswick, where Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, to Cadillac Mountain, reputedly the first place in the U.S. to see the sun each day, here is a colorful portrait of a state synonymous with clambakes and covered bridges, harbors and hiking, lobsters and lighthouses, and mail-order pioneer L. L. Bean-and home to such prominent Americans as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Winslow Homer, Margaret Chase Smith, and Stephen King.

134 illustrations, 115 in full color

Customer Reviews:

It catches the spirit.......2001-08-15

This discreet unpretentoius little book is a gem. It gets a great balance between facts and info and the spirit and art of the state. A great starting point for planning a trip to the state of Maine. I was keen to find out as much about the state before my planning was too advanced and this has been an enormous help in steering toward some (apparently, not been yet so not sure) very interesting places. It is not designed to sell the state or any particular element such as hotels or dining. It does cover what it says the Spirit and the Art. A really great little book that I will treasure and return to I will also be buying others in the series!!

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