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.

Harlem Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance

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Geared for kids but still informative
Young adults (and even older ones!) will love this book

Harlem Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance
Laban Carrick Hill
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0316814113

Customer Reviews:

Geared for kids but still informative.......2007-08-09

This seems geared for the junior high school crowd, but there are still great pictures and it's pretty stuffed with information. Worthwhile buy.

Young adults (and even older ones!) will love this book.......2004-03-04

This book is a visual feast and a joy to browse; the graphic design captures the energy of the Harlem Renaissance. It's like a scrapbook jammed with "rent party" tickets, dinner programs, book covers, letters, playbills, song lyrics and more. There is something here to capture the interest of even reluctant readers.

But the text also shines. The story of how and why Harlem came to be is told clearly and without mincing words: we learn the glorious achievements in art, music, theater, literature and just plain survival, but we also learn of the racism haunting the era, and the infighting within the Black community itself. I think readers will appreciate this honest, realistic approach, which brings the era to life.

Book Description

For 40 years this widely praised work has remained unsurpassed as an introduction to art in the Western world. And now-with a more contemporary, more colorful design and with 30% more color illustrations than in previous editions-this newest update of the Janson classic is an enticing volume. The book features improved sections on ancient art, modern architecture, Mannerism, and Romanticism. This edition has been heavily rewritten and edited so that it is far easier to read and remember.

With the matchless credibility of the Janson name, this convenient-to-use reference-written with the pre-college student in mind-will inform, enlighten, and enrich the entire family.

Customer Reviews:

Best art history reference for most people.........2003-02-27

This is a wonderful book and, in my humble opinion, a better book for most users than the big textbook edition "History of Art". The only complaint I have about this edition is its name; I feel it should be titled "History of Art: Concise Edition" as "History of Art for Young People" makes it sound too much like a children's book. While certainly suitable for an intelligent child, it is a superb art overview and reference for all people.

If you desire a general art reference you won't go wrong with this gem and you'll not find anything better. I have the 3rd edition also and it is excellent but this 6th one is greatly expanded (e.g., lots more photos and color) while retaining the user-friendly nature of the earlier editions. The text is clear and interesting, not written in the dry, boring style of a textbook. The printing and reproductions are top-quality. This art book is truly itself a masterpiece!

Everything you need to know..........2000-04-14

I needed to find a few good sources for an art history report and was lucky enough to pluck this book off the shelf at my local library. I ended up finding most everything I needed just in this book and was amazed at the detailed coverage of the history of each induvidual peice. I loved it so much that I bought it for myself, and it has probably been the best purchase I've ever made. The writing is excellent, the coloured pictures make it easy to distinguish certain important aspects of the art, and the background history on the artists, the impact of music, philosophies, or simply the work makes it the best all-around book on art history (especially for students) that I've ever read. It helps the reader to understand how the other influences of trade, literature etc. helped form periods in art history so that they may have a better understanding of the work in general. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in an art history class or any fellow art lover, it's wonderful.

Art history for any age.......2000-04-13

As an art student in college, I slogged my way through several art history volumes, including Jansen's History of Art.Twenty years later, when attempting to revise an art enrichment program in my children's school, I was fortunate to come across Jansen's History of Art for Young People. Don't mistake the title as a reference to chronological age, but rather as aimed at anyone in an early (young) stage of fine art study. The book begins in prehistory and travels through to post-modernism, covering not only the art and artists, but the historical events that influenced the way the art developed. The text is very readable, with lots of key definitions, tables and line-illustrations right in the margins.There are four date based charts that organize the key achievements in Religion, Politics Science, Architecture and Art, emphasizing that art does not develop in a vacuum. Illustrations are well chosen with a fair number of color plates and sharp black and white pictures. Every page has some sort of visual aid, which makes it a pretty pleasant read for students. I highly recomend this book whether as a reference for learning about a particular artist or style, or as a foundation for designing an educational program. Jensen helps one turn the bits and pieces of art data that we all accumulate into a comprehensive sense of the breadth and influence of art in civilization. The depth of information is deep, but not so overwhelming as to drown the reader. If I were to make any criticism of this book, it would be only that it doesn't title itself as a history of WESTERN Art, which leaves an even larger portion of the world still unexplored.

wow!.......2000-04-12

Oh my gosh! What a great read! very informative, and helped my greatly on my AP Art History exam. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Harlem Renaissance, The
Jim Haskins
Manufacturer: Millbrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 1562945653

Dressed for the Occasion: What Americans Wore 1620-1970 (People's History)

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Dressed for the Occasion: What Americans Wore 1620-1970 (People's History)
Brandon Marie Miller
Manufacturer: Lerner Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0822517388

I See You, I See Myself: The Young Life of Jacob Lawrence

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I See You, I See Myself: The Young Life of Jacob Lawrence
Deba Foxley Leach , and Suzanne Wright
Manufacturer: Phillips Collection
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 094304426X

Book Description

I See You, I See Myself, written for young adult readers, examines the early experiences and choices that led Jacob Lawrence to become an artist. In bold colors and precise language, the book describes how the break up of his parents, a period of foster care, reunification with his mother, brother, and sister in Harlem, and the influence of other adults in his community shaped the decisions Lawrence made about his art and his life. The hurdles that he faced -- moving, parent separation, and discrimination -- are ones that challenge many children today. I See You, I See Myself describes how the choices one makes in dealing with these challenges start to shape a personís life. It includes 65 color illustrations of Lawrenceís work, accompanied by photographs documenting his early experiences in the Harlem community.

Jacob Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1917. Moving from there to Easton, Pennsylvania, and finally to Harlem in 1930, his family was part of the Great Migration of African Americans who relocated to the North from the South. Raised among the ìNew Negroesî -- the emerging African American writers, artists, and poets who were a manifestation of the Harlem Renaissance -- Lawrence was one of the first artists trained in and by the African American community in Harlem. At Utopia Childrenís House, a community daycare center, Lawrence received his earliest art instruction from Charles Alston, then a graduate student at Columbia University Teachers College. Lawrence continued to study with Alston throughout the 1930s at the WPA Harlem Art Workshop and at Alstonís studio. He encountered notable artists, writers, and activists, such as Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, William Aaron Douglas, Orson Wells, Alain Locke, Addison Bates, and Augusta Savage, who had a profound effect on his development as an artist.

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History of Art for Young People

Manufacturer: Harry Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

ASIN: 0810901889

Product Description

434 illustrations, 74 in color.

Life in the Elizabethan Theater (The Way People Live)

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Life in the Elizabethan Theater (The Way People Live)
Diane Yancey
Manufacturer: Lucent Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1560063432

Georgia O'Keeffe: Legendary American Painter (People to Know)

Average customer rating:

very well written, concise and fun to read
Georgia O"Keefe An Amazing Life

Georgia O'Keeffe: Legendary American Painter (People to Know)
Jodie A. Shull
Manufacturer: Enslow Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0766021041

Customer Reviews:

very well written, concise and fun to read.......2007-01-20

This is a very solid introduction to the life and works of Ms Okeefe. It's detailed without being excessively so. Great for any home library. An educational (albeit pricey) gift for artistic children and adults.

Georgia O"Keefe An Amazing Life.......2005-04-11

Ms. Shull's biography of Georgia O'Keefe is original, well written and interesting to read. Ms. Shull's carefully reasearched book weaves together facts and anecdotes to give the reader a complete portrait of a most complicated woman/artist. I throughly enjoyed this book and think that readers of all ages would find it interesting and enlightening. This book would be a great addition to eveyone's library! BUY IT!!!

Headin' for Better Times: The Arts of the Great Depression (People's History)

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Headin' for Better Times: The Arts of the Great Depression (People's History)
Duane Damon
Manufacturer: Lerner Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Out Of The Dust (Apple Signature Edition)

ASIN: 0822517418

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