powerHouse Books

The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Just as jazz is a uniquely American phenomenon whose sentiment and message resonate with people the world round, so is hip-hop. Hip-hop began as a means by which to illustrate the experiences of people living their daily lives in the ‘hoods of New York. Although the originators of hip-hop, such as the Sugar Hill Gang were instrumental in shedding light on teen pregnancy, drug addiction, and violence it wasn’t until the era of KRS-One that hip-hop evolved to the status of Cultural Revolution. KRS-One, best known as Teacha, brought hip-hop to the mainstream. Although in his early days his work with Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was more violent in nature, after the tragic loss of his BDP partner, DJ Scott LaRock, his work evolved into a peaceable lyrical style that called the masses to confront social ills head on. With his politically savvy, multicultural take on what he was witnessing in his environs he touched upon that longing within us all to be free. Hip-hop is, at its core, about freedom.

Yet, freedom is not free and it is the struggle that is highlighted in The Gospel of Hip Hop. True to its name, the Gospel of hip-hop provides the reader with a good word about the value garnered only by overcoming obstacles. Hip-hop, although invented in America, has become an internationally appreciated musical form because it is more than just music. In this tome KRS-One provides the reader with plenty of teaching on peace and love which breaks down barriers, removes prejudice, and reconciles injustice.

For example, in the opening section, of this book the Teacha states: "But as for us, as for our group commonly known in the World as 'Hip Hop,' this gospel acknowledges and celebrates the Love that has saved OUR people from self destruction. It is time to repent and grow up! Rapping about crime and murder may sound good amongst those who have never committed such acts, but for those of us who are REAL IN THE FIELD, we send this message to our young people—YOU DON’T REALLY WANT IT!"

And on the following page: "For with this first instrument we remember GOD and how we were rescued by unseen forces more powerful than any government on Earth. For when all seemed hopeless and oppression seemed permanent; a caring, protective, nurturing creative force independent of all the World’s political, business, educational and religious institutions, swept through our hearts and homes and we were rescued from sickness, hatred, ignorance and poverty with a behavior that we eventually began to call 'Hip Hop.' And we must NEVER forget this.”

Hip-hop is life, hip-hop is freedom, hip-hop is revolution. KRS-One has brought to light the cure for what ails us all: heart sickness, the residual effect of the subjugation of one group of people by another group of people. Whether those groups are divided by gender, race, religion, socio-economic status, age, or educational attainment they are all expressions of hatred and ignorance. The only solution for which is love. As Al Green so eloquently stated “Love is the message and the message is love”.

Written by: Susan G. Reyes Vasquez, January 20th 2010

Imperial

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:01:00 +0000

By William T. Vollmann

powerHouse Books

Imperial is a difficult book. To the average reader, artist, or art connoisseur, it is hard to grasp what Vollmann is doing both in terms of publishing and in the vision within his photographs. This 200-page collection of photos of the California-Mexico borderlands named the Imperial Valley offers quality, if not perfunctory, images of a hard won desert life. The book, however, is as complicated as the people and politics it represents. Part two of a two-book series, the publisher who initially took on Vollmann’s dialog in their version of Imperial left the photo collection to PowerHouse Books. The story, therefore, has been split.

The images in the second Imperial seem flat, but that could be purposeful. Though they clearly seem aged with their sepia tones and the bright lighting of a desert sun, the history of the borderlands is constantly evolving and wrapping itself within other social shifts in agriculture, employment, and politics. To create a set of timeless, seemingly flat images may make a better story.

These basic portraits give each reader the opportunity to fuse the faces with their own knowledge of work, poverty, and border wars. The seemingly simple and obvious photos, therefore, leave the door open for readers to do the work of making Vollmann’s argument. The trouble is, there is too much left to chance with the book split from its captions and descriptions. There are important points Vollmann tries to make with certain images, particularly those that juxtapose labor and the law with the border. Yet, readers only have a classroom-perfect 8 x 10 image with which to make his point.

Even the review copy—delivered only as a PDF document—robs readers of particular necessary context. By simply presenting photographs of the area, Vollmann, better known for his commentary and analysis, becomes only the photographer and the collection isn’t gripping enough nor telling enough to survive as only 200 pages of lovely photographic images. Vollmann counts on the reader for a bit too much and trusts too heavily that his lens is as powerful as his voice.

Written by: Dr. Julie E. Ferris, January 11th 2010

I Still Do: Loving and Living with Alzheimer’s

admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:01:00 +0000

By Judith Fox

powerHouse Books

I Still Do was written to help anyone who has or may be coping with someone in their family who has Alzheimer’s. It is a candid and emotional portrayal of author Judith Fox’s husband Ed along with their heartfelt story. Fox loves photography and capturing that perfect picture, and it shows in the photos in this book, as well as in the striking photo on the book cover. Fox goes into detail about the couple's life together, and she portrays her husband as a genius, athlete, aviator, and talks about his duties as a surgeon.

She explains that he is slowly being robbed of his memories and how hard it is to deal with him slipping away a little more each day. The book is actually set up in paragraphs with pictures accompanying them. The photos are all of Ed in different poses and situations. There are pictures where you can almost see right into his soul, and there are actual tears in his eyes. The pictures are a mixture of funny, candid, and everyday photos of a man who is slowly slipping away. There is one funny picture where Ed is sticking out his tongue in a small round shaving mirror, which shows that he still has some sense of humour and wit. This is how the book becomes real for the reader and truly touching.

Judith Fox wanted the reader to really see the soul of her husband and even shot one picture of him completely naked—minus his penis, of course! Judith goes into detail about the disease and how she has a caregiver to help her with Ed. She also explains the day to day issues that come with caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and the toll it can take on their loved ones. She only tells her husband bits and pieces about his disease, and he has apologized for putting her through the whole ordeal. Sadly, Ed doesn’t remember that they are even married! However, for Judith just loving each other is enough. The story ends with the one thing that the couple used to always say to each other. “I still do…and I always will.” This story will make you believe in true and lasting love.

Written by: Amber Whitman-Currier, December 20th 2009

High Glitz: The Extravagant World of Child Beauty Pageants

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:54:00 +0000

By Susan Anderson

powerHouse Books

Style writer Simon Doonan’s foreword starts out High Glitz: The Extravagant World of Child Pageants. Doonan feels that beauty pageants geared for children are no more exploitative or harmful than cheerleading or little league. He writes that children learn endurance, losing gracefully, and social skills. It also gives them exercise and breaks from the tedium of childhood.

However, early on Doonan mentions he has never actually experienced the pageant world. Even if he had, undoubtedly child beauty pageants are a different experience for female children then for adult males. While Doonan paints an envious picture of pageant life from an outsider’s point of view, he still admits he can’t see contestants going on to the fame and glory for which their mothers aspire.

Interestingly enough, in his introduction for High Glitz, Robert Greene, another admitted outsider to the pageant world, chose to mention long suspected pedophile Lewis Carroll. Greene never mentions any outright connections to his, but instead he mentions Carroll because of his "appreciation" of young girls, and his observations of how they liked to dress up and be photographed. Greene’s point appears to be that pageants are healthy for little girls because dressing up gives them a sense of personal power and is an adequate form of play. Personally, I’ve seen too many cranky kids on episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras _and _Little Miss Perfect to believe Greene’s point, but he presents it in such a clear straightforward way, it very well could be believable.

Finally, we get to Susan Anderson’s book. Anderson, unlike Doonan and Greene, is very involved in the pageant world, as she has been photographing contestants for three years. Anderson writes in a journalistic style that gives the reader an inside look at this strange pocket of our culture, but unfortunately we don’t get to see very much. Anderson doesn’t write a lot, and instead, lets her photographs speak for her.

The photos are all of girls between the ages of a few months to thirteen years; all look more glamorous, more grown up, and more downright sexy than I did at my senior prom. Some of these girls still look precious, like elaborate child Madame Alexandra dolls, while some of them look eerie, like ageless collectible figurines symbolizing "true" beauty; all of the girls have a look of no longer being completely human. I also can’t help but notice how few children of color are featured.

The images are frightening: girls as young as three are making attempts at showing cleavage, endlessly exposing midriffs, and squeezing into super short skirts. What skeeves me out the most are the images of young girls holding stuffed animals, as their fancy dresses ride up around their waists. Many of these girls do look happy, but from watching many specials on this subject, I know many of these mothers pay money for coaching. I would have preferred to see quotes from the girls themselves about what they think of their clothes and situations, how they feel being dressed in ways, even as a teenager, I would never have been able to leave the house in. This coffee table book, unfortunately, does not shed much light on the pageant world for the genuinely curious.

Written by: Jen Klee, September 29th 2009

Geisha: A Photographic History, 1872–1912

admin — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:27:00 +0000

By Stanley B. Burns, Elizabeth A. Burns

powerHouse Books

Geisha: A Photographic History, 1872–1912 is a beautiful hardcover coffee table book. I paged through this volume of history and beauty, and learned so much about the culture through this most amazing collection of photos and well-researched history that bullets important landmarks for the unknowing reader. The beauty and mystery behind images I'd seen before smiled knowingly at me through the pages of the solid tome.

Written to share a wide array of photos from his collection, the "preeminent private specialty collection of 19th century historic photography," Dr. Stanley Burns maintains an incredible amount (over 800,000) of photos documenting medical history and procedure, as well as Japanese and Chinese culture. With photography opening up the East, Japan's documented history through these photos demonstrates an elegance and beauty existing nowhere else. Finding his niche, Burns reveals the reverent world of the geisha to readers gently. Although seeming super-feminine and utterly contrived, geisha represent an empowerment of arts. They stand for strength. Despite Western belief that these women continue an occupation representing prostitution, geisha do not act as prostitutes. Instead, their presence demonstrates a fine idea of the artful concepts in the world, as well as support for traditional Japanese arts and culture.

Including an incredibly helpful glossary and historical chronology, this well-written text puts this collection in context and explains images for the reader's understanding of Japanese culture and its opening up to the west with settlement and ensuing tourism. This brilliant collection - made up of black and white, hand-painted and color photos - illustrates changes in the photography world and the evolving culture itself.

Stated as the mission behind the book, the "art and life of 19th century geisha will be better understood and hand colored photos that document their existence will be appreciated by a larger audience" through this volume of words and images. Truly, Geisha: A Photographic History, 1872–1912 stands out exists as a wonderful photo collection elaborating on a specific historical beauty.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, April 22nd 2007