Soul

Rating:
Summary: Black is BEAUTIFUL ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!!
Review: Browsing briefly in a bookstore across the street from NYU''s Tisch School of the Arts, I came upon this book; Its cover caught my eye, and when I retrieved it to open and see what lied WITHIN the book that old saying ''Don''t judge a book by its cover!'' came to my mind, because the cover (to me) was amazing... BUT THE BOOK''S CONTENTS WERE PHENOMENAL!! My jaw dropped as I looked at my gorgeous Black sisters (such as Naomi Campbell, Iman, Karen Alexander and Alek Wek)in images like I have NEVER seen them captured in before. Because I collect imagery of the Black male and female nude (from the late Mapplethorpe to today''s Dwight Gossett, Rundu, and Herb Ritts), I was sure to add this book of wonderful Black female art to my collection. I tell my friends all about this book, and plan to give it as a gift to some. If you love images of the Black female, this book IS for you! NO DOUBT! I am just WAITING for the enlarged prints to come out, because ANY of the images in this book would add LOADS of ''flava'' to a home''s interior.

Rating:
Summary: A unique book in the photographic genre with a rare theme
Review: I believe 'Soul' to be one of only a couple of books that give due respect to the Black female form.The images have a refreshing feel about them,well illustrated and are free from that pornographic type of discourse so dominant in the way White culture view women of colour.

Soul,though not cheap,would make a wonderful addition to any photographic collection and a pleasant change from the boring catalogue of existing imagery dipicting White women.

Perhaps Soul may even go somewhere towards changing the perceptions of the dominant culture in the fashion industry,allowing Black practitioners,like myself,an opportunity to secure more employment and utilise more Black people in the creative processes.