Holding on

Holding On is a compilation of 56 profiles interviewed by David Isay and photographed by Harvey Wang. The stories are full of humor, tenderness, and spirit, such as all that David Isay touches. Amongst those featured are a writer, an activist, a prisoner, serpent handlers, a healer, a bell collector, a hat blocker, all of which hold onto their ways of life, with relentless passion and drive. The photographs are evocative black and white portraits of the subjects in their surroundings, gazing directly at Wang's camera, echoing the 1st person monologues captured by Isay. There is nothing exploitative here, no obsession with the bizarre and unusual, only pure poetry.

Holding On is a delightful book. These people are so much more of what America is all about than all of "the Donalds", the Bill Gates' and the Britney Spears' in the headlines. David Isay and Harvey Wang treat these characters (and some really are characters!) with a tenderness that is deserved. I would bet that every reader either knows someone like someone in the book or knows someone who should be in the book! It is an easy read and it will leave you wanting more.

50 inspiring individuals portraying an American work ethic of days gone by. You'll meet the lunch counter lady, the country doctor, the castle builder and so many more interesting people who made this country great. It's like sitting with your grandparents listening to the "good old days" around the pot belly stove.

"Holding On" is an alternately delightful and thought-provoking homage to the spirit and people that make our nation so unique. This is a rare book that will please any reader until the last page...because you will be left eager to meet more of these proud real-life characters.