Laura Gilpin: An Enduring Grace

I was amazed that a inexpensive replacement for my longed for lost book was available; wonderful condition, arrived very quickly. The book has an honored book on my coffee table again! Thanks!

When I read a review of "Laura Gilpin: An Enduring Grace" in the Women's Review of Books in 1998, I knew that I had finally found the subject for the historical novel I had long dreamed of writing. I wanted to write about a creative lesbian in the Southwest in the 20s or 30s. Photographer Laura Gilpin and her partner Betsy Forster's adventures, when Betsy served as a nurse on the Navajo reservation, inspired me to keep writing and my first novel, "Land Beyond Maps" was just published in February, 2009. Laura and Betsy are the main characters. I tried to stay as true to Laura and Betsy's story as I could, because the more I researched them, the more wonderful and real they became to me. Laura Gilpin's photos are so beautifully reproduced in this book, doing justice to her Navajo and other subjects. No other book of Gilpin photos is printed in such high quality, so the high price is well worth it. Sandweiss's extremely readable and highly detailed biography is the best source of info on Gilpin, and I especially appreciate that she was clear that Laura and Betsy were in a lesbian relationship. This book had a huge effect on my life--don't miss it!

I bought this book at the Amon Carter along with the companion VHS back when it came out. The book is a beautifully produced, very comprehensive biography in words and photos of this great photographer. Like a few others, Ms. Gilpin managed to live long enough to be appreciated in her lifetime. Her life is a study in adversity and obligation. She came from a family with a father who was a poor provider and a great dreamer. In fact, well into her adulthood, she was the supporter of her family. She was a lesbian who had a relationship with another for decades, but by the time they were able to share a home in their middle age, her partner suffered declining health and Laura supported them both. She worked hard and consistently over decades supporting herself mainly through photography, but during the Depression even had a turkey ranch! Nothing in this difficult life dampened the spirit and good humor and independence of this large, strong woman. Her love of the Southwest in landscape, and her documentary photography of the Pueblo and Navajo Indians, radiates through her work. Along with this volume, purchase her masterwork, "The American Navaho". It is a remarkable work, moreso when one realizes that she created this with virtually no support from anyone else. This book can serve as an inspiration not only for photographers, but anyone else who respects human strength and spirit.