| Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats | 
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| Authors: Michael Cunningham, Craig Marberry
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy Used: $6.95
You Save: $23.00 (77%)
New (24) Used (34) Collectible (2) from $6.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 38175
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 212
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 7.7 x 1.2
ISBN: 0385500866
Dewey Decimal Number: 391.43
EAN: 9780385500869
ASIN: 0385500866
Publication Date: October 17, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Countless black women would rather attend church naked than hatless. For these women, a church hat, flamboyant as it may be, is no mere fashion accessory;it's a cherished African American custom, one observed with boundless passion by black women of various religious denominations. A woman's hat speaks long before its wearer utters a word.It's what Deirdre Guion calls "hattitude...there's a little more strut in your carriage when you wear a nice hat. There's something special about you." If a hat says a lot about a person, it says even more about a people-the customs they observe, the symbols they prize, and the fashions they fancy.
Photographer Michael Cunningham beautifully captures the self-expressions of women of all ages-from young glamorous women to serene but stylish grandmothers. Award-winning journalist Craig Marberry provides an intimate look at the women and their lives. Together they've captured a captivating custom, this wearing of church hats, a peculiar convergence of faith and fashion that keeps the Sabbath both holy and glamorous.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
Every Woman Needs a Little Hattitude October 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A woman's hat speaks long before she utters a word. So it says on the inside flap of this beautiful book of black and white photos of Black Women in Church Hats. From the first photo of Beth Hopkins and her mother to the last photo Sanclary Saunders with her hat, "without no veil," we are treated to respectful photos from the artful lens of Michael Cunningham.
Mr. Cunningham's artistic eye is what really makes this book. Well, his subjects do too and Craig Marberry's text adds to the book, but it's really Cunningham's artistry that makes this one of the best contemporary photography books I've seen in a long time.
The women pictured in this book all have hattitude and believe me, it's a good thing to have and it's catching, I know, because after spending a delightful couple hours reading the stories that accompany the photos, with Billie Holiday playing in the background, I knew I didn't have any good hats and I have a lot of hats, baseball hats, floppy hats and a safari hat or two, but nothing really cool. But I'm gonna get a cool hat or two. Every woman owes herself a cool hat.
Reviewed by Stephanie Sane
Great Book July 10, 2008
Mike Cunningham pictures are outstanding! Wonderful book to give to someone as a gift.
K.B.
 Truly Crowned Jewels October 3, 2007
The photographs of these women and their remarkable hat is fascinating. I really like the interviews with the ladies, and the unique stories of their lives and times.
My only disappointment was that the picture are not in color. I would love to have been able to see those plumes and feathers in all their glory!
A Must Have... June 12, 2007
Orginally, I purchased this book as a gift and after browsing through it, I decided I had to have a copy of my very own. The photography in this book is excellent. The photographs are shot in black and white in order to focus on the church hats. The stories behind the hats are amazingly beautiful. I will never look at a black woman in a church hat the same ever again. I learned that each hat has a story that must be told.
Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church hats November 7, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love to wear hats. I grew up in the South. My Mom wore hats to church every Sunday. She absolutely loved hats! Therefore, when I became of age I too became a hat person! It was like a family tradition. All the girls in the family dressed in hats on Sunday.
I love hats so much, I wear them every day of the week. During the week I usually wear cowboy hats or something sporty. However, on Sunday, it the dressy going to church hat. And if you are into hats, you will know what I mean about the, 'church hats'.
Being raised in the South, you were'nt completely dressed when going to church until you put on your hat and heels. To this day I do not go to church without a hat.
This book, Crowns, really takes me back. It's a wonderful book. It is on a table in my home and it makes for great conversation with visitors.
FANTASTIC BOOK!!!!!
Joyce Marshall-Hamblet
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