O, The Oprah Magazine reviews Bodies and Souls: The Century Project!

“Don’t cover your eyes. The women who appear in Bodies and Souls: The Century Project (Heureka Productions) want you to see them—really see them—in all their naked humanity.”

“The Naked Truth.” O, The Oprah Magazine, March 2007

Seven Reader Reviews @ Amazon.com

(overall rating: five stars)

Make no mistake--Bodies and Souls is an immensely powerful book, precisely because women are capable of the most amazing things. Frank Cordelle has done the impossible--broken new ground. To my way of thinking, this is THE most significant book of nude photography ever done--bar none. Bodies and Souls is not a book to be thumbed through. You need to sit and look at each photograph separately, and read the accompanying description, most written by the women themselves, to get the full impact. Lives were changed--even saved--by what's contained within this book's covers. Take the time to absorb what's inside Bodies and Souls. Allow yourself to smile, to laugh, to feel anger--to cry. Then... rejoice that Frank thought up The Century Project and found the women he needed to make it happen. DO NOT fail to get this book. It will be the best $40 you ever spent.

This project is of such importance that I can't believe it's received such a lack of publicity. Cordelle's 25 year journey has brought life to so many people, it's a shame more people haven't seen it. The fact that it's taken him so long to get this work published just goes to show how far American society has to go in terms of people being accepted as they are and feeling comfortable with who they are and what they look like and not feeling like they have to compare themselves to the images of thin people we see everyday on magazines and in the media in general. We are out here and we are not being represented.

PLEASE get this book. If you feel shocked at first, let it sit a bit and think to yourself why it is hard to look at. Share it with your family and friends. Talk about it with your daughters and your sons. My 17-year old son will have a greater understanding of me and of women. May he pass it on.

To know a woman is to know her soul. Anything less is unacceptable. In Bodies and Souls: The Century Project, you get to do just that. Woman who have overcome the stereotypical view of what women should look like proudly bare all. To be able to show off your body and give the world a glimpse into your soul, no matter what perceived imperfections might exist, IS ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. Buy a copy for yourself and a few more for all the women in your life. A true triumph of the human spirit.

I wish I could have found this book earlier for my 20 year old daughter (and myself). I am sure she will love it and want to view the art gallery one day to see them in person. I can now truly understand that all bodies are beautiful even as they change in directions we don't always view as perfect. I hope the author continues this kind of work for women, he makes us all feel beautiful.

Bodies and Souls is the long-awaited publication of Frank Cordelle's The Century Project. Although numerous books present womanhood in picture and word (Laurie Toby Edison's Women En Large and Wise Women by Joyce Tenneson come to mind), Bodies and Souls is perhaps the most successful to date in giving you a strong sense of who the women (from birth to age 94 so far) are and the pain and joys they've experienced. I highly recommend this book to anyone (female or male) concerned with issues of self image and body image. This should prove an invaluable resource to counselors and those struggling to regain footing after a physical or emotional trial. The pictures are certainly worth more than a thousand words, and the personal statements provide important context for the scars, tears, smiles, and sometimes amusing facial expressions and body language seen therein. Some of their comments and advice for living are priceless. Cordelle has done a remarkable job of opening a window into these inspiring women's souls.

I went to Frank Cordelle's exhibit in my hometown with more than a touch of skepticism- a man photographing females nude? Expecting to see Playboy (and worse) I was never so grateful to be wrong. I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, rape and anorexia. What I saw in these photos brought me a sense of community among women and a decidedly human view of who and what we are. Frank shows an innate respect and understanding of these women. No pity, no pedestals and no pretense. Real females at all stages of life brave enough to show the rest of us who they are- who WE are. Sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes hurt, sometimes weak, sometimes funny and sometimes strong. I have the book and have shown it to many people now. Each and every one came away from the experience with a lot to think about. My 12 year old "step daughter" spent a couple of hours poring over the photos and reading about the women. She immediately "got it" that this book is about the real beauty within us all. This book is the antidote to all of the airbrushed perfectionism expected of women in our culture. If you are a woman, this is what you need to see. If you are a man, this book will give you an insight never before shown about women.

By Dawn G. Prince.

Published at SureWoman.com, 2007

Excerpt:

The Century Project exhibition has drawn praise, far and wide, for what some call a ground breaking collection of photographs depicting women at their realest - a brave step away from the plastic perceptions of women that is part of our culture.

Many of the women, by telling their stories and making no apologies, purge their souls and begin healing from the residue of abuse and self-criticism. Instead of recoiling in shame from a negative past or feeling less than human because sickness has their altered their bodies, they're standing proud. In their release, we sense that wanton feeling of the freedom to be themselves as they've found a deeper truth.

But Bodies and Souls isn’t only about women overcoming adversities. For the majority of women, it seems to be a celebration of who they are. No body issues, just here I am.

Bodies and Souls is vast and beautifully empowering in its subject and scope in that it challenges the culture and what we deem to be normal or acceptable. But the book is more than liberation for the women inside, it is identification for the rest of us wrestling with our own personal issues and tearing down our own walls. And nudity seems to put us all on one level. It gives us an even playing field and reveals our humanity as we see our differences, as well as our likeness, and it helps us to realize that we're not alone in our struggles. Bodies and Souls is a coming out celebration for all those who've always felt the need to hide in shame because of their perceived flaws or those of us who aren’t afraid to be ourselves. If anything, it contributes a lasting legacy as to the beauty, resiliency and power of women.