Turning Heads: Portraits of Grace, Inspiration and Possibilities

The spark for this collection of gorgeous and inspiring photographs of women who've become bald from chemotherapy was film and television writer Hunsicker's initial reaction to her own cancer diagnosis: the fear of becoming bald trumped her fears of mere death. The resulting book is powerful medicine, and not just for women undergoing cancer treatment. Shot by 59 leading photographers, such as Duane Michals, the book features women of all shapes, sizes, colors and nationalities, and they illustrate an important point: their subjects' distinctive talents, interests, identities and personalities. In these bold and imaginative photos, a Florida Supreme Court Justice presides over a court session, a designer lounges astride an elephant in fuchsia formal wear, a doctor's face grins from the center of a rising moon. Short statements accompanying the photographs are equally eloquent. Model/writer Sharon Fryda Blynn describes overhearing three young men making fun of her during a commuter train ride. As they exit, one of them says, "God forgive me if this woman has cancer." She tells him and witnesses his shame. "I was thinking," she writes, "just for that brief second, I pushed a button... so that... the next time they see a bald woman, they might... smile and say, 'You look beautiful today,' and make her feel better." (May)