Messengers: The Courage to Rebel - The Power to Inspire

What does it take to follow the path of our own truth? What do we need to do to summon the courage to defeat the myth that the “rules” of others are more powerful and significant than what lies within the confines of our own understanding? What dreams and aspirations do we want to release so that they can become the imprint of the legacy we shall offer future generations?

Part One – In Her Own Words: Through selected excerpts from the unpublished autobiography of the author’s mother, an internationally respected French artist, Madeleine Stanley-Jossem, (1908-2000), honored by the French government by being awarded the “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres,” the reader will meet a remarkable woman whose powerful artworks have been notably influenced by her experiences of two world wars and a deep understanding of the face of alienation. The yearning for creative expression becomes the fire propelling her forward. Determination, discipline, courage accompanied the journey. Her destiny was proclaimed.

Part Two – The Legacy: The author pays tribute to the artist’s remarkable journey through the selection of fifteen major works of art from the artist’s atelier introducing universal themes woven into “letters to a friend.” Reader, artist, and author are brought together to examine the thesis of inspiration, its power to energize the passion and creativity waiting to be discovered. The multitude of rhetorical questions become the catalyst encouraging the reader to look deep inside, explore, redirect, and channel the rebellious spirit into action, igniting the awe-inspiring possibilities lying within.