"...I found [the book] so engrossing that I read it from cover-to-cover in a single sitting."
Dr. Lindsay Wilson, Professor of History, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
"You wrote [this book] at the perfect time when we are all desperate to find solutions for our ‘troubled’ young generation. Your book will benefit every parent and teacher! It raises so many questions and really makes one reflect on many issues!"
Beate Neblett, Piano Teacher, Middlebury, CT
"You've certainly lived with these thoughts, pondered them, researched them.... I can nod in assent to what you have come up with. May the book achieve its aim--to activate peole to turn to the arts for many of the ills of our time."
Dorothea Mier, Eurythmist, Threefold Community, Spring Valley, NY
"I ... couldn’t put it down. I found myself nodding “yes” throughout the book and am deeply impressed with your passion for this subject. You write very well and your call to action is compelling."
Julie Scott, President, Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, San Jose, CA
"I really like the way you talk about art as a process, and use the 4 elements as a method to explain it. I’ve thought of creativity as a process, but never art specifically. I also like the alchemical aspect in the last chapter. Reading your book reminded me of a childhood friend who became an art teacher, and the hard time he had when he first started out because both the students and the parents thought of his class as a ‘free period’. He fought back and almost lost of his job because of it."
Mike Guarino, Chula Vista, CA
"Your book is wonderful!"
Sharon A. Brown, Director, Office of Institutional Diversity, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA
"A YES to A Call to Arts! In our button-pushing, electronic age, it is vital, more than ever, that we use the Arts for balance in our human existence. "Love of art fosters love in the soul...By changing the way we educate our children and the way we think about and approach life, we will be prepared for a new world of peace and understanding," as Melanie Richards so beautifully states. If we don't use our "birthright" - the Arts - we lose it. What a tragedy that would be for mankind."
Ingrid Sommer, former Waldorf teacher, Flagstaff, AZ
"Your book was a compelling read. I finished it quickly, hoping it will go into many editions. It would be great to see a copy in every arts council and principal's office."
Beth Usher, Austin, Texas, eurythmist and editor of Eurythmy: An Introductory Reader, by Rudolf Steiner
"Check out this book~it is a must read. Melanie Richards offers an insightful, thought provoking call to action for keeping the Creative in our lives. Read it."
Joyce DiBona, artist, Austin, Texas
"We almost all think of art as beautiful or decorative, but art has another side: TRUTH. Art has an enormous opportunity to reveal not only beauty, but also reveal what is really going on in the world. If Art is the communication of both truth and beauty, art may perhaps even have an opportunity to heal ourselves and the world. Melanie Richards has thoughtfully and eloquently written a small precise book explaining just that. Richards is indeed sounding the alarm for the arts by bringing up some interesting prospectives about how we are living in America today. But better yet, she shares her concept of how being exposed to an 'artistic/creative' environment may actually better prepare our children for life. Thank You Melanie, for your insight & devotion for 'taking the next step into the connection between us as human beings and a higher ideal in art.' I adore this book."
Kay Lynne Sattler, artist, Lahaina, Hawaii
" Thank you for your wonderful work and insight. It is extremely important that we recognize this side of the arts. It is medicine for our world!"
Maureen Bester, Austin, Texas
"I am inspired to write you after finishing your beautiful book A Call to Arts. So much of what you wrote resonated with my thoughts and feelings, though you said it much more eloquently than I ever could! My wife and my mother also read your book and were delighted as well."
Eric Brahinsky, violinist, San Antonio, Texas
"I have a job marketing test preparation to college students, and I feel extremely disconnected with what I do. It's a bit like living a fake life. And in real life I'm a writer and nothing makes me feel as connected with the world as that does. It's such a humanizing experience. A friend of mine is a tap dancer and told me she had seen [your book] online and recommended that I read it. I ended up getting your book from Amazon and it's really beautiful."
Marie McGrew, Brooklyn New York
As a former homeschooling parent, I highly recommend this book! Our children truly miss out if they are not exposed to the artistic and creative. This book is a must-read for every educator.
Catherine McEwen, former homeschooler