ABOUT NANCY HONEY

"In my own lifetime I have witnessed a profound shift: from little girls imagining their future as marriage and children to the now total belief from childhood that a woman will grow up to have a career outside the home. It is more important than ever to see the important women from all fields in our society and hear their voices of experience.

"When I was an emerging photographer, balancing my career with mothering two young children, one of my heroines was Eve Arnold, the highly successful photojournalist. So when I saw she was going to be giving a talk near my home, I was quite eager to attend. I knew she had a family and a career, so I hoped she would address how she was able manage them both. She didn't mention it.

After her talk, I realized that this question was so important to me I couldn't leave the hall without asking it. Tentatively I raised my hand. When she pointed at me, I got up the courage to say, 'Ms. Arnold, how did you manage to be so successful and also have a family?'

Her answer was abrupt, as if to quickly put a stop to my line of questioning. 'That subject,' she said, 'is too painful to talk about.'

That incident and her words haunted me. I had so many conflicts about looking for and taking on interesting photography assignments when I had children at home who deserved as much attention as I could possibly give. I desperately needed some insight, some guidance and some inspiration!

I know now that the question I had was not unique to me. In every field of endeavor, women have struggled, and struggle still, with this question and many more.

These are questions only women who have forged successful careers can answer. In this book, they do."