Women

The photographs by Annie Leibovitz in Women taken especially for the book encompass a broad spectrum of subjects: a rap artist an astronaut two Supreme Court justices farmers coal miners movie stars showgirls rodeo riders socialites reporters dancers a maid a general a surgeon the First Lady of the United States the secretary of state a senator rock stars prostitutes teachers singers athletes poets writers painters musicians theater directors political activists performance artists and businesswomen. "Each of these pictures must stand on its own " Susan Sontag writes in the essay that accompanies the portraits. "But the ensemble says So this what women are now -- as different as varied as heroic as forlorn as conventional as unconventional as this."