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A review by rosseroo
Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs by Sally Mann
2.0
I generally don't read memoirs or autobiography or biographies -- I simply don't find them interesting or compelling as a genre. However, this was the selection for our bookclub, so I picked it up and made my way through its almost 500 pages. There were points of connection for me -- I recall the controversy about thirty years ago around her photos of her children, I have friends who are professional photographers, I have family who grew up in similar social circumstances very close to where she did. But at the end of the day, I don't love her photography and thus don't particularly care that much about her life. I was hoping to at least get some glimpses into her working process, but there's very little of that in the book.
Instead, there is a huge amount of detail about her ancestors, which, while kind of interesting as stories, did nothing to contribute to my understanding of her or her work. The multi-media format provides some level of relief to the proceedings, but even then, so many of the images are too small to really make any impact. There are many layers of privilege that could potentially be unpacked from her self-presentation, but I never cared enough to really grapple with those themes. Potentially of interest to readers with a deep interest in photography or female artists.
Instead, there is a huge amount of detail about her ancestors, which, while kind of interesting as stories, did nothing to contribute to my understanding of her or her work. The multi-media format provides some level of relief to the proceedings, but even then, so many of the images are too small to really make any impact. There are many layers of privilege that could potentially be unpacked from her self-presentation, but I never cared enough to really grapple with those themes. Potentially of interest to readers with a deep interest in photography or female artists.