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Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs (LITTLE, BROWN A) Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 905 ratings

This National Book Award finalist is a revealing and beautifully written memoir and family history from acclaimed photographer Sally Mann.

In this groundbreaking book, a unique interplay of narrative and image, Mann's preoccupation with family, race, mortality, and the storied landscape of the American South are revealed as almost genetically predetermined, written into her DNA by the family history that precedes her.

Sorting through boxes of family papers and yellowed photographs she finds more than she bargained for: "deceit and scandal, alcohol, domestic abuse, car crashes, bogeymen, clandestine affairs, dearly loved and disputed family land . . . racial complications, vast sums of money made and lost, the return of the prodigal son, and maybe even bloody murder."

In lyrical prose and startlingly revealing photographs, she crafts a totally original form of personal history that has the page-turning drama of a great novel but is firmly rooted in the fertile soil of her own life.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of May 2015: If you have ever seen Sally Mann's photography you understand her ability to capture emotion and generate conversation. In Hold Still Mann has changed mediums but continues to deliver a strikingly rich composition. Soaked in Southern history and heritage, Mann takes us through her childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains and her life as a mother, wife, and photographer with finely-crafted insight and honest revelation. For someone who has lived in the public eye for so long, Mann is still able to deliver surprises to the stories we thought we knew through a memoir written even more beautifully than I expected. --Penny Mann

From School Library Journal

Most teens won't expect to read about a bizarre murder-suicide when first picking up this memoir. And yet there it is, part of a central narrative that tangles family, art, racism, mortality, and a beloved Southern landscape. The work is told through a masterful combination of Mann's words and photographs, both startlingly raw and lovely. Mann lived much of her life in the seclusion of rural family property; her three children enjoyed a rare freedom from clothing as they swam and played in privacy. Mann's photographs of the children in their naked and fierce beauty, included in this volume, were published in her book, Immediate Family (Aperture, 2005). Controversy followed. Mann eloquently describes this time period, depicting the timeless anguish of an artist whose expression defies society's mores. Young photographers will be fascinated by the author's frank obsession with capturing the perfect image. Her writing, beautifully enhanced by an eclectic array of borrowed quotes, works in remarkable tandem with her images. Teens who enjoy the intersection of words and images as expressed in graphic novels should appreciate this unique work. VERDICT For young adults considering a future in the arts, Mann's memoir is a visceral experience of that life's risks and triumphs.—Diane Colson, Nashville Public Library

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NERQRWQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company (May 12, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 57749 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 484 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 905 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
905 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the memoir compelling and well-written. They appreciate the author's insightful and meaningful writing style. The photographs are praised as interesting and rich. Readers enjoy learning about Mann's family history and relationships with Black people.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

119 customers mention "Readability"112 positive7 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-crafted. They describe it as a compelling read that is worth cherishing. Readers mention it's suitable for reading a chapter at a time during lunch.

"...in a book are not the same as the real thing, but the quality is definitely good enough to let you take in what the real print would look like --..." Read more

"This may be the best memoir I have ever read...." Read more

"This book was surprisingly terrific! My Book Group selected this memoir and I had not previously heard about it or read a review...." Read more

"What a great read! The journey of a photographer and her path toward creative work that leads the artistic journey on how we see..." Read more

112 customers mention "Writing quality"104 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find it eloquent and engaging, providing a true sense of time and place. The author is described as talented and gifted, with clear language that conjures up the landscape. Readers describe the book as great and amazing, with no dry sentences.

"...The stories of her life are interesting and very well told -- she's quite a beautiful writer -- but the intimate and detailed entry into the way in..." Read more

"...Her book is brilliantly written. There is not a single dry sentence in it...." Read more

"...Her ability to write so clearly and descriptively as she shares intimate details of her thinking and her remembrances makes this a wonderful read..." Read more

"...They are artful and relevant to her artistry and mission, and such judgments are invalid...." Read more

92 customers mention "Insight"92 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and meaningful. They describe it as an introspective self-exploration through words. The prose is thought-provoking and well-written, providing a window into the author's meditation on life and God. Many passages spark lively discussions regarding art, history, and ethics.

"...The stories of her life are interesting and very well told -- she's quite a beautiful writer -- but the intimate and detailed entry into the way in..." Read more

"...The separation of the chapters by events, family history, social topics, and personal perspectives allowed me as a reader to absorb the experiences..." Read more

"...She is very self-aware of her thought processes and is able to explain her technique in ways that most non-photographers should be able to understand..." Read more

"...The book provides an interesting glimpse into her life...." Read more

84 customers mention "Photography"81 positive3 negative

Customers find the photography interesting and engaging. They appreciate the author's passion for photography and her portrayal of the natural beauty around the region. The book is a rich portrait that will become the model for future portraits.

"...Sally Mann is a genuine artist, wonderfully intelligent, humble, funny, and kind. What more do you want?" Read more

"...Mann's engaging story is supplemented by plenty of photographs, not only from her professional work but also from her personal family collection." Read more

"...Captivated with the natural beauty surrounding the region, and her seemingly natural affirmation of such beauty, she sets out early to capture the..." Read more

"What a great read! The journey of a photographer and her path toward creative work that leads the artistic journey on how we see..." Read more

44 customers mention "Storytelling"44 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the memoir's storytelling. They find it interesting and well-written. Readers appreciate the author's ability to describe her life and experiences. The love story of the place Sally Mann grew up in is moving. They also mention that the family story is clear and shocking, with spellbinding tales of advertisers and criminals.

"...This memoir was so good that I bought a copy to send to my best friend...." Read more

"...rivals anything I've ever read before, from spellbinding tales of adverturers to criminals...." Read more

"...The separation of the chapters by events, family history, social topics, and personal perspectives allowed me as a reader to absorb the experiences..." Read more

"...Sally Mann a world-class photographer, she is a superb writer and storyteller...." Read more

22 customers mention "Family history"19 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's family history. They find it interesting and gratifying to read about Mann's families, her relations with Black people in the Jim Crow era, life stories, and co-mingling memories of raising children, pursuing a career, and living life. The author is described as a gifted observer of family relationships and cultural contexts. Readers appreciate the stories behind her children's photos and grappling with race.

"...The separation of the chapters by events, family history, social topics, and personal perspectives allowed me as a reader to absorb the experiences..." Read more

"...It is a gratifying read about Mann's families, her relations with Black people in the Jim Crow South and her honest work to realize her complicities..." Read more

"...What stuck with me the most were the stories behind her children's photos and grappling with the race relations and racism in the South - in other..." Read more

"...and culture, paean to the great South, its land, and people, and story of family and its wild child. I loved the book and found it riveting...." Read more

15 customers mention "Honesty"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's honesty. They find her candid and respectful of truth and beauty. The book is described as a frank memoir about one of their favorite photographers.

"...Her view of herself and her life is fierce, honest, and uncompromising...." Read more

"...She is brutally honest about her relationships, her creative impulses, and growing up in the South where she struggled to understand the prevalent..." Read more

"...Can I say that she writes like she photographs? Fearless, respectful of truth and beauty, eyes wide open?..." Read more

"...I especially appreciate her raw candor when she writes about race relations in the south...." Read more

13 customers mention "Pacing"9 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it engaging and powerful, with a lasting impact. Others feel the pacing is too slow and lose their attention at times. The initial chapters may take some time for them to get used to the author's writing style.

"...Can I say that she writes like she photographs? Fearless, respectful of truth and beauty, eyes wide open?..." Read more

"Sally Mann is at least as brave as a combat photographer...." Read more

"...The initial chapters went slowly as it took a while to get a feel for Sally's writing style and become familiar with her family and situation...." Read more

"...My sense after reading this book is brilliance, creativity, courage, talent and an unerring aesthetic sense only combine to help us ask better,..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2015
    This amazing book is unlike any memoir that I've ever read (and I've read hundreds). Sally Mann generously allows readers deep into her creative process, and we almost look through the lens with her. The stories of her life are interesting and very well told -- she's quite a beautiful writer -- but the intimate and detailed entry into the way in which she makes her photographs is completely unique to this book. And it's so wonderful to see the photographs on the page as she writes about how they were made. (Of course reproduced photographs in a book are not the same as the real thing, but the quality is definitely good enough to let you take in what the real print would look like -- and I so wish I could see them all up close!)
    This memoir was so good that I bought a copy to send to my best friend. Sally Mann is a genuine artist, wonderfully intelligent, humble, funny, and kind. What more do you want?
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017
    This may be the best memoir I have ever read. I've followed Mann's photography for some time, from Immediate Family, through the southern landscapes, the commentaries on slavery, the studies of her husband's failing body, to the Body Farm work. What I didn't know was just how astonishingly eccentric her family actually is. Fully half of this book deals with her family: parents, grandparents, great grandparents, as well as her husband's family.

    Her family history rivals anything I've ever read before, from spellbinding tales of adverturers to criminals. Among her ancestors she has billionaires (in today's dollars), murderers, polyamourous relationships, drug dealers, inventors, artists, and writers. Branches of her family go back to Colonial America in 1630.

    She is a deeply Southern woman, bound to the land she comes from, yet conflicted by Confederate history. She writes that, like many affluent Southern children, she was essentially raised by a Black woman, who worked for her family for 50 years. In this book she tries to come to terms with the Southern mentality and the legacy of slavery, as well as her own parents' indifference towards child rearing.

    Recounting the bizarre stories would take me as long as it took to read the book. There are remarkable anecdotes on virtually every page of it, some of it almost unbelievable. Manhandling a dead body to the top of a hill to its repose at the Body Farm comes to mind, as does the recounting of her in-laws descent from high social standing to drug dealing and, finally, murder/suicide. Her own father's lifelong obsession with death, culminating in his suicide, seems to be a harbinger of Mann's own preoccupation with death and dead bodies. Her mother's lifelong distance and aloofness was offset by her relationship with the Black housekeeper.

    Sally Mann is one of the most interesting and creative personalities of the last century, in my opinion, stubbornly carrying out whatever odd and difficult project she conceives of. Her view of herself and her life is fierce, honest, and uncompromising. She never flinches from showing herself as she is, and never hides her failures and insecurities from us.

    This is more than a memoir of a photographer. In many ways, it is the story of the South. I've never understood this part of the Country until seeing inside of her mind through her memories, which she rigorously confirmed with her family, friends, and various documents she researched. It wasn't enough that she "remembered". She made sure that what she remembered was what really happened.

    Oddly enough, for an artist who has been called the preeminent photographer of her generation, her undergraduate and Masters degrees are in creative writing. Her book is brilliantly written. There is not a single dry sentence in it. Reading this book was one of the highlights of my reading year, and it will surely be one of yours.
    38 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2017
    This book was surprisingly terrific! My Book Group selected this memoir and I had not previously heard about it or read a review. Consequently, I went into the read with no preconceptions. The initial chapters went slowly as it took a while to get a feel for Sally's writing style and become familiar with her family and situation. However, the further I read, the more engaged I became.

    Although I am the same age as Sally, rendering much of the material familiar, her characters are so well described I believe folks of all ages will resonate with the individuals, situations and perspectives. The writing style is unique and the supporting photography takes some time to absorb. After the first 2 chapters I got a dictionary and stronger light. I was reading the paperback version of the book and the photos were difficult to appreciate without good lighting. Sally's vocabulary taught me new terminology that was essential to understand and accurately interpret the prose.

    This book took me on an interesting personal journey. The separation of the chapters by events, family history, social topics, and personal perspectives allowed me as a reader to absorb the experiences thoughtfully and reflectively. The author grew up in the south, had a unique family and grew up in challenging social times. Although I grew up in the north, I also have a unique family, (as I imagine most readers do), and I experienced many of the same things the author did from both similar and different perspectives. Her ability to write so clearly and descriptively as she shares intimate details of her thinking and her remembrances makes this a wonderful read and an emotional experience. I 'recognized' my Grandparents, Dad, great aunts and uncles, siblings, close family friends, my husband and total strangers throughout the text. I was also taken to places of my childhood, school experiences, family trips and was reminded of the, 'family history explorations' performed in several family attics. It was an exhilarating and enjoyable vicarious ride.

    I would strongly recommend the book; Sally is a unique raconteur.
    10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • J. Martin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sally Mann is an incredibly gifted writer (too)
    Reviewed in Germany on July 15, 2018
    Sally Mann's autobiography would be interesting even if it had been told by a weak storyteller. But in her capable hands the stories unfold in perfect time and with the effectiveness she surely intended. I recommend this not only for photographers', not only for Virginians (and other Southerners), not only for artists of all media, not only for those who would like to set down their life story on paper, not only for those interested in great writing, nor only for those who would like to understand the machinations of family life and relationships, but also for anyone who simply wants to read an enjoyable life story.
  • Marco
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibile biografia
    Reviewed in Italy on October 24, 2017
    Biografia di Sally Mann. Ottimo libro con testi in inglese.
    Comodissimo il segnalibro in tessuto.
    Assegno 5 stelle per i contenuti del libro, anche se mi aspettavo una carta migliore e qualche fotografi in più.
  • sheila
    5.0 out of 5 stars A truly great autobiography
    Reviewed in Spain on December 2, 2016
    This is a wonderfully written, intelligent and fascinating autobiography. Sally Mann has long been an inspiration for me as a photographer and I've admired her art since I first became acquainted with her work in the 90s. Of course I was excited when I found out that she'd published a book about her personal history, delving into the rich terrain of her development as one of America's most loved and debated photographers and her deep relationship to the southern landscape she's intimately known and loved all her life. What I didn't expect was to laugh so much and so hard. Ms. Mann has a true gift for storytelling and mining the details of the past, drawing the reader in while sharing her truths with a heartfelt lack of pretentiousness. It's not often that I encounter a book that I can't put down, and it's a real testimony to this book's greatness that I read it from cover to cover in just a few days, savoring each page as if I were in the company of a good friend.
  • Betz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Memoir
    Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2016
    I've been a Sally Mann fan for decades and I was particularly touched by her writing in this book. I thought it was beautifully written and compelling. It was fascinating to read her motivations behind her picture taking and how her images evolved very naturally over time, given her personal history and sense of place. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to get a better insight into the mind and photos of Sally Mann.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful collection of memories, anecdotes, advise and lessons threaded in a gentle narrative
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2016
    A wonderful collection of memories, anecdotes, advice and lessons threaded in a gentle narrative illustrated with early images and ephemera. Sally Mann not only gives a generous insight into her artistic process and arc but also gently lifts the spirits of the struggling artist/photographer.

    I did not know, for example that she and her husband struggled financially for the first couple of decades of their marriage and that in itself should give hope and confidence to the struggling artist. It also dispels neatly the "superstar-from nowhere" myth that prevails in art and celebrity domain. Mann generously allows the reader to delve into the path of her success and recognition and life.

    A rare and enticing glimpse, I'm just sorry i waited so long to buy it. This book and Geoff Dyer's "Ongoing moment" are two of my favourite, least verbose, least "intellectual-for-the-sake-of-it" photography texts. Buy it and enjoy. If you're looking for technical or "how-to" information this is not the book to buy. I've always thought that the "why" of an image was far more important than the "how".

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