Mann is best-known for her controversial Immediate Family (1992) book of photographs. Depicting her three young children in black and white, this series of portraits often featured her brood in states of undress, or as wildlings emerged from the forest surrounding their home. In this collection of memoirs, Mann recalls the period of time when she was being accused of being an unfit mother, or worse - of shooting child pornography.
She also details her upbringing, her friendships with other Virginia writers and artists, race issues growing up and her major life experiences in a series of carefully crafted, richly textured anecdotes. Sprinkled amid the prose, and between her own landscapes and portraits, are powerful glimpses of Mann taken by photographer friends. An insightful glimpse into an intriguing life.
HOLD STILL
A Memoir with Photographs
By Sally Mann
Illustrated. 482 pages. Little, Brown and Company.