Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs
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- Create Date：2021-10-02 09:54:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sally Mann
- ISBN：0316247758
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Leslie Macchiarella
，
Nope。 Can’t stomach it。 I have invested enough of my time reading this book by mid chapter 7 to know that this is absolutely a no go for me。 Or， rather， a no-further go。 And what I have read felt like an eternal time suck。 If the end chapters get any better， I’ll be surprised， but I won’t even kick myself。 Sorry not sorry
Grace
，
A beautiful elegy。。。not for any one persons but for Life and Death itself， and that enchanting， ineffable， and terrifying Art that bridges the two and gives meaning to it all。
Teresa
，
Definitely an experience to read！ There were moments when I found it a little tedious （giving too much detail about things I wasn't totally interested in） and the writing overwrought （searching too hard sometimes to assign deeper meaning to things with an impressive vocabulary that teetered towards excess at times）， but all in all， many of the stories were quite compelling and seeing into the mind and perceptions of an artist was fascinating。 You do feel that she's laying herself bare， warts and Definitely an experience to read！ There were moments when I found it a little tedious （giving too much detail about things I wasn't totally interested in） and the writing overwrought （searching too hard sometimes to assign deeper meaning to things with an impressive vocabulary that teetered towards excess at times）， but all in all， many of the stories were quite compelling and seeing into the mind and perceptions of an artist was fascinating。 You do feel that she's laying herself bare， warts and all。 The pictures interweaved in the narrative made it unlike anything I've read before， which I appreciate。 Warning: the exploration of death goes to extreme places towards the end of the book。 。。。more
Anna Adami
，
Sally Mann’s book follows her artistic obsessions: family， Southern landscape， racial imprints， and death。 Photography is a means by which she enters questions。 In some ways， this book is the answer to those questions， or at least the verbalizing of her explorations。 “Sally is wild and sometimes wise，” my friend Amanda said， succinctly spot-on。 Hold Still is captivating， spine-chilling， and artistically nurturing。 I’m glad I read it。
Bridget
，
Not for everyone。
Leesha Boylan
，
wow！ what a beautiful and unexpected memoir。
Cara's Craftsations
，
This photographic book does not work as a audiobook。
Kirby Brown
，
B+ | Elevates the memoir into an artistic manifesto and the portrait of an artist at work。 In the beginning， photographer and writer Sally Mann unearths twine-tied boxes of family mementos and photographs。 In them she hopes to find "a payload of southern gothic，" of which she teases she finds "all of it and more。" As a narrative true crime junkie， this gave me goosebumps of excitement。 What follows， however， evolves into something completely unexpected: some true crime （her in-laws' mysterious m B+ | Elevates the memoir into an artistic manifesto and the portrait of an artist at work。 In the beginning， photographer and writer Sally Mann unearths twine-tied boxes of family mementos and photographs。 In them she hopes to find "a payload of southern gothic，" of which she teases she finds "all of it and more。" As a narrative true crime junkie， this gave me goosebumps of excitement。 What follows， however， evolves into something completely unexpected: some true crime （her in-laws' mysterious murder-suicide is a standout chapter）， art criticism， personal memoir， and a meditation on the artistic life。 Some of it， especially her thoughts on imperfection， chasing the perfect photograph， and capturing memory touched me so deeply。 Her voice is blunt but funny， never takes things too seriously， very attuned to the subjects that draw her creative eye。 She articulates her vision so well there were times when I swear she was reading my mind。 Then， towards the middle and end， I found some chapters a little boring or too intellectual。 All of it well-written， but some of it went over my head。 To me， she doesn't really make good on that scandal and deceit promise。 It's more meditative than anything else。 But for anyone who loves family history and considers themselves even somewhat creative， I think this is a gem of a memoir worth reading。Ordinary art is what I'm making。 I am a regular person doggedly making ordinary art…Art is seldom the result of true genius; rather it is the product of hard work and skills learned and tenaciously practiced by regular people。You wait for your eye to sort of "turn on，" for the elements to fall into place and ineffable rush to occur， a feeling of exultation when you look through that ground glass， counting over so slowly， clenching teeth and whispering to Jessie to holdstillholdstillholdstill and just knowing that it will be good， that it is true。 Like the one true sentence that Hemingway writes in A Moveable Feast， that incubating purity and grace that happens， sometimes， when all the parts come together。 And these pictures have come quickly， in a rush…like some urgent bodily demand。 They have been obvious， they have been right there to be taken， almost like celestial gifts。 。。。more
Julia Christina Dewolf
，
First time I read it I rated it a 5/5 stars。 This time I've lost some love with it， I find some sections went on and on for ages。 Still well written。 I mean I re-read it because I loved it。 First time I read it I rated it a 5/5 stars。 This time I've lost some love with it， I find some sections went on and on for ages。 Still well written。 I mean I re-read it because I loved it。 。。。more
Lorry Chwazik
，
Mann， the photographer whose reputation was made infamous for her series focusing on controversial and disturbing （to some eyes） photos of her children， here makes an excursion into her life and work and the lives of her family that is deeply fascinating; it is an engrossing attempt by a photographer to capture the meaning and motivations of a wild-child raised in and tied to The South。 Her stories about her family abound with murder， sexual proclivities， obsessions with death， longings for art Mann， the photographer whose reputation was made infamous for her series focusing on controversial and disturbing （to some eyes） photos of her children， here makes an excursion into her life and work and the lives of her family that is deeply fascinating; it is an engrossing attempt by a photographer to capture the meaning and motivations of a wild-child raised in and tied to The South。 Her stories about her family abound with murder， sexual proclivities， obsessions with death， longings for art and culture and home， and are seamlessly intertwined with Mann’s exploration of her work and technique。 Captivating - I’m sorry the book is over。 。。。more
Kate
，
A remarkable memoir。 Part family history， part philosophy of living， part reflection on life as an artist; all of it was riveting and relevant。 It’s hard to capture the love of a bright but distant father but Mann does so beautifully。 She looks at race through the personal lens of a white advantaged woman in a small town and her interactions with a beloved black nanny and other community members。 Then she makes the personal political in a way that is engaging and thought provoking。 A really grea A remarkable memoir。 Part family history， part philosophy of living， part reflection on life as an artist; all of it was riveting and relevant。 It’s hard to capture the love of a bright but distant father but Mann does so beautifully。 She looks at race through the personal lens of a white advantaged woman in a small town and her interactions with a beloved black nanny and other community members。 Then she makes the personal political in a way that is engaging and thought provoking。 A really great book！ Hated for it to end！ Btw I think this is my first 5 star review！ 。。。more
Aurelie
，
I picked up this book， in its hardcover version， after my latest visit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth。 I had actually never heard of Sally Mann before， but I loved the large number of color and black-and-white photographs in the book （at least in the hardcover version， the reproductions were of high quality although they were integrated to the text instead of being on separate pages。） The book was very well written and it provided good insights into her life up to 2015 - her son committe I picked up this book， in its hardcover version， after my latest visit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth。 I had actually never heard of Sally Mann before， but I loved the large number of color and black-and-white photographs in the book （at least in the hardcover version， the reproductions were of high quality although they were integrated to the text instead of being on separate pages。） The book was very well written and it provided good insights into her life up to 2015 - her son committed suicide about a year later so that is not in the book - but， in spite of her friendship with fellow Lexington， Va。 local Cy Twombly， the fact remains that she doesn't quite have the sort of life and career that would lend itself to a full-length memoir so she has to spend a lot of the book on her parents， photos included， and the black woman who raised her as a child。 I actually liked a lot the part about her interactions， as a young white girl， with black folks， which was written with great sensitivity， and the part about her elderly father committing suicide。 Regarding the controversy of the pictures of her naked young children， I felt she was a bit naive not to expect what happened， but if you live on a farm in a place like Lexington， Va， it is probably easy to forget there are weirdos out there。 So， the book is well-done and the stunning pictures will certainly inspire many photographers， but I did skip some pages about her parents， especially before she was born。 Hence， the rating of four starts out of five。 Definitely worth a look/read。 。。。more
Dean
，
A very different kind of memoir， and all the more remarkable for that。 Mann embraces her personal deep dive into the history of her mother's family and her father's， in a way that enlightens us about herself。 The many photographs interwoven into the text are wondrous， and essential to the tale。 She makes the interesting observation that photographs are the enemy of memory。 I totally get that。 Go play the Kinks' song， "People Take Pictures of Each Other。"Honestly， I wish Sally Mann was my friend。 A very different kind of memoir， and all the more remarkable for that。 Mann embraces her personal deep dive into the history of her mother's family and her father's， in a way that enlightens us about herself。 The many photographs interwoven into the text are wondrous， and essential to the tale。 She makes the interesting observation that photographs are the enemy of memory。 I totally get that。 Go play the Kinks' song， "People Take Pictures of Each Other。"Honestly， I wish Sally Mann was my friend。 She's an original thinker: what an enjoyable friend she'd be。 Five stars all the way。 。。。more
jimtown
，
A captivating look at the people who went in to making Sally Mann the woman and photographer she is。 She's one of a few women from my generation who really shined。 Turns out she also writes really well too。 Without hesitation or whitewashing over the hard parts， the family secrets， Mann delves into the boxes of saved letters， papers and mementos to back up her statements and memories。 Sally was an independent child who was raised and loved by the housekeeper but was also given a healthy dose of A captivating look at the people who went in to making Sally Mann the woman and photographer she is。 She's one of a few women from my generation who really shined。 Turns out she also writes really well too。 Without hesitation or whitewashing over the hard parts， the family secrets， Mann delves into the boxes of saved letters， papers and mementos to back up her statements and memories。 Sally was an independent child who was raised and loved by the housekeeper but was also given a healthy dose of self-esteem to allow her to follow her hearts desire and become a photographer。She tries to explain why she shared the family photos of her children， the ones that brought her instant fame and notoriety。 She looks in depth at the fact that she was a white child raised by a black woman。 She talks about her family background， and she delves in deep。 Too deep for me it seems as after 1/3 of the way through the book， which I was enjoying， my interest started to wane。 There were so many people introduced。 I made it through the sets of grandparents， who were interesting in their own right but after that， I just skimmed and looked at the images until the end。I won't say I understand her photography either but I do admire what she's done， who she is and I have a great appreciation for her family photos。 Children are one of the best photographic subjects and they stay small and unselfconscious for so short a time， how can it not be irresistible to photograph them。 I think candid shots are the best， maybe a yearly posed portrait but to have children dress up in cute little outfits and pose constantly as we see on Instagram， is not childhood。 。。。more
Jane Bennington
，
I don't think this was the best way for her to present her photography。 The pictures are of various sizes， most of which don't compliment the work。 There are tons of images in the book， many of which are not her artwork， but rather shots of family photos， records， newspaper pieces and the like。 Her story telling is ocasionally captivating， but the chapters felt more like short stories to me than a novel that read through chapter to chapter。 I don't think this was the best way for her to present her photography。 The pictures are of various sizes， most of which don't compliment the work。 There are tons of images in the book， many of which are not her artwork， but rather shots of family photos， records， newspaper pieces and the like。 Her story telling is ocasionally captivating， but the chapters felt more like short stories to me than a novel that read through chapter to chapter。 。。。more
Izah
，
4+
Ava Butzu
，
You might recognize the name "Sally Mann，" world-famous photographer， or maybe you just recall the scandal that her work photographing her children created - photos of her children in the role of models as she captured them in just the right pose and light （some of them unclothed in their element on the isolated family farm that was their birthright and daily stomping grounds）。 I chose this book because of the high praise reviewers bestowed upon it - and was alternately compelled and disinterest You might recognize the name "Sally Mann，" world-famous photographer， or maybe you just recall the scandal that her work photographing her children created - photos of her children in the role of models as she captured them in just the right pose and light （some of them unclothed in their element on the isolated family farm that was their birthright and daily stomping grounds）。 I chose this book because of the high praise reviewers bestowed upon it - and was alternately compelled and disinterested， depending on the section I was reading。The best parts of Mann's memoir interspersed with photography were the sections that explored the lives that shaped her life - her mother， father， her husband's family， her African American housekeeper from her childhood， and her children。 In these sections， memory and words combined to shape the images that marked the stories， character， and vulnerabilities that made these flawed and heroic people human and real。 What makes these sections come alive are the documents and photos that Mann interspersed in her text - photos she dug up from her attic， from photo albums， and from her own repertoire - that gave each life another layer of humanity。I was less interested in the pull that place and landscape had on Mann and her family - and there were several lengthy sections in which she belabored her arguments about the rich history and her personal connections to the space of her hometown and her farm。 Despite touching on important topics such as Virginia's role in the Civil War， driving the atrocities of slavery， and even its impact on the famous artist， Cy Twombley （who lived near and grew close to Mann's family）， these sections felt like a slog。 。。。more
Mel Luna
，
A solid 4。5 stars。 I had the pleasure of reading it with a friend and fellow photography enthusiast。 It sparked fantastic discussions between us。 Mann writes from her lifelong journals， as well as those of her ancestors， interspersing their stories with her own - both written and visual。 She follows the rules of the memoir genre to great effect， such that her human blindspots and transformation are laid （brazenly） bare for the reader。 This account of her life in the American South， how it has sh A solid 4。5 stars。 I had the pleasure of reading it with a friend and fellow photography enthusiast。 It sparked fantastic discussions between us。 Mann writes from her lifelong journals， as well as those of her ancestors， interspersing their stories with her own - both written and visual。 She follows the rules of the memoir genre to great effect， such that her human blindspots and transformation are laid （brazenly） bare for the reader。 This account of her life in the American South， how it has shaped her and her work， is high drama in the quietest of ways。 。。。more
Genie Severn Dallaway
，
Mann's work reads like a temporal dance; the slowing and speeding of her biography and the return to her core， personal photographic theory， makes the book a wonderful experience。 Mann's work reads like a temporal dance; the slowing and speeding of her biography and the return to her core， personal photographic theory， makes the book a wonderful experience。 。。。more
Carolyn Wood
，
I knew that she covered some things about her family， but somehow I thought that there would be more about her work as a photographer。 This is almost entirely about her family history: parents， grandparents， great-grandparents， etc。 and her childhood。 She seems， on the surface， to be honest about her family and ancestors， but there's so much romanticism about them that it just never felt right to me。 Other negative things I could say， but I'll just say I was disappointed。 I knew that she covered some things about her family， but somehow I thought that there would be more about her work as a photographer。 This is almost entirely about her family history: parents， grandparents， great-grandparents， etc。 and her childhood。 She seems， on the surface， to be honest about her family and ancestors， but there's so much romanticism about them that it just never felt right to me。 Other negative things I could say， but I'll just say I was disappointed。 。。。more
Tessa
，
This brilliant， & somewhat controversial， photographer presents philosophical questions （e。g。 the photo's ability to both rob u of & construct memory）， discusses The Mom vs The Photographer， and where her love of The South & preoccupation with death comes from。 This brilliant， & somewhat controversial， photographer presents philosophical questions （e。g。 the photo's ability to both rob u of & construct memory）， discusses The Mom vs The Photographer， and where her love of The South & preoccupation with death comes from。 。。。more
he chow
，
我以前好像看過一部電影，說的是某個女人拍小女孩的裸體照片來證明自己的藝術才華（洽爛錢）。這本書勾起了我隱藏在深處的回憶。說起來比較奇怪，最近河內遙的少女漫畫《淚雨小夜曲》也揭開了仇恨的伏筆：少女的受虐裸體照片讓美好的體面人（孌童癖）假象全部毀滅，但沒有讓我想起這部電影。這本書讓我感到現實的影射。可惜，我實在想不起來那部電影有沒有把那個女人寫成惡人。小孩的裸體照片，一般來說父母可能會在拍攝小孩子洗澡的時候有一兩張年紀非常幼小時的照片。很有日常的氛圍。這個女人，sally mann的鏡頭語言，不是那種慈愛的、好玩的、想給孩子留下一點有趣回憶的出發意圖。是赤裸裸的、筆直的、那種毫無憐憫，把孩子的裸體（生殖器的重心）作為一種變態癖好來描述自己與眾不同的品味的什麼東西。書的後半部分出現的肉體傷痕、腐爛的屍體更讓我覺得噁心。這個女人心裡有病。絕對有病的那種。病的這麼嚴重，還能被攝影圈捧上天。那麼攝影確實是一個強姦工具，照片簡直就是一種露陰癖了。
Jurga
，
This is so much more than I expected。 Deep and honest thoughts and memories about her life， her family， the place she lives and adores。 Insightful research， enriched by variety of images as well as the story how and why they came to be。 The travel of life， this book makes me look at Sally's work in a different light and I can add I come to understand more of it now。 Thought provoking book。 This is so much more than I expected。 Deep and honest thoughts and memories about her life， her family， the place she lives and adores。 Insightful research， enriched by variety of images as well as the story how and why they came to be。 The travel of life， this book makes me look at Sally's work in a different light and I can add I come to understand more of it now。 Thought provoking book。 。。。more
Mitzi
，
Most memoirs suffer from name dropping， whining， and the humble brag。 This memoir starts out with all these trademarks， but then it turns a corner and becomes intensely interesting and inspiring。 From most enjoyable: 1） she tells how and why she embarks on some of the major photographic projects of her career--I especially enjoyed learning how hard she had to work to capture some images and others that were serendipity。 2） she waxes philosophical on photography--what pictures can and can't show Most memoirs suffer from name dropping， whining， and the humble brag。 This memoir starts out with all these trademarks， but then it turns a corner and becomes intensely interesting and inspiring。 From most enjoyable: 1） she tells how and why she embarks on some of the major photographic projects of her career--I especially enjoyed learning how hard she had to work to capture some images and others that were serendipity。 2） she waxes philosophical on photography--what pictures can and can't show us--interestingly， she posits that photos actually steal our memories 3） she elaborates about her ancestors and relatives who are immensely interesting with murders， affairs， drugs， wealth。 She uses pictures to illustrate her words， which add an extra measure of interest and understanding。 Very thought-provoking。 。。。more
Claire Bruder
，
This read will stick with me forever。 Absolutely phenomenal work。 If I could shake Sally Mann’s hand and thank her， I’d be crying， but I would。
Sally Conley
，
My stars aren't working， this is a three star book。 Interesting and sometimes provocative family。 This is a memoir worth reading。 This book goes in many directions most of them thought provoking。 My stars aren't working， this is a three star book。 Interesting and sometimes provocative family。 This is a memoir worth reading。 This book goes in many directions most of them thought provoking。 。。。more
Jeri Preston
，
I don't know that I can finish this book， y'all。 If art and beauty are in the eye of the beholder， then some of us will be attracted to her work and some will not。 Having never heard of the artist， I plunged right in， but there's something about her work that is hauntingly melancholy。 Am I able to see why it achieved notoriety？ Absolutely。 Add to that a rather remarkable family history and yep， you've got a book。 I'm just not loving the "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" vibe。 Too wit I don't know that I can finish this book， y'all。 If art and beauty are in the eye of the beholder， then some of us will be attracted to her work and some will not。 Having never heard of the artist， I plunged right in， but there's something about her work that is hauntingly melancholy。 Am I able to see why it achieved notoriety？ Absolutely。 Add to that a rather remarkable family history and yep， you've got a book。 I'm just not loving the "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" vibe。 Too witchy for me， I guess。 。。。more
Hunter Lacey
，
I hope I can someday be half the photographer， writer， and thinker that Sally Mann is。 I will be reading this book at least once a year for the rest of my life。
Hugh Ruppersburg
，
An outstanding example of memoir。 Beautifully written， insightful， challenging， innovative， philosophical， humane。 The writer’s personality is one of this book’s greatest merits。
Pamela Larson
，