Rating: 
Summary: Immediate Family by Sally Mann
Review: "I grew up around nude kids. I went nude whenever I could back then and have continued going nude at every opportunity throughout my life. When I leaf through 'Immediate Family', I see kids doing what I and the other kids did, and what naturist kids still do. I relate to the Mann kids as fellow human beings and fellow naturists." No, I didn't write that. I wish I did. That was the response I got from Jon McCreight of the Minnesota Naturists when I asked him for his comment. I don't know who I envy more, Mr. McCreight or Sally Mann's three children. Having grown up in a puritanical family, I have since envied children who are allowed to corporeally admire others and to be corporeally admired in return.
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Summary: Disturbing and Transcendental Art
Review: All of the photographs in this collection were taken with an 8x10 view camera, even those that have the appearance of candid, random snapshots. Many of the images are carefully manipulated in the darkroom to give one of the subjects an eerie, almost angelic luminescence in scenes dominated by hardship, tragedy, and crushing rural poverty. Sally Mann is a major artist, supported by Guggenheim, NEH and NEA grants, and this is some of her very best work. Readers should be warned that some will consider this work to border on child pornography. While this is absolutely not the case (and I vigorously support prosecution of those who exploit children in any fashion), in some localities this could almost be a "dangerous" book to own. Sally Mann's disturbing and transcendent vision will outlast our current hysteria and misunderstanding and will endure as photographic literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Help Needed in making this book
Review: I am so sore that I bought this book. I wonder why it is even printed at all. The photos are unartistic snapshots of a couple of hillbillies families and a few are out of focus and taken with shaky hands. I wish Sally would learn how to shoot.The subject of most photos are uninteresting. Look toward Jock Sturges or David Hamilton's books instead
Rating:
Summary: a fair negative review
Review: I came across this book accidentaly on the job, in the bag of a client that I was authorized by the client to check, even while they were not present. It is required of me to open the book and search it. I respect the first amendment and believe in it, and defend this author's right to publish her art. I found it disturbing to see that she doesn't care that anybody....ANYBODY, could see her children and some may not see it as art, at least other than pornographic art. I am not ashamed of the body, not at all. But as a parent, I think you have to protect your children. I believe that she could have put her children in harm's way. Just because you believe in nudity, which I infact do, doesn't mean that it should be shown to the public. Yes, it is a book bought, however, when was the last time that a book wasn't misplaced, lost or viewed by somebody who for a multitude of reasons for safety of the child, should not view it? I saw a book filled of pictures that focused on those parts of the body that general consesus (yes, OK by the majority, which is not always a bad thing) would call "private parts." Focused on. I just want everyone to know that is interested in this as art and purely as art, if bought, know what it is first, to protect the innocenct. It is not my place to tell anyone to buy or not buy anything, just be prepared for what you may discover in this book. If you are a parent that even if you respect nudity, but believe that it should be shared in an intimate way, or in the very least by friends and family only, unless you are ready to believe that nudity is OK to be seen by any walk and desire of life, then steer clear of this book. If you are going to buy it make sure for the sake of children anywhere, you have a system set up to ensure that you can control it. Nudity is beautiful yes, but it is not for everybody and if it is one thing I can't stand it is not being careful enough to keep it to yourself. She felt OK to publish it, that's OK, just think of children and the dangers out there, that's really all I wanted to caution on. I cried for those children when I saw the photos. For my own children, I do not wish to force my beliefs on them, rather let them evolve their own, and I would be sad if they viewed it now, for the concerns that it could, COULD, bring to them of confusion. I am a biologist and respect the fact that viewing private parts can cause an arousal of sexual desire. But for children, that arousal can go in many directions, some which may not honor the value of life in general, should harm come to anyone involved. So please, if nothing more, just be careful.
Rating:
Summary: Top rate pictorial Art
Review: I find it a pity if issues of childhood and whatever blinds anybody to the fact that Sally Mann is one of our greatest photographers, judged on pure aesthetics. Simply awesome. The word is Beauty.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe It's Just Me...
Review: I viewed this book only once in a store and decided it is not the one for me. Technically Sally Mann is a fine photographer who is obviously at the top of her game. Her subject matter had tremendous potential! But there is one glaring problem: the children do not appear to be enjoying childhood, but appear sad, psychologically disconnected, emotionally abused, rejected, of low self-esteem, unwilling participants as models, and physically battered. There is even one photo a boy with a broken nose and blood all over his chest.
I have seen my share of children get hurt while playing (I saw one small boy fall from a tree, snapping the bones in his forearm). What I saw that day was not a moment of artistic inspiration. Shock value, artistic interpretation of childhood, or whatever the thrust of this book, I cannot see myself ever owning or recommending it. It is too dark, depressing and menacing.
Personally I think plenty of imaginative artistic themes can be produced with happy children who are not busted up or who appear endangered.
I own a copy of the works of Salvador Dali; his art is certainly disturbing...but not like this. I can appreciate Dali's art or even Michael Parkes' and Jan Saudek's, but this publication is too real and too chilling, having grown up in an abusive household myself. I would very much love to see Sally Mann's other works, however, because she is a fine photographer and must surely have a more "light-hearted" production of children's photos. If not, then Sally Mann is best left to those who take pleasure in "dark" art.
I recommend Jock Sturges' work, RADIANT IDENTITIES, instead. Although it is very similar in many regards, his subjects appear to be willing participants, and he has chosen to display a wide variety of emotions, including happiness.
My complaint is not against the nudity. After all, we are born that way; it's just the overall negative imagery of this particular work. It is sad that so many people in our society think that to be imaginative and artful you must also be sinister or immoral. Nudity can be expressed artistically and positively, even with children (remember your own photos of splashing around in the tub or the rubber swimming pool as a toddler?) Even if it's not all up-beat and chipper it does not have to be so overwhelmingly depressing.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe It's Just Me...
Review: I viewed this book only once in a store and decided it is not the one for me. Technically Sally Mann is a fine photographer who is obviously at the top of her game. Her subject matter had tremendous potential! But there was one glaring problem: the children did not appear to be enjoying childhood, but appeared sad, psychologically disconnected, emotionally abused, rejected, of low self-esteem, and physically battered. There was even one photo a boy with a broken nose and blood all over his chest. I have seen my share of children get hurt while playing, and have even seen a boy fall from a tree, snapping the bones in his forearm in half. What I saw that day was not a moment of inspiration. Therefore, shock value, "artistic" interpretation of childhood emotions, or whatever the thrust of this book is, I cannot see myself ever owning it. It is too dark, depressing and menacing. Personally I think plenty of imaginative artistic themes can be produced with happy children who are not busted up or who appear endangered. I own a copy of the works of Salvador Dali; his art is certainly disturbing...but not like this. I can appreciate Dali's art or even Michael Parkes' and Jan Saudek's, but this publication is too real and too chilling. I would very much love to see Sally Mann's other works, however, because she is a fine photographer and must surely have a more "light-hearted" production of children's photos. If not, then Sally Mann is best left to those who take pleasure in "dark" art.
Rating:
Summary: Universally appealing
Review: I was unaware of the controversy regarding Mrs. Mann's work until recently and find the harsh words totally unwarranted and the attitudes unbelievable. This book reflects her understanding of what it's like to be a child in a rural environment and has NOTHING to do with pornography. The nudity which some find so shocking is natural for kids. It's not until later when we learn our bodies are "bad" that we stop displaying them. That some attach the nudity in the shots of her children with sex speaks poorly of them and those who perpetuate this attitude. This is a wonderful book that most of you will appreciate and identify with, making you recall memories of your own youth. And, if you were brought up in a suburban area you'll even learn some of what it's like being a kid in the country. However, if your looking for a book with snapshots of smiling kids, you'll be disappointed. This is a photo essay on an all too brief time of our lives, with the pictures being neither cute nor pretty, the photographer having chosen instead to show emotion and reality, and has done so beautifully.
Rating: 
Summary: Some beautiful, some very dark ...
Review: I've owned this book for a few years and still look at it occasionally. Mann is a masterful photographer and technically is an even more masterful printer. She is adept at staging her children in these poses for maximum impact. My favorites were the ones that brought back some of my sweeter childhood memories. Since purchasing this book I've learned that many of the photos have become bestsellers in the fine art world and that some are worth as much as $6000 each now. Mann is very popular and was chosen as Time's favorite photographer recently. There are a few of the photos, though, that bother me - some seem to suggest harm to the children and even death. I'm not sure why those are included - except perhaps for their "shock value". A fine book overall though and I would purchase it again.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely beautiful.....
Review: I've read some of the other reviews for this book, and most of the negative ones seem to mostly criticize the expressions on the faces of these children, and how they must reflect a miserable childhood. However, I know that when I was a child, I did not go around constantly with a huge grin on my face, even though my childhood was overall pretty happy. I think that if these photos showed these children all at happy moments and always smiling, then they would be boring, and I wouldn't consider them to be art. I think that these gorgeous photos honestly reflect their childhoods, and the ordeals they went through growing up. Just because the child's faces are blank does not mean that they were unwilling participants in these photos. Also, just because they were raised in an environment where nudity was accepted and not an issue isn't a cause for critism here either, in my opinion. Some people are just raised differently and in different environments, and I think it is fascinating to see how open this family was. I don't find it dirty [...] in any way at all. It's just honest, real photography.
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