An Emergency in Slow Motion: The Inner Life of Diane Arbus

by William Todd Schultz

Diane Arbus was one of the most brilliant and revered photographers in the history of American art. Her portraits, in stark black and white, seemed to reveal the psychological truths of their subjects. But after she committed suicide at the age of 48, the presumed chaos and darkness of her own inner life became, for many viewers, inextricable from her work.In the spirit of Janet Malcolm's classic examination of Sylvia Plath, The Silent Woman, William Todd Schultz's An Emergency in Slow Motion reveals the creative and personal struggles of Diane Arbus. Schultz, an expert in personality psychology, veers from traditional biography to look at Arbus's life through the prism of five central mysteries: her childhood, her outcast affinity, her sexuality, her time in therapy, and her suicide. He seeks not to give Arbus some definitive diagnosis, but to ponder some of the private motives behind her public works and acts. In this approach, Schultz not only goes deeper into her life than any previous writing, but provides a template to think about the creative life in general.Schultz's careful analysis is informed, in part, by the recent release of Arbus's writing by her estate, as well as interviews with Arbus's last therapist. An Emergency in Slow Motion combines new revelations and breathtaking insights into a must-read psychobiography about a monumental artist -- the first new look at Arbus in 25 years.

Genres: Photography, Biography, Art, Nonfiction, Memoir, Psychology

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2011

About the author

William Todd Schultz is a personality psychologist who specializes in profiles of artists. He’s published four books—Tiny Terror on Truman Capote (2011), An Emergency in Slow Motion on Diane Arbus (2011), Torment Saint on Elliott Smith (2013), and The Mind of the Artist (2021)—along with numerous articles and book chapters. He curates and edits the Oxford book series Inner Lives. He’s appeared in Huffington Post, Salon, Slate, The Spectator, Seattle Weekly, and other venues. In 2015, Schultz was awarded the Erikson Prize for Mental Health Media; from 2016-2017 he was a Shearing Fellow at the Black Mountain Institute in Las Vegas; and in summer, 2021, he completed a Yaddo Artist Residency. He lives and teaches in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from First Reads not knowing much about Diane Arbus other than knowing from museum exhibits her intense, confrontational photographs - the twins, the carnival freaks, the Jewish giant at home with his parents - and vaguely remembering hearing something about her as an artist who committed suicide.

An Emergency in Slow Motion is not a traditional biography; Schultz terms it a "psychobiography," an attempt to delve into the psychology of Diane Arbus, in other words. What drove her to create art? What in her unconscious was she trying to either confront or avoid? These are the questions Schultz uses as his guides, and miraculously, he somehow manages to get you inside Diane Arbus's head.

To the extent that you can be in someone else's head. I'll admit I was at first pretty dubious of Schultz's attempt. Psychobiography sounded to me like a scammy new way to put more biographies on the shelf at the bookstore. But Schultz surprised me: he's respectful both to his subject and to the limitations of using psychology on someone no longer alive. He argues a good case for why this book was necessary, what it accomplishes, and what it could never accomplish. Most convincing to his case is the fact that Schultz was able to contact and interview Arbus's therapist Helen Boignon who Arbus was meeting with in the months before her suicide.

Schultz elucidates thoroughly his arguments and the psychological theories he's using, and depending on your preference this could be a benefit or a drawback. I found that his writing hangs on the verge of being repetitive. But on the other hand, this is what writers are encouraged to do; Schultz leaves little room for you to misunderstand him.

I realize I've just made this book sound like a psych textbook but in truth it's an engaging, insightful read. Schultz does what he set out to do: he illuminates Diane Arbus and her inner life. He piqued my interest in Arbus (now if I ever come across the larger Patricia Bosworth biography of Arbus, I'll read it) and psychobiography in general. Recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: This book was a GoodReads First Read

A few years back I Saw the film "Fur" starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. (and dorky dad from "Modern Family"!)- a sort of dramatized imaging of how Diane Arbus came to be the photographer we know her as. After viewing this film I was of course with left with more questions about Ms. Arbus- how did she *really* come to be a photographer of such bizarre and provoking photos? So you can imagine my excitement when I came across Mr. Schultz's new "psychobiography".

The book doesn't fail to deliver a full picture of the late author; and reader beware Diane Arbus' life makes for as eerie reading as her photos. Even though this book is just a slim 216 page volume it packs a hefty punch as you are treated to the inner workings of Arbus' mind.

It isn't so much that Arubs was mean or cruel, but instead, distinctively sad and out of step with the world and even herself. If there is any fault with the book it might be with Schultz's sometimes circular method of explanation and frequent repeating of several key phrases and quotes- although perhaps this is useful in keeping up with some of the denser psychological theories.

http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpre...

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Todd Schultz’s psycho-biography, “An Emergency in Slow Motion, The Inner Life of Diane Arbus”, is a psychological interpretation of Diane Arbus’ interior life and how it influenced her photographic work. Conversely, Schultz also looked at how Arbus’ work – her subject matter - may have affected her psyche. Most of the author’s resources came from previously published books and articles. He added a few personal interviews, one with Ms. Arbus’ psychologist, Helen Boigon, and the other with one of her potential photographic subjects, the Kronhausens’. Having a background in photography and a personal interest in it, I own and read the same material Schultz used to conduct his study. Mainly, Patricia Bosworth’s 1984 biography of Diane Arbus and two of her photography books, issued by Doon Arbus and her Estate through Aperture. These contain personal interviews with Arbus, taped recordings from her classes, as well as her previously written texts. (Arbus was an excellent and prolific writer as well as photographer. She often wrote the text that accompanied her magazine articles.) At the time Ms. Arbus took her life, in 1971, she was considered a legend who influenced her students as well as professional photographers. Today, some 40 years later, she still inspires many emerging and established artists.

As with anyone who has attained this stature, especially those who may not have appreciated her likeness of them, rumors and misrepresentations often abound. As it relates to Diane Arbus, the anecdote the public is most aware of, and is in fact accurate, is Ms. Arbus’ fight with depression. Beyond that, is speculation and rumor. Our culture is all too eager to ride the salacious tide when a “weakness” is perceived. Especially if we dislike the person in question or when there is money to be made. This is why I question, the author’s new sources, the Kronhausens’ and Dr. Helen Boigon. The Kronhausens’ do not appear to like Ms. Arbus. If what they related to Schultz was true, it was better left unsaid because it was personal and does not add to our understanding of Diane as a photographer. What it does tell us has more to say about the people she was with and our experimental culture at that time - the 1960’s. As it stands, it sounds more like an embellished story developed by the Kronhausens’, possibly because she did not photograph them and make them a part of her vast, insightful portfolio. Helen Boigon’s interviews with the author make one question her abilities as a psychologist. Granted, psychology has come a long way since the 1960’s and its findings do not maintain the same credibility as it did then. However, Ms. Boigon’s analysis of Ms. Arbus felt sophomoric, outdated and overstated; despite the fact Schultz interviewed her in 2007. She also admitted during her interview that she did not dislike Ms. Arbus, but did not like her and reluctantly took a photograph that she disliked from Arbus as a gift (Identical twins, Roselle, N.J. Twins).( Ironically, she did have an understanding of its value since she sold it to put her daughter through medical school.) By virtue of Boigon’s analysis, Diane Arbus lived her adult life psychologically incompetent. Schultz agrees with parts of Ms. Boigon’s theory but not all of it. However, whether or not they are of the same mind as it relates to specifics, they both assessed Arbus in a manner that leaves one wondering if they are speaking about the same photographer. During her lifetime, Ms. Arbus produced thousand of photographs, was in numerous exhibits, had her work and writing in the best magazines –Art Forum, Life, etc.- and taught at Universities and ran photography workshops. If she was as incompetent as Schultz and Boigon make her out to be, she would not have been able to perform at the level she did. What is most disturbing about this book is the breech of doctor-patient confidentiality by Dr. Boigon, per the author’s request, a practicing psychologist. My main problem with the entire book is Schultz’s analysis was over stated and repetitious. He repeated himself throughout the entire book and at points where it was not necessary. Likewise, he over analyzed to the point of being ridiculous. His studies did not warrant an entire book. Did Diane Arbus suffer from depression and all its side effects – without a doubt. Did it render her incompetent, no.

There is one point where I am in agreement with the author. By virtue of Ms. Arbus’ notes and conversations with friends, Schultz does not believe Ms. Arbus wanted to bring an end to her photographic work. He is uncertain as to whether she truly wanted to take her life, or, at the time, just stop the pain within her. Diane Arbus loved photography and was actively working on projects when she took her life. A month before her suicide, she photographed Nixon’s daughters’ wedding and also taught a week’s photography workshop. She was having a rough summer, emotionally. Her two daughters were grown and away, her lover away with his wife and her ex-husband was in California. She hated and feared her depression. Alone and depressed, it just became too much for her. For these reasons, I concur with Schultz’s assessment. We lost a great photographer well before her time. Had someone been there, would she have lived until her natural death? We’ll never know. One thing we do know for sure is that she was an outstanding photographer and writer who was not incompetent. How and what she suffered from should not be over dramatized and analyzed, but used to help prevent further suicides. This book does not shed light on anything new about Ms. Arbus’ psychological state as it relates to her work. However, it has an indirect message about suicide. That is, certain circumstances prevail when people are most likely to commit suicide. Make yourself aware of them and seek help.

Diane Arbus was a remarkable photographer who contributed much to the world of photography. She exposed us to a world previously unseen and ignored by our culture; freaks, so to speak, and other socially unacceptable members of society. Thanks to Ms. Arbus there are not as many social secrets, or at least the pretense of them. It is okay to photograph people as they are and not as we wish them to be. It does not make us a freak to do so, only human. Her work speaks for itself. All else is just useless speculation that provides little more than gossip.
Review by Beth Lyons

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The psychology of Diane Arbus - interesting, but a little too academic for me. I wish it had been more biography and less analysis.

(Edited to add that there is not a single picture inside this book. Apparently her estate is not very share-friendly. While the author does describe the pictures he's referring to pretty well, it just does not compare to getting to see the actual picture.)

[Tom Baikin-O'hayon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting biography, and an interesting psychological analysis of her life and work. Untill we reach the subject of sex. Why do psychologists always obsess about sex?

[Leo Racicot · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is believed by many that God, The Divine One, acts as both Creator and Destroyer. If so, it follows that all living beings have a spark of this duality inside us and that the Spirit of God is so powerful in some, it burns with a radiant need to create something great while destroying itself in the process. Think of a volcano; at one and the same time, it is building upon itself
by diminishing itself. The great photographer, Diane Arbus, seems to have been one of these exalted beings, able to capture with ease arresting and memorable images yet unable, most of the time, to
capture herself from herself and her own inner dybbuks. In "An Emergency in Slow Motion", esteemed author, William Todd Schultz, attempts to excavate and then to dissect, in fascinating ways, the duality that made Arbus Arbus. By his own admission,(and his humility adds to this book's accessibility and appeal), he makes many exacting inroads into his and our understanding of Arbus but admits that the animistic paradoxes of her life and art make her ultimately unknowable; the gestalt of her not able to be fully defined. In this way, he ties her in with the unlikely twin of his other exploratory psychobiography, Truman Capote; both Arbus and Capote were, after all, curators of the macabre, the outcast, the loner, the freaks of Nature. The
intensity of their excavations (archaeologists of the human condition, both) affected them negatively even as it elevated their subjects favorably. Both artists cast a spotlight on people the world would rather not look at but in so doing, were chopped down infuriatingly soon, two forest pines still alive when they died, the rich sap of creativity still bubbling in their branches.Some might say they chopped themselves down (death by oversensitivity) We dismiss self-pity nowadays as a useless tooth in an otherwise healthy mouth but only Arbus,a victim of long, depressive episodes aggravated by a chronic hepatitis knew the suffering she had to do battle with every,single day of her life. From a young age, Arbus steered her boat into unchartered waters, discovering subjects no photographer had ever explored: the outsiders of Society, the profoundly disturbed, the deviant, the marginalized, the maligned, those who represent, some say, the last prejudice, that element of our world that has no champion, no voice, no pride parade to give it the visibility and acceptance it deserves. Arbus gave them all a face, and so remarkable, so profound, so compassionate was her camera's eye that her portraits received international acclaim and made her the first American photographer to have her work displayed at the renowned Venice Biennale. But why did Arbus choose to showcase these mutant souls? This is the question Schultz asks in this comprehensive and compelling study of the troubled artist. Perhaps, he suggests, it was that Arbus, coming from a very rich, Jewish family (her parents owned the ritzy Rossets Department Store in New York City), and being an artist, she saw herself as not fitting in. Her photo subjects stand in sharp contrast to her upbringing (beautiful people, beautiful clothes, beautiful home furnishings). If she could not find herself a place in this lifestyle, see herself existing in it, might then her work, Schultz posits, be a rebellion, an acting out against wealth and privilege since who can there be less poor, less privileged, less entitled than the disturbing irregulars of the world, those who do not fit the moral order? For Arbus was taking photos not only of others but of herself. Her subjects are pure. It is their purity she comandeered. She needed it to feel alive. Ironically, it may be their
very purity that led Arbus to that bottle of barbiturates, those unforgiving razor blades on what turned out to be the saddest day of her life. Always fascinated by the masks people wear, and with using her camera to remove them, she found, perhaps, her own mask so permanently welded on, she could not take it off, did not want to anyway, and only by destroying herself (after having created so many extraordinary objects) was she able to end her Sisyphean struggle with being Diane, with being Divine. Poet/playwright, Hannah Senesh, wrote, "There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for Humankind."

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book in one sitting (literally, I was sitting in my car driving from Anchorage to Haines Junction) and it was an intense experience. I knew little about Diane Arbus before listening to Mr. Schultz's account, and that deficit has definitely been remedied. I also understand much more about art, photography, suicide, psychology, Sylvia Plath, Kurt Cobain...this book covers a lot of territory, all of it interesting. I believe there is more to know about Ms. Arbus, but I appreciate Mr. Schultz's approach.

Addendum: I do think that Mr. Schultz left some areas curiously unexplored. Ms. Arbus was a woman living in a time that would have frowned on with her sexuality (to put it mildly) and that issue was never adequately addressed. Mr. Schultz does touch on her compulsion to have sexual experiences with strangers, but doesn't discuss the issue with any depth. Also, her bisexuality is mentioned (if indeed she was bisexual, although her propositioning women and having sex with couples and at orgies does at least raise the question), along with her engaging in non-mainstream sexual practices (possibly S&M and erotic asphyxiation). However, none of these issues are fully addressed. This behavior in the 1960s and early 1970s, by a woman and a mother with two daughters, deserves some context and exploration.

Also, Ms. Arbus was aging. How did her aging affect how she saw herself, especially given her sex life? Mr. Schultz does not address this issue at all, and I believe that some discussion is warranted. I know as a woman who is approaching the age Ms. Arbus was when she committed suicide, aging is an issue. Mr. Schulz does talk a bit about Ms. Arbus perhaps having peri-menapausal symptoms, and that her daughters had grown and were away from her. But the issue of how Ms. Arbus saw herself as she aged is not discussed.

[Liz V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Goodread's win, entered under the mistaken impression the book was about another photographer.

Schultz has written a psychobiography, a field used extensively for analysis of Nazi leaders but presumably developed during the ensuing years. It's not clear what restrictions on access to materials were placed on Schultz, although Arbus' estate evidently placed severe limitations on earlier writing projects.

My personal preference is for facts--names, dates, places--but the author has woven together some interesting theories about Arbus' implosion. I suspect it would take another psychologist to judge the theories, but the fact that Arbus managed 48 years seems remarkable to me.

Aside from personal preference, I felt the author should have devoted some space to Arbus' children, who clearly would have been components of her emotional life. Schultz did speak with the elder daughter about her views of Arbus' last project but, given the emphasis on attachment disorder, Arbus' ability or inability to connect with her own children seems critical.

Also, Schultz seems to me to be overly non-critical of Arbus' psychiatrist, who admits to not liking Arbus but avers not to have disliked her either. So, in accepted psychiatric mode, she "faked it". That might work with the typical patient (although I find it chilling), but Arbus' entire work in photography was seeing through masks. So one more person--a professional--was at best tolerating Arbus as she slid into self destruction.

[Leah Hess Windnagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was highly impressed with this novel. In spite of never having heard of Diane Arbus before reading this novel, I was sucked into the history and knowledge Schultz divulged. I was fascinated to read of her art, relationships, and emotional trauma. Not only does Schultz investigate, factually, what would have caused Arbus to lead down the path of suicide, but he also analyzes how her actions may have been a result of her emotional dysfunction. I was concerned An Emergency in Slow Motion would read like a textbook, but I found it to be fast-paced and highly intriguing.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Diane Arbus' life, Sylvia Plath, or other emotionally struggling artists. It's likely I'll pick up another psychobiography written by William Todd Schultz.

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads Firstreads program in exchange for an honest review.

For a more thorough review of the novel, please visit http://leahslitandcoffee.blogspot.com...

[Amber + Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book because I am a fan of Diane Arbus, however those unfamiliar with her work or with Bosworth's biography on Diane Arbus will be absolutely bored. This book is a psychiatric point of view of Diane Arbus's life and work and how those two string together. The books main focus is on Arbus's suicide and her lifestyle leading up to her suicide. The one aspect of the book that I found cringe worthy is the last chapter. The last chapter focused on Sylvia Plath and to me it seemed to force their connection as different artist with the same revelations before their suicides and how their work was the best work for each individual before their death. I just didn't see where Sylvia Plath fit in when she wasn't mentioned at all through out the book until the last chapter.

[Charity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed the weird and quirky world of Diane Arbus. Her photography is never dull. I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it was less biography and more psychoanalysis than I thought it would be. Although, the phrase 'inner life' in the title should have clued me in. Also, it's a bit of a bummer that none of Arbus' photos appear in the book, but I'm sure that has more to do with the Arbus estate than the authors intentions. Overall, a decent read, just not as captivating as I'd hoped.

(First Reads Win.)


So excited! Been in the mood for something uber artsy-fartsy. This should fit the bill nicely! Huzzah! :)

[Victoria Law · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does anyone else horrified that Arbus's therapist was willing to share her insight and session analyses with the author? I thought that client-patient info was privileged, even after death.

I'd never heard the term psychobiography before and wasn't sure what to expect. I think that this book is best read with a copy of Revelations (and possibly the Untitled monograph from Aperture) nearby so that the reader can cross-reference quotes and photographs.

[ChrissieP · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this book intertwines the artist, her art, her compulsion to create as well as the subjects she seeks out. We are presented with a deeper understanding of what the artist experienced in her inner world and why her photography manifested as it did. Now, when I look at a piece of art I will linger longer.

[George Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating reflection on another artist who died by suicide. I think she remained an enigma even to herself.

[Karen-Leigh]

Diane Arbus was one of the most brilliant and revered photographers in the history of American art. Her portraits, in stark black and white, seemed to reveal the psychological truths of their subjects. But after she committed suicide in 1971, at the age of forty-eight, the presumed chaos and darkness of her own inner life became, for many viewers, inextricable from her work. In the spirit of Janet Malcolm's classic examination of Sylvia Plath, The Silent Woman, William Todd Schultz's An Emergency in Slow Motion reveals the creative and personal struggles of Diane Arbus. Schultz veers from traditional biography to interpret Arbus's life through the prism of four central her outcast affinity, her sexuality, the secrets she kept and shared, and her suicide. He seeks not to diagnose Arbus, but to discern some of the private motives behind her public works and acts. In this approach, Schultz not only goes deeper into Arbus's life than any previous writer, but provides a template with which to think about the creative life in general. Schultz's careful analysis is informed, in part, by the recent release of some of Arbus's writing and work by her estate, as well as by interviews with Arbus's psychotherapist. An Emergency in Slow Motion combines new revelations and breathtaking insights into a must-read psychobiography about a monumental artist-the first new look at Arbus in twenty-five years.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I have problems reading this kind of book, a psychobiography. Had many, " do I finish this", moments. Fascinating woman.
I join another reader's comments, when they ask why the hell her therapist spoke to the author about confidential sessions!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane Arbus is one of those photographers that you learn about when you first grab a camera and enter a photography classroom. As a photography student I was fond of her photographs not because of the subjects or her way of framing the subject with the bed frame. I liked her photographs because of the high contrast, and specially because the portraits are not something that we see, because usually most portraits are about what the subject wants their face to look like, but Arbus was completely against it.

With that said, this book was a bit hard to get into because my psychology knowledge sucks, therefore I was able to learn more than expected (by doing some research of my own) from this book. The writing, however, is beyond of what I expected! William Todd is an incredible writer there weren't dull descriptions or boring tones in the way he analyzed her life, it was really a great read! His research was extensive and he brought up interesting ideas of why Diane (and other several artists) have decided to kill themselves. As a suicided survivor myself I was able to related to what she felt and is something that the author was able to portray in his writing, William Todd was never judgmental about suicide, but instead provided an in-depth view of what takes us there...

After reading this book I personally understood that what really made Diane Arbus special was the fact that she was able to make the subjects portray HER feelings and not their own. Photography was really a way for her to express HERSELF not to allow people to show who they were or what they did. It was her game, they played by her rules and that is what made her different. Other photographers come to a consensus with their subjects, and though the photographs might come out aesthetically nice, they were not powerful.

I recommend this book to anyone that interested in her life and what made her special, whoever that wants to create their own theories of why she might have wanted to kill herself, and of course to those who enjoy photography :)

[Mark Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diane Arbus is an enigma, and an enigma that will never be fully explained. Here Schultz writes what he calls a psycho-biography, a psychological interpretation of Diane Arbus’ interior life and how it influenced her photographic work. Schultz also looked at how Arbus’ work may have affected her psyche. He uses published sources, interview material to develop and draw his theory together in an interesting read, he does get decidedly excited in certain aspects of detail, in others boringly academic, but overall I remain unconvinced of his take on Arbus. Most of his theory is really stating the obvious, Arbus was marginalized - from her family, society, and was drawn to those on the margins - the circus freaks, sexual deviants, the odd and the irregular, and at a time when society's values and boundaries were definitely altering - the 1960's. In some ways she was capturing the close of one, and the start of a new. Arbus will remain an enigma, not only because her estate and family closed ranks around her, protecting the information that may answer the questions, but also the fact she herself operated in such a manner. Whether her suicide was intended or whether she was seeking an experience, will remain unanswered. That helps to preserve the myth and ensure the legacy of her art.

[Noelle Roberge · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who salivates at the thought of scholarly essays and research papers, this book is heaven. I am more than half-way through 'An Emergency in Slow Motion' and have been devouring it like a tasty dessert. This is a meaty book, meaning it is not a simple biography, it contains complex analysis and is a true work of academia.

I can't help but notice that there are a great many readers who wished the book contained pictures, but I find that Shultz does an incredible job describing the photos with vivid detail, for instance, the photo titled "A Flower Girl at a Wedding, Conn. 1964." Shultz writes, "She wears a flower tiara and what looks like a white lamb's-wool jacket with a skin interior. The jacket, at any rate, resembles a fur. She holds a ribboned wicker basket. Her eyes are dazed, slightly fearful; she seems to possess some special knowledge; she stares absently, abstractedly beyond the photographer, not so much at her. Thin arms of nearby bushes reach out at her from the left and from below. And the background, her mind's metaphorical content, is fog-shrouded, crepuscular, dotted with indistinct pines or cedars" (pg.56).

To anyone adding this book to their reading que, you are in for a hauntingly beautiful ride.

[Scott Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schultz is a dogged analyst, fixated on certain facets of Arbus' life and personality, in order to explain her unique artistic choices and her unfortunate demise. However, he lacks the larger vision necessary to put this person into a realistic, vital context. He looks at Arbus through the wrong end of the lens, reducing her to fit certain psychological diagnoses, which is neither fair to Arbus or fruitful for the reader. Schultz also tends to repeat ideas and phrases throughout the book, seemingly unable to leave the confines of his limited conceptions. The comparison of Arbus to Kurt Cobain, in particular, seems lacking the first time he makes it, and progressively less cogent as he does it a second and third time. I did appreciate his research regarding Arbus' own psychoanalyst and how her own theoretical and personal background might have affected and do reflect on Arbus' life and death.

[Michelle Gerard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schultz is a bit repetitive in his writing. There's a lot of technical phrases that he unnecessarily repeats throughout the book. I kept wondering if I was accidentally re-reading passages.

He refers quite a bit to the other biography on Arbus, published articles, and other books. I hadn't read any of them so this information was all new to me. The interviews with her psychologist were interesting, but the psychologist's view on Arbus was obviously skewed. She makes it clear that she didn't care for Arbus or her work. While she did share some interesting stories from Arbus, most of it was merely her opinion of her.

Overall, I loved the insight of Arbus' work and her personal life. I've been fascinated with her work for a long time and this book only intensified that obsession. I've already added Revelations and Diane Arbus: A Biography to my wish list.

[Francesca Penchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane Arbus is a fascinating subject. I learned a lot about her from this book.

However, I was annoyed that the author pathologizes Arbus in some instances, but that may be the nature of psychobiography. Also, some conclusions that the author comes up with should be taken with a grain of salt. And the author focuses on single facts or statements of Arbus's and may exaggerate their importance.

The narrator's habit of putting on funny voices for different people is slightly annoying.

I recommend the book if you are an artist, and/or like contemporary/female/artist biographies. Be aware that the book doesn't shy away from disturbing topics such as suicide and incest. Lots of obscure psychology terms that are hard to understand.

[Kyle Wendy Skultety (gimmethatbook.com) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very depressing...comparing Arbus to Sylvia Plath. I think Arbus was a tortured genius, whose demons were made worse by medication and bad relationships. This book was full of a lot of psychobabble, not just a telling of her life. I also found the lack of photographs annoying; when the author described one, I had to go online to look it up to see exactly what he was describing. That was quite annoying.

If Arbus had lived in a different era, perhaps her suicide could have been prevented by better therapy and meds. But then -- would she have had the impact on the photographic world that she did?

[Kathleen O'Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Todd Schultz's psychobiographical treatment of the life of Diane Arbus is fascinating and a great joy to read. The book made me curious to learn more about Arbus and yet was satisfying in its own right as well. Schultz's most important insight into Arbus's life and work is that in choosing the subjects for her photography and proceeding to take pictures of them, Arbus was in fact attempting to use these others in order to communicate something about herself as opposed to something about them.

[Laura Sloan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It's a psycho-biography, and since I like to learn about the inner workings of the mind I thought it sounded interesting. I ended up just skimming through a lot of the book, it just did not hold my interest. I probably would have enjoyed reading an article about Diane Arbus, but a whole book was too much for me.

[Haines Borough Public Library]

See it in the catalog here: http://haines.evergreencatalog.com/op...

November 2011

I really enjoyed this "psychobiography" of Diane Arbus. It's now part of the library collection, so check it out!
See my full review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

-Janine A.

[Melanie H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I went into this knowing that it's a psychobiography (making assertions about her psychology based on her artwork) but it still seemed to fall flat. I also found it rather repetitive. I know it was likely a copyright issue, but it was also extremely difficult to follow the assertions based on photos, none of which were included in the book for the reader.

[Erin Tuzuner · Rating 4 out of 5]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it seems reasonable a photographer would be worth some academic consideration. It is difficult for an audience to separate "art" from its creator. Troubling work and a tortured creator, or just another person consumed by the quest for the location of the damage.

[LeeLee Lulu · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has lots of psychobabble conjecture about Arbus without having known her. Many of the sentences are convoluted and meaningless. I read some of it aloud to a coworker to confirm that I wasn't just incapable of understanding, and he agreed it was impenetrable.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to think about this for awhile before writing the review--there were things I liked and things that made me want to smack the author upside the head. I need to clear all that up before writing a proper review. It is an interesting take but WAY too much supposition.