Diana Ross: Going Back [Hardcover]

Diana Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2002

In this extraordinary "scrapbook"-a photo album as glamorous and compelling as its subject-Diana Ross has insightfully collected a treasury of filmic memories, iconic images, and personal moments from her long career.

An icon and powerful role model for four decades, she has been one of the most noticed people of our time, pictured by all the leading fashion photographers-Richard Avedon, Victor Skrebneski, and Herb Ritts, among them. From lead singer of The Supremes to one of the most successful female artist of all time, from her academy award nominated performance as Billie Holiday to her role as a muse to artists, she has been a powerful and vibrant force in American life.

Hers is an inspirational story, first told carefully in words in her 1993 memoir Secrets of a Sparrow. Here her life is daringly and lovingly assembled in pictures, many never before published, and all rich with recent history, insightful comments, and plentiful anecdotes. From fashion icon to mother at home, this is a rare self-portrait by a very special person of our time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ross invites fans to tag along on her non-chronological photo journey through four decades of self-love. This 8" 11.5" coffee-table book (edited by Roseanne Shelnutt) offers more than 200 photographs of the diva, who supplies almost as many words. The main lure here is page after page of stunning photos from such master craftsmen as Herb Ritts, Harry Langdon, Richard Avedon, George Hurrell, Greg Gorman, Francesco Scavullo, Douglas Kirkland and Marc Baptiste. Ross's periodic comments alternately strive for introspection ("I am a very private person living a very public life"), display false-modesty ("My kids say, `Mom... you were hot!' That really tickles me"), offer philosophies ("I don't borrow trouble. I have fun!") and faux self-revelations ("I must say, I LOVE BIG HAIR-always have"). Her blather seldom distracts from the glorious still photographs of the seemingly ageless former Supreme. The occasional "narrative" by Tonya Bolden starts off by summing up Ross's first 20 years in one paragraph; her three other appearances do little but fan the flame of devotion to La Ross. The book ends with a very selective chronology of her career and a more complete discography. Longtime fans will find the photos Diana-mite.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Rosanne Shelnutt is a longtime associate of Diana Ross.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Universe (December 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789307979
• ISBN-13: 978-0789307972
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #621,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary Picture Book from the DIVA, November 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Diana Ross: Going Back (Hardcover)

Before going any further I have to say that this is not a Supremes book and it was not intended to be. Going Back is a photographic journey of Diana Ross and her style. The images in the book are photographs that Diana Ross has the rights to (not Motown) and this is one of the reasons why the Supremes aren't featured and most of the picutres are post 80's. In addition, for fans that want Supreme images, wait for Mary Wilson's coffee table book...I am sure that those will contain Supreme images galore. Now on to the book.....

This remarkable book shows how versatile Diana Ross is in front of the camera. Beautiful photographs from the Josephine Baker sessions, Vouge and numerous other sessions. For the person who loves photography and especially fashion, this is a must have. I highly recommend this book to any fan of Diana Ross, the entertainer or the fashion icon.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Diana, the Fashion Icon, November 26, 2002

By 

Todd J. Brandt (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diana Ross: Going Back (Hardcover)

Once again, in their zeal to demonize Diana Ross, critics of this book have missed the point. If one READS the foreword and text, this book is NOT a career retrospective, per se. It is an exploration of Diana Ross as a FASHION ICON. This is why the book is separated by FASHION PHOTOGRAPHERS, and not done in a chronological manner.

Also, the majority of photos were culled from Ross' own personal collection and her Image Equity firm, which controls any photographic image of her post-1981. The early Supremes photos are, by and large, from the Motown archives--and since Diana Ross is no longer with that label, one could reasonably expect that she would not be looking for any favors from them.

In any event, the images presented here make a fair case for the argument that Diana Ross, had she not become a superstar entertainer, could very well have become a fashion model. Her lithe frame, expressive eyes and distinctively different "look" make her the ideal photographic subject. As legendary costumier Bob Mackie puts it in his charming foreword: "I always wondered where goddesses came from. I guess it must be Detroit."

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diana Ross on how wonderful it is to be Diana Ross., April 28, 2004

By 

Harrold Jones "hdj8501" (san francisco, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diana Ross: Going Back (Hardcover)

Diana Ross is such a visual performer that a book of photographs spanning her career is a very natural collection for her to put together. With the exception of Cher, I've never seen a performer who can look so beautiful and so different seemingly at will. Each photo gives the photographer credit and it reads like a who's who with most of the great photo journalist's taking their turn at capturing a unique quality of Diana's timeless beauty. I never get tired of looking through this beautifully done coffee table pictorical memoir. As the title suggests, this book is all about Diana Ross and is scattered with antidote's and notes from Diana herself. If you're not a Diana Ross devotee then this book probably isn't going to do a thing for you and in that case you'd be better off sticking with her music.