Customer Reviews

One Big Self: Prisoners of Louisiana

5 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
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...about autonomy and (against) our incarceration-drunk nation. The long poem, or sets of poems, is, or are, superb (and closely related to Wright's last book-length poem, Deepstep Come Shining); the prisoners themselves decided how they wished to appear for their photographs, and had an exceptional amount of control over the visual results, making the visual part of the book a moving claim on their behalf, rather than (as often in "documentary" photography) just a descriptive claim "about" them. This is a monument and a triumph.

On March 2, 2004, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Luster. I bought the book so she could sign it. Seeing her explain this book to a Louisiana University was amazing. These photographs are breath taking, and I was lucky enough to participate in a demo on how she prints her photographs. Not everyone gets this opportunity, but I think everyone should take a close look at One Big Self: Prisoners of Louisiana.

A beautiful book in every way. Stunning photographs, brilliant poem/essay, exquisite design, important perspective. Ignore irrelevant comparisons. This is a wonderful book few others could match in any century.

When artists use people of other races, cultures and socio-economic circumstances as subjects there is always the danger that the subjects will be distorted. Edward Curtis, in his staged portraits at the turn of the last century, presents American Indians in costumes and settings that are, in many cases, incongruous. Scholars, historians and prominent Native Americans agree that the Curtis work is flawed. One Big Self is very similar to Curtis' work and many of the criticisms of Curtis apply here as well. As with the Curtis portfolio, the portraits in One Big Self are often hauntingly beautiful to look at. But only those with very little knowledge of the lessons learned after Curtis will be able to appreciate One Big Self.