The curse of having too many interests: no patience to focus on one of them at a time. I would love to read biographies more, but there are too many interesting books and movies! I finally got back to them, but it was a conflicting experience.

What I love about biographies is the fact that the good ones are well researched and objective. Memoirs leave room for the person to twist events in their favor or leave uncomfortable things out.

The problem with trying to write about Diane Arbus specifically, though, is that she was very private. Patricia Bosworth's attempts to decipher her personality and motives seemed a tad useless, especially when she claimed to know what Arbus was thinking at a given time (no sources) or repeated people's perceptions of her. The latter isn't that bad when done sparingly, but when the author and her sources are all trying to probe her personality... Made me a little uncomfortable. If someone wants to live behind a curtain, let them.

Overall, though, this might just be the best we can get about Arbus. She may have failed at becoming a wholesome 1950s housewife like she originally tried to be, but she was an incredibly talented photographer, who didn't seem to believe in herself all that much. Her burning desire to create and follow her passion is something we can all learn from. She poured her intensity and power into her photos. All her photos. She never wanted to be just a "freak" photographer. She sadly didn't see a way out of her depression and decided to cut her life short, but no one should be judged for that. She of all people was incredibly brave during her entire life.