On Family: The challenges and joys of family life: a photographic project

by The School of Life, Mark Hobbs (Photographer), Kate Peters (Photographer), Marjolaine Ryley (Photographer), Michelle Shank (Photographer)

Overview

An intimate look at the complexities of family life told through evocative photography and authentic interviews.

Families are a mystery. Is everyone’s as complicated as ours? Is there such a thing as a "normal" one? We generally only get to see the polished exteriors and are left to imagine what might be going on behind closed doors. Here is a book that takes us on a tour around the reality of families. It provides a rare, privileged glimpse into private realms, allowing us a new, profound understanding of ourselves and others. 

Comprised of 60 interviews and portraits captured by five supremely talented photographers – Mark Hobbs, Kate Peters, Marjolaine Ryley, Michelle Sank and Naomi Williams – the book introduces us to an extraordinary array of participants: new parents, stepchildren, siblings, the wealthy and the marginalized, the old and the young.

In this book, photographs intertwine with the the subject's story, reminding us of Humans of New York - a photographic project by Brandon Stanton which portraits daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.

What surfaces is the astounding diversity of family life – and the number of commonalities too. Above all, we recognize the fundamental role that family plays in making us who we are.This is a book for anyone who has ever wondered about their family or fantasized about being part of someone else’s – in short, this is a book for us all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781915087416
Publisher:	The School of Life
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.71(w) x 7.76(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

The School of Life is a global organization helping people lead more fulfilled lives. Through our range of life-changing books, gifts and stationery, we aim to prompt more thoughtful natures and help everyone to find resilience and self-understanding. 

The School of Life is a rapidly growing international brand, with over 8.58 million YouTube subscribers, 354,000 Facebook followers, 309,000 Instagram followers and 172,000 Twitter followers. The School of Life Press brings together the thinking and ideas of The School of Life creative team under the direction of series editor, Alain de Botton.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Child
- Eden
- Sharish
- Maria
- Amy
- Cathy
- Conrad
- Polly
- Alex (with C)
- Ismail
- Vik
- Laura
Questions for Self-Exploration

Mother
- Aimee
- Louise W
- Laurence
- Julie
- Natalie
- Louise F
- Simon
- Lorraine
- Kate
- Christine
- Janet
- Elizabeth
- Chris
- Ingrid
Questions for Self-Exploration

Father
- Christian
- Dagnija
- Kavi
- Shawn
- Teneesha
- Eleanor
- Alan
- Joe D.
- Jim
- Joe K
- Heidi
- Kevin
Questions for Self-Exploration

Non-Nuclear Family
- Kez
- Sue (with Alison)
- Billy
- George
- Lucy
- Kate (with Dave)
- Keelie
- Marjolaine
- Jessie
- Laura P.
Questions for Self-Exploration

Siblings
- Khaliah (with Kajay)
- Tara
- Rachel
- Jane
- Daniel
- Cheryl
Questions for Self-Exploration 

Extended Family
- Reiss
- Lorna
- Luke
- Tatenda
- Parv
- Holly
Questions for Self-Exploration

Me

Photographer Biographies

Permissions

Editorial Reviews

05/13/2024

This arresting collection from the School of Life (On Confidence), an organization dedicated to helping people live more fulfilled lives, explores the complexities of family. Alongside color portraits, subjects consider what it feels like to be abandoned by a parent (“At 40 years old, I think, ‘What if I got home and he was just there?’ ” a woman named Eleanor says about the father who left when she was eight) and the effects of physical and emotional distance from loved ones (Joan details how her adult son’s move away from home reignited grief stemming from her mother’s death). Many of the entries detail a family’s sorrows, though they’re often woven through with threads of joy and resilience, as when one father reflects on how living on the opposite side of the world from his young daughter has taught him “strength, acceptance, and in a weird way, more love.” Such complexities are the strength of the collection, though an overlong introduction that provides questions to help readers investigate their own family dynamics feels discordant. Still, it’s a moving look at the ties that bind. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly