Meet Cindy Sherman: Artist, Photographer, Chameleon

Greenberg and Jordan profile photographer Cindy Sherman in an intimate biography that traces a path that began with an ordinary childhood in Long Island, N.Y., where she “love[d] playing dress-up and pretending to be someone else,” and led her to become a celebrated and at times controversial artist. Sherman’s reflections feature prominently as the authors follow her career. A Kodak Brownie camera was her introduction to photography at age 10, she served as her own model in college photography courses, and she moved to New York City after she received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. “I decided to use the camera as a means of exploring my experiences as a woman,” says Sherman. Subsequent chapters highlight photography series inspired by centerfolds, fairy tales, clowns, society figures, and aging film stars, reproductions of which are accompanied by comments from the authors and a group of children. An engrossing examination of how, for decades, Sherman has trained a lens on herself and society at large. Ages 7–12. Agent: Laurie Liss, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Oct.)