The Sun's Coming Up...Like a Big, Bald Head {Book Review}

So if you haven't picked up a copy of this book by now, there's something wrong with you.

Kidding!

Not really.

For real though, this little gem is the latest on the art book scene.  I've practically managed to dog ear it in the two weeks since its arrival at my front door...I just can't stop looking through it.  The artist behind the beauty is none other than actor Norman Reedus, who you know best from the TV series The Walking Dead and the cult classic Boondock Saints and I know from my deepest fantasies :) Kidding again...

Not really. [Swoon!]

Jokes aside, if I thought I liked this guy as an actor (go watch Floating and Six Ways to Sunday...you can thank me later), I absolutely am obsessed with him as a photographer.  The book is beautiful, haunting, nostalgic, and creepy all at once.  It will blow you away before you even have a chance to realize what has happened.  Every page weaves a message; every photo leaves you wondering the story behind it...what the subjects, and Reedus, are thinking, feeling, and seeing as the camera does its thing.  One minute you find yourself feeling uncomfortable, as your eyes dart over raw photos of road kill, prostitutes, and inmates at a maximum security prison.  The next minute, you can't help but smile as a turn of the page offers simple and serene photos of his son's childhood.

One of the things I love most about the book is the freedom of it.  There's no rhyme or reason on the surface, yet deeper, everything intertwines, makes sense, and weaves a wickedly intimate tale.  The shots hail from all across the globe - right up the alley of a wanderlust-er like myself.  Some of the images are grainy, some perfectly focused.  All brilliant.  Through the use of a variety of mediums, Reedus manages to present a story so private, you'll feel at times as though you shouldn't even be looking.  You're left to draw your own conclusions on many things, and I think that's probably one of the biggest wins of this work.  If you have ever stumbled through an art book before, unsure of what you're looking at or should be seeing, know that the journey of this one will be at the opposite end of that spectrum.  I've never had a lovelier time out of my comfort zone!

If you have even the smallest amount of appreciation for anything artsy, you'll be sure to love this amazing collection of imagery.  Go buy it.  Keep one for yourself, give a few as gifts.

Run, don't walk!  Trust me, you won't be sorry.

PS: If you're in NYC, you might get lucky and find it in stores.  Stop in your local book shop and have a look!

PPS:  If you haven't seen Reedus as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead, not only are you missing out, but you've been living under a rock.  Go watch it on AMC - it's wicked good!