Rating: 
Summary: The Worst!
Review: I am an avid reader of biographies, mostly about actors, and I can honestly say this is the least well written book I have read in a long time. The writer seems to have absolutely no point of view and bascically serves as listing very uninteresting facts about a subject that from other sources, I gather was a complicated man. I forced myself to finish the book but found it very tedious. It was almost as if the writer went out of his way to report mundane facts about James Dean. I realize this sounds rather harsh but I am still in shock at how boring this biography was.
Rating:
Summary: The Worst!
Review: I am an avid reader of biographies, mostly about actors, and I can honestly say this is the least well written book I have read in a long time. The writer seems to have absolutely no point of view and bascically serves as listing very uninteresting facts about a subject that from other sources, I gather was a complicated man. I forced myself to finish the book but found it very tedious. It was almost as if the writer went out of his way to report mundane facts about James Dean. I realize this sounds rather harsh but I am still in shock at how boring this biography was.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fascinating, Close-Up Account
Review: I found Holley's "James Dean: The Biography" a fascinating book, or rather, books: it's simultaneously a thorough and original Hollywood biography; an intriguing New York theater and TV history; and a sophisticated contribution to gay studies. Holley's frame is close-up: drawing on extensive research, he skillfully narrates the daily and weekly events of Dean's life, and punctuates the story with testimony - derived principally from interviews, letters, and journalism -- from Dean's companions and co-workers. Moreover, Holley lets the sources speak in their own voices; they paint a varied, truly convincing, first-hand portrait of Dean. Reading the book gave me a powerfully authentic experience of Dean's life. By keeping the story-line close to daily events, Holley conveys the evolution of Dean's complex personality over time. By allowing a wide range of first-hand sources (gay and straight folks; women and men; lay persons and artists; friends, lovers, and colleagues) to speak for themselves, Holley creates a nuanced portrait of the enigmatic actor. "James Dean: the Biography" seems to have something for every kind of reader: Dean's movie fans will relish the detailed accounts of Dean's Hollywood life; theater and TV history buffs will marvel at the vivid depiction of theatrical New York in the 40s and 50s, and will value the extensive TV and stage credits; gay studies scholars will find rich factual evidence of Dean's homosexual social life, and of the crucial role gay patrons like Rogers Brackett played in Dean's rise to stardom. I think Holley's book exemplifies one vital function of gay historical scholarship: letting rich oral history inform authoritative published accounts of gay life and culture. "James Dean: The Biography" testifies with abundant evidence and great subtlety that Dean's homosexual life and relationships lay at the heart of his career and his extraordinary personality.
Rating: 
Summary: An Enigma Explored
Review: If you're looking for a biography of general stats about the legendary James Dean--DON'T START WITH THIS BOOK! Val Holley's "James Dean: The Biography" reads more like well-researched filler. Because this book is comprised mainly of interviews of friends, family, and lovers, what you're left with is more of the spackle to fill-in those gray areas of this extraordinary actor's life. It's a good book although it reads like a gossip column at times. What Holley does an exceptionally good job at is giving us a complete and comprehensive listing and study of every Dean performance in television, theater and film. I recommend this book as a follow-up to a more concrete biography, perhaps. An insightful book, but James Dean is more of enigma now than ever before!
Rating:
Summary: An Enigma Explored
Review: If you're looking for a biography of general stats about the legendary James Dean--DON'T START WITH THIS BOOK! Val Holley's "James Dean: The Biography" reads more like well-researched filler. Because this book is comprised mainly of interviews of friends, family, and lovers, what you're left with is more of the spackle to fill-in those gray areas of this extraordinary actor's life. It's a good book although it reads like a gossip column at times. What Holley does an exceptionally good job at is giving us a complete and comprehensive listing and study of every Dean performance in television, theater and film. I recommend this book as a follow-up to a more concrete biography, perhaps. An insightful book, but James Dean is more of enigma now than ever before!
Rating:
Summary: An Enigma Explored
Review: If you're looking for a biography of general stats about the legendary James Dean--DON'T START WITH THIS BOOK! Val Holley's "James Dean: The Biography" reads more like well-researched filler. Because this book is comprised mainly of interviews of friends, family, and lovers, what you're left with is more of the spackle to fill-in those gray areas of this extraordinary actor's life. It's a good book although it reads like a gossip column at times. What Holley does an exceptionally good job at is giving us a complete and comprehensive listing and study of every Dean performance in television, theater and film. I recommend this book as a follow-up to a more concrete biography, perhaps. An insightful book, but James Dean is more of enigma now than ever before!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasic except for one thing
Review: The one thing I took issue with in this book is the author's presentation of Jimmy and Pier's relationship.
It has been proven time & time again that Jimmy and Pier were the loves of each others lives.They were driven apart by the old-fashioned restraints of her family. I will never understand why so many biographers and Dean fans insist on tearing down the relationship and disputing its meaning.
Other than that it is a fascinating, detailed bio.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasic except for one thing
Review: The one thing I took issue with in this book is the author's presentation of Jimmy and Pier's relationship.
It has been proven time & time again that Jimmy and Pier were the loves of each others lives.They were driven apart by the old-fashioned restraints of her family. I will never understand why so many biographers and Dean fans insist on tearing down the relationship and disputing its meaning.
Other than that it is a fascinating, detailed bio.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the nay-sayers. Buy it!
Review: There is almost always one person who reads a James Dean biography and hates it. That person is usually daft. I admit there are occasional anomolies in literature, but this is the polar opposite of a bad book. I've read 8 Dean bios, this is my 2nd most recent. I Loved it. It's perfectly written, and the delivery is fresh-not stale at all. It's not overly oppinionated but it is involving none the less. This book has been taunting me for months to buy it and I've held off, out of the notion of saving the better books for last! Now that I've devoured it, I have only one wish. That I could have read it as if it was my first. Because it delivers the intensity necessary to bring Jimmy to life for a first time Dean reader(not mention a veteran of the subject). This book comforts me, just because it's now on my bookshelf-I'm proud to have read it. The best Jimmy bio in my opinion is still the one I read first(while that does bias me slightly, it is that good) Paul Alexander's 'James Dean-Boulevard of Broken Dreams'. But this is tremendously satisfying. You'll soar through Jimmy's early days breaking the mold and breaking into success. This book focuses less on his sex life than some, but that's neither good nor bad. The book's a must. Also buy, 'Live Fast Die Young'.
Rating:
Summary: For Nostalgia: do little, die young, and look good
Review: This book paints a good picture for me. I have not read other biographies on James Dean. There are over 60 of them. Before reading I also didn't know a lot about James Dean, although I've seen all of his 3 films. I do know the other Dean biographies have mostly similar information. This bio flowed well. It delves into many facets of his personal and professional life, that many people aren't aware of. Dean's childhood and high school years, acting aspirations. His relationship with Rogers Brackett was a networked connection that that helped Dean get the breaks he needed in this brutally competitive industry. Dean took advantage of the casting couch in being Brackett's boy toy. Dean is still revered and still brings images of myth, youth and nostalgia to our popular culture, primarily because he died young, at 24. He made only 3 movies unfortunately, because of his early death. "East of Eden," "Rebel Without A Cause," and "Giant". That's why there is such a fuss over the kid who died nearly 50 years ago who was average. James Dean paid his dues. He was totally broke for periods of time in New York while trying to gain experience and get recognition in this tough industry. He did make it. I can't technically break down this bio or compare it to other books. Should I be reviewing this....?
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