Customer Reviews

James Dean: The Biography

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Val Holley has written a humane and absorbing biography of an American icon who has curiously resisted demystification. The fact is that James Dean has inspired more movies than he actually made in his brief lifetime. The standard course of celebrity demystification is to strip away falsehoods and half-truths, leaving nothing of interest to remain. In contrast, Holley's work reveals Dean as a young human being--in most respects, a typical American youth--and altogether more sympathetic and interesting than the myths that have spiraled around him. Holley's book is made authoritative by exhaustive research, new information, and his easy familiarity with his subject. Happily, his scrupulous detail never hampers the narrative flow, and the book is a quick read. While there is much to praise, I must single out the chapters describing Dean's New York years and his early work in television, because this information is so new and so much more revealing of Dean's inner life and potential than the facts of his more celebrated Hollywood career. Here the reader comes into close contact with a young man struggling to overcome a troubled childhood and restricted education to express an immense talent of which he was only marginally aware. The uncertainty, loneliness and self-doubts he felt at this point of his life make him one of us all. What makes him stand out is the courage he summoned to keep on going. The fact that two things were happening--Dean's talent was suddenly and sensationally realized while his personal struggles still continued--when his life was catastrophically cut short makes his story a genuine tragedy, not a maudlin melodrama. And we can finally understand the fascination he's exercised over successive, changing generations. Likewise, it is Holley's sure and sensitive grasp of these aspects of Dean's story that makes his book far more interesting and valuable than the hagiographies that have preceded it. This is a thorough, humane portrait and a first-rate biography.

Val Holley's James Dean, The Biography is just that...THE biography! This is a wonderful book, utterly enjoyable and the most factual and well-researched of all the Dean biographies. Holley has sought out sources which other biographers have passed over and his recounting of Dean's life, through the stories of those who knew him, gives us an intimate, riveting picture of Dean as he must have been: sometimes likable, often impossible, but always original and completely fascinating. Other enjoyable aspects of this book are that Holley found interesting new insights into Dean's enigmatic character and that Holley doesn't blink when taking issue with other biographers. You can feel the enthusiasm in Holley's work and his recounting of Dean's NY years is spellbinding. While the author's knowledge of his subject is encyclopedic, the book is never pedantic, truly an accomplishment in a biography of this size and depth. This book is a MUST read whether you are a Dean fan or not, and the standard by which other Dean biographies should be judged.

Ten years after the original publication, Val Holley's stunningly candid portrait of James Dean is, for me, still the most important biography on the subject around. Holley successfully moved mountains in his dogged research on Dean's mysterious life and career, the result being a first-rate biography of what some might see as an impossible subject, as far as getting at the truth. Holley's use of fresh interviews and a penchant for not taking sides while presenting different perspectives are among the better qualities of this great bio.His attention to chronology and detail, especially in dealing with Dean's time at UCLA,and the early television years, was fascinating. And no one has ever so clearly detailed the nature and effect of Jimmy's relationship with producer,Rogers Brackett,as Holley does from the get-go.Another aspect i like a lot about this Dean book is the hardball, unsentimental approach which is maintained from beginning to end. No punches are pulled, no stone left unturned in revealing the oppressive, conformism of Fairmount, Indiana, and how Dean essentially became a contradictory and highly elusive figure who led two different lives; one being the wholesome, all-American farmboy and basketball player who did his chores on the Winslow farm,and the mercurial, reckless and moody bohemian who caroused New York and Hollywood. Without sensationalizing and creating steamy, scandalous dialogue between individuals, Holley presents the most vivid and convincing case yet for Dean's ambiguous and convoluted sexuality. It has been said that the book is dry and boring, with no sense of a narrative storyline, yet I had a hard time putting the thing down. Nothing could be further from the truth. Val Holley's treatment of James Dean's fascinating, tragic life brilliantly fills an enormous gap in Dean literature that was repeatedly left open by previous authors, many of whom chose to ignore the inticate truths and perpetuate myth instead.
Paul Waters

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.

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'.

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....?

What was the Dean 'mystique'? Coming from a small town in Indiana wo which people from the South had migrated with their attitudes of bigotry -- where the KKK chose as their state in the 1920s, he chose to be a Rebel. One of his three movies, appropriately named 'Rebel Without A Cause.'

By the age of twenty-two he was or had been on sixteen television programs and appeared in a multitude of plays on and off Broadway. Race, creed, or sexual preference had no bearing with Dean's estimation of others; he judged them on the basis os what he could learn from them. In essence, he used people. At one time, he showed scorn to the playwright Tennessee Williams.
Two of his relationships he had with women were Barbara Glenn who was Jewish and Terry Moore who was a Mormon. He also liked men; it seems that being bi-sexual was an Indiana trait.

His director in the "Rebel" movie, Nicholas Ray said, "James Dean shied away from social convention, from manners, because they suggested disguise." When Terry Moore took him home to meet her parents, they were shocked when he unzipped hispants and let out a belch after dinner. He had no manners.

Some of his female co-stars came to the opinion that he acted strangely, brooding and incoherent as an "act" to get attention. But he played that part so long, maybe he became the act." His unmistakable mannerisms, movements, and behavior were premeditated, just to be different.

The director of his other movie, 'Giant,' described him as brilliant, sensitive young actor. And yet, in high school, he appeared dorky and played sports. He had a lack of discipline which made him unreliable and temperamental.

In Hollywood, he wanted no part of the social scene which included up-and-coming actors Jeff Chandler and Tab Hunter. Both books (this one and THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF JAMES DEAN by Donald Spoto) had lots of pictures of him from the early Fifties. In them, he aged twenty years in five. He burned out and that horrific accident on September 30, 1955, while speeding in his racy Porsche was probably his destiny.

His friend and agent Clayton arranged fro Dean to buy a sleek, red 1953 MG which he loved to drive at a terrific rate of speed and squeal the tires. He died at the age of 24. The photos show that he was not much different from Montgomery Cliff and Marlon Brando. It's too bad the unusual actors have to be so different from real people. They lived a lie.

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!

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.

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.