I Am Jesse James (Paperback)

~ Jesse James (Author)
Key Phrases: Jesse James, West Coast Choppers, Long Beach (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Those familiar with famed California motorcycle customizer Jesse James will be the first to tell you that, in fact, danger is his game. However, after reading (or, more accurately, looking at) this volume that may be the only fact they could tell you about the man behind the metal. Best known as the master builder on television’s popular "Monster Garage," James has cultivated a reputation as the enfant terrible of customized, hand-built choppers, couching his considerable mechanical and metallurgical skills in a hyper-masculine, chicks-guns-and-iron image. Based out of his West Coast Choppers garage in a tough neighborhood of Long Beach, California, James has created one of the most famous and lucrative chopper boutiques on Earth, with an appropriately star-studded client list. But the fact remains that this book doesn’t say much about its supposed subject. Perhaps These Are Jesse James’s Motorcycles would have been a better title for the volume, since the titular figure’s tattoos get more attention than his story. The real stars here are made out of rubber and steel, and pictures of the bikes (frequently pictured with scantily clad models and high-powered weaponry) are what it’s all about. This will be fine for Kustom Kar fans, motorcycle freaks and adolescent boys who want to drool over high-quality shots, but readers who are interested in finding out more about James’s life or the creation of his business will be disappointed by the lack of explanatory text. James’s craftsmanship is nothing short of amazing, and his choppers are wonders of mechanical menace. Too bad the artisan himself gets lost in all the fumes.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Fans come in droves, vainly hoping to watch him ‘create’ in his ‘studio.’ Jesse James is clearly an outlaw." -- GQ

"Now here’s a guy to get your motor running." -- People

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Studio (May 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142005037
• ISBN-13: 978-0142005033
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,830 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What is this thing?, May 25, 2004

By	Darryl Holmgren "Tex" (Texas) - See all my reviews

I received this book as a gift, which is the only reason it's not in a trash can right now. People are paying $17 for a bunch of recycled photos, only 40 or so of which portray Jesse James, along with a few hundred words of unreadable text? This is the "authorized" biography? Is the man's life so horrible that no one could write about it? Frankly, this book is an insult to Jesse's fans. If you want to read about Jesse, buy "Jesse James: The Man and His Machines," by Mike Seate.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Master Fabricator, May 14, 2004

By	Chris J Yozwiak (PA) - See all my reviews

I saw Jesse James had a book coming out so I ordered it. Upon receiving it I read it in about an hour. My reason for ordering this book was to find out more info about the man that is not written in every publication out there. What I found is there is about 15 + pages of written words and the other 130+ pages are photos. Granted these are great photos, but I have seen most of then on the West Coast Choppers and the Chopper Dogs web sites. Most of the text about Jesse James I have read before. However, there are a few cool facts, photo's etc. The best pics are those with Jesse Jr. and Cisco(his dog). Overall, a really cool book. If you're a fan of Monster Garage and Choppers then this book is for you.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More balls than bikes, December 1, 2004

By	Jmon "Jmon" (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

I was a bit disappointed in this book. I did like the bike photos that were shown... not many. Lots of filler of Jesse and his gang posing with guns. What looks like porn stars on the bikes.... I would rather just see the bikes man. I don't need to see pictures of Jesse playing tough guy holding a shotgun or burning money. Or his freaking dog dish with the WCC logo on it... my god. It makes you wonder what he is trying to make up for. His bikes are cool. They need to show more of them. And the text is pretty much a joke too... F this and F that. Its like a big kiss up to Jesse as a bike god or something and F the rest of you. If you pay full price for this book, you deserve to get beat down by Jesse.