James Dean Books

I hate to say it, but this seems to be my week for disappointing books, and The Love Spell is, alas, no exception. Why, you ask? For me it's true that, as other reviewers note, the erotic prose can be both turgid and annoyingly coy (if we're going to talk about genitals, let's call them by the names that most people use); that the dialogues between the narrator and her mentor seem rather scripted; that the narrator's self-portrayal does come, after a while, to seem a little one-sided and self-serving (an all-but-inevitable issue of the genre, and the reason I don't publish memoir.) But for me the bigger issue is that of where memoir and fiction butt heads. In this one, the head-butting is especially notable, and especially ironic in a book which is partially about reconciling different poles of energy and experience.

A book whose title includes the word "memoir" opens itself to the fraught nature of its genre, which is, arguably, to tell the truth: maybe to tell it slant, but still to tell it, slant or straight, as truly as the author can. A book in which a marriage disintegrates, and one which ends with an intimation that nonetheless "true love" with a "soul mate" is just a turn of the Ferris wheel away, raises questions in the audience's mind about "what really happened." Never mind that, in issues of marriage, that's something we can't really know: we want some sense, or the illusion of some sense, of what the author THINKS "really happened." So if the memoirist writes about her marriage, maybe she ought to call the guy by his name; if her love spell hasn't, at the time of the writing, brought her what she seeks, maybe she ought to say as much straight out; if there's any possibility that what the narrator seeks is, in fact, impossible or inappropriate--if, in fact, "true love" is only as true as we make it, and the one-and-only "soul mate" is a kind of fiction or shorthand which no relationship can be expected to entirely fulfill, maybe the book ought to show us that in a more direct way.

And this one doesn't do those things. This book is, in an important sense, fiction, in a larger sense that that in which to narrate is to fictionalize. It's fiction because the story veers in some significant particulars from what the authors says, in other, more public venues, "really happened". It's fiction because some of those changes seem to be made to conform to one of the book's theses, that love spells can work (even if not in the expected way) and that "true love" in some kind of absolute, divine sense is possible in mortal relationships. It wouldn't be fiction if the author had found that to be true; but according to some other sources, she hasn't. The author has apparently said in public venues that she dated dozens of men after the breakup of her marriage, and that, although she has at least once lived with a boyfriend since the end of the book-marriage, that "there's always something better" than the relationship you're in. If she's found this "soul mate" for which she yearned so passionately, than which there could be nothing better, she hasn't gone on record saying so. For me, that means this book is fiction, if conditional fiction. I for one would've liked it better if she'd said so.

I say this, too, as one who's very happily married: I'm not knocking the possibility of a love which is immensely fulfilling, sexually satisfying, and (I hope, but the evidence won't be in until either the marriage or the life is over) lifelong. But I do doubt the author's construction of the "true love" which is all things to the lovers: spiritual fulfillment, emotional fusion, family, friendship, adoration and transcendent sex nearly all the time. Marriage is wonderful, but it's neither an apotheosis nor a Hallmark card, or so I've found it; and if it survives, it must do so in the face of the fact that one partner's fulfillment often conflicts violently with the other's. If we're lucky, there's balance in marriage, and there's communication, and there's a mutual willingness to stick it out through the bad times; but there's not usually an all-encompassing emotion that somehow makes those issues go away. It can be magical, but it's not magic in the sense of making all other problems evaporate. It's not for the faint of heart.

I suspect, from the combination of factors I've been mentioning, that Curott has found the same thing; but she won't say so. She claims to have learned something about how to ask, or conjure, appropriately, and how to find the divine love she seeks within herself, but her final chapter shows her still expecting (and promising) emotional transcendence from human love. The book holds out the promise of something absolutely unguarantee-able, a relationship for everyone that fulfills everything. And I think that's fiction. I think Currott knows, at some level, that it's fiction. But she won't say so because, like Agent Mulder, she wants to believe. That's understandable, but ultimately, I think, false. So I'm disappointed in this book; if she'd called it a novel, that would, ironically enough, have been more true.

If one of the author's goals was to punch a hole in the western wall between fact and fiction, she did an amazing job. The genre speaks for itself and is the perfect teaching venue. While reading I asked myself a number of questions: Can a metaphor really be a metamorphous? Is the author Phyllis channeling the authored Phyllis? Can a book about the magic of love also be a magic book? If so, the book is as much a love spell cast on the reader as it is about the main character casting a love spell in order to find the true love of her life.

First and foremost, I found Curott's latest book to be a very interesting exploration of relationships. Relationships are hard work, and we all know it. But most books, particularly those with any kind of romantic theme, tend to glamorise sex, marriage and the relationship dynamic. I appreciated Currot's unflinching examination of her failed relationships and enjoyed journeying with her to the place where she realised that to attract the 'man of her dreams' she needed to first heal and accept herself.

Secondly, I found the exploration of the 'daemon' concept (one's own inner God and the masculine personality inside the feminine self) to be unique and having travelled part the way down the same road I recognised a lot of my own doubts in Currot's words.

However, as always, Currot's prose is overblown. As with 'Book of Shadows' she has a nasty habit of writing from the future. This means you get a lot of tiresome hints about characters - for example from almost the first introduction of Derek (Currot's husband and later ex-husband) the hints are dropping like boulders that the relationship isn't going to turn out well. But you have to read through about 100 pages of hints before old Derek finally gets the flick.

I also found Currot's desperation for a relationship and a baby to be annoying - I understand that most people feel this way (me included!) but it was played up so much that I really felt like slapping her and telling her to get a life.

I also agree with other reviewers who comment that Currot seems incapable of presenting herself as a flawed person - although she sees the hurts that need to be healed within herself, one gets the very strong impression that Derek was the reason for the failure of the marriage, and Currot is magically blessed. Character development is also very shallow - I like Nonna, but really, she's just too perfect! It would have been nice to see Currot come to some of the ideas that Nonna presented herself, rather than appearing to have them delivered on a silver platter via Nonna.

Ultimately I recommend this book and have chosen to give it 4 stars (although I would have chosen 3.5 if possible) because it is unique and some of the ideas are well presented and the self analysis is certainly much higher than in 'Book of Shadows'. One thing that did confuse me was the ending - did Roark just disappear or what?

Sometimes you wish for something or someone and they appear and then you find out it is not all it was meant to be. Better sooner that later, we all hope, but whichever way, this book confirms that you are in a middle of a long process. A long one, but not one you should see as boring or bad. That's the point. As any good book should, `The Love Spell' will remind you that you are not alone in your `crazy' life and you can manage it greatly, and at times that is comforting. It is why we read certain books, watch certain films, listen to certain music etc. `The Love Spell' asks you to dream, to fully participate in life, to get to know yourself, what you can do, and it also reminds you not to be so hard on yourself. When you read `The Love Spell', you might smile and nod your head with that `been there' look, but you will also get inspired, not just to search for the one love, but to appreciate your life - its mysterious ways.

I liked Curott's Book of Shadows enough to attempt this book. I don't know if I'll ever finish it. A little more that halfway through I finally had to admit that I was completely bored, I didn't like anyone in the story, and it was totally obvious how things would turn out anyway. The author comes across as a codependent doormat who pushes her way into a marriage because she liked the idea of being married, not because of her actual relationship. Her lover is terminally selfish and immature. The only reason Curott seems to fall for him is due to physical attraction and sex. As in her previous book, Curott's many friends are so superficially drawn it's impossible to keep straight who is who and what their individual characteristics are. The exception is Nona, who takes the roll of the perfectly enlightened teacher who always has to perfect tidbit of wisdom to impart at the perfect time then she silently withdraws to allow the author to make all her own mistakes. The conversations everyone has are incredibly pedantic and unrealistic. Like others have said, there are a few interesting ideas mixed in here and there, but as the book goes on, they become more and more infrequent. Perhaps if about half the book was edited out, it would be easier to get through.

I have read one other book by John Gilmore(Inside Marilyn Monroe), and fell in love with his writing during it. When I saw he had written about James Dean, another actor I really am quite intriuged by and admire, I knew eventually I would read it. I finished it. It was a quick read. I had never read any books about J.D. before, and to be introduced with Gilmore's writing was very interesting and entertaining. Both men seemed to have had quite a life and lifestyle!
Gilmore was an actor back in the early days, and knew J.D. before he was famous. To get inside someone's head before fame even entered their head makes for a good read. It's just very tragic that he died the way he did.

The review supplied by "Moviemadman," which reads suspiciously as if it could be the author of the book writing under a pseudonym, surely deserves a comment all its own.

Gilmore's book cannot be taken in any way as a "personal into-the-head-and-life" view of James Dean, whatever such jargon really means. It is more a personal probe into the author's own head, where we are treated to his desperately dated idea of porn and a dose of his ham-fisted imagination, period. Further, one feels that Gilmore is wise to have left accurate, honest, historical accounts of Dean's life to defensively derided "academic boys," as they at least try to get to the truth of the subject. But this is clearly a goal Gilmore avoids; truth would seem to be unavailable to him, as evidenced by the blather he puts forth in place of substantiated biographical detail.

Gilmore also modestly claims that Dean considered him "a Rimbaud-like character." His tabloid journalistic approach to biography of course in no way qualifies him for comparison with Arthur Rimbaud. And at the age Gilmore was when he purportedly knew Dean, few of Gilmore's extant literary or poetic works would seem to have qualified him as the French poet's peer. Dean may have needed glasses, but he was hardly myopic when it came to his assessment of his friends, nor was he inclined to cheap flattery, no matter the recipient. Were Gilmore aware of the scope of Rimbaud's talent, his effect on literature, and indeed the circumstances of his life, perhaps he would not have made such a preposterous claim. But then, of course, he did write this silly book.

Yes, Gilmore's book is "hard to take," because it is so riddled with inaccuracies and what appears as downright invention. A "fearless work?" If by "fearless" you mean "reckless," maybe. Gross, certainly. But reliable, it aint.

LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG (by John Gilmore), outshines other bios on the actor as being a personal into-the-head-and-life of James Dean account of a time and era. I've read interviews with Gilmore who makes no claims of being an "historian" or a "journalist" and says he leaves that for the "academic" boys. He speaks to us from the gut in LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG, as he does in his other books, and this body of work has made him a "counter-culture" hero or icon; a REBEL in the literary field as Dean was a rebel in the acting field. In LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG, Dean calls Gilmore a Rimbaud character (the French poet, Arthur Rimbaud, one of the most proclaimed rebels of all time). LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG is often hard to take due to the nature or undercurrent of emotional torque present in this author's works. Not just a sit-and-read writer, if allowed into your head, Gilmore can possibly change perspectives. An example: his book L.A. DESPAIR puts you through an emotional wringer, and this book on James Dean is solid impact. A fearless work, a DIFFERENT kind of book, but controversial.

I have read countless biographies about James Dean and this one is the closest to a wet dream for a gay man who doesn't want to believe that James Dean really was not attracted to men. He was a people pleaser when it came down to relationships away from the both the stage and the screen. He had no problem letting his co-stars know he didn't like them by ignoring them or acting like a child around them to get them to leave him alone and his directors, especially George Stevens, whose direction in Giant he did not agree with, he would not show up to the set some days. With the guys he hung around with, the author included, he just really wanted to hang around. When they wanted something more, he just agreed to it. The restrictions were that he was not going to do the work.

This James Dean told to many friends who are still alive. He did mention to Dizzy that he let the producers do things to him just to get that part in a play or television show. Most of the time James Dean got those roles without any help from these producers. Elia Kazan saw Jimmy perform on stage in The Immoralist where he was cast as a gay man who tries to tempt the man of the house to whom he works for to engage in some homosexual activities. All the while in character, he knew firt-hand how to act this role because he told his New York friends that he knew how to get these fools attention just so he could get what he wanted and if Jimmy didn't get a role promised to him by some gay producer he was very upset and quick to tell his friends what he really thought about what these men. James Dean respected gay life in the sense that he was out to tell anyone how to live their lives which was unlike where he grew up in Indiana where they are very homophobic. He always experimented when drunk mind you. Did you notice that every time Jimmy experimented it was after he got drunk or stoned somewhere. Look, the writer may have experimented with James Dean but he wasn't really interested in what the author was selling. The fact that James asked the author once in the book to be sexual like a woman is a clear indicator that James Dean was a heterosexual who liked to play games with people. That is all.

The only true love of James Dean's life is Pier Angeli. This has been proven by first-hand accounts by his friends, most of whom are still alive. His co-star in the film East of Eden, actress Julie Harris has mentioned in a documentary about James Dean that James Dean told her over and over how he had never felt this kind of love before. James Dean wasn't in love with any man, Dizzy Sheridan, or any other actress he had been with. Actor Martin Landau, his friend in New York, has listened to James Dean talk about how much in love he was with Pier Angeli while he was away from her in New York filming a television movie. Another documented interview with actress Jane Withers, his co-star in Giant, to whom he confided his feelings for Pier Angeli and how devastated he really was when he saw her in her wedding gown outside the church with Vic Damone, is with Larry King. Larry King, at one time, interviewed James Dean's friends and former co-stars who remember details about his life and loves and not only did Jane Withers tell Larry King about how much Jimmy loved Pier but one of the actors who played one of the bad guys who chase Jimmy in Rebel Without a Cause has stated that he remembered hanging around Jimmy off the set of Rebel and he had told him that he really loves this woman and he couldn't believe that she married Vic Damone and was having his baby. He said he was torn up. The author of this book failed to do his research on this matter because he wished he could have been Pier Angeli in James Dean's eyes.

I got this book back when it first came out in 1997 under its original title, 'Remembering the Short Life of James Dean, and have loved it ever since. Contrary to the views of the literary snobs and prudish nostalgia junkies, this is a bold and gut- wrenching scorcher of a biography. It comes to us from the memories and noir-stylings of John Gilmore, the former child actor, screen writer, director and Hollywood culture visionary.Being a hardcore Dean fan for 21 years, I've perused and collected all manner of Dean biographies and other memorabilia, but never have I come across any source that equals the strength and clarity of Gilmore's groundbreaking work. This powerful first-hand account of the enigmatic and elusive actor is hard to put down, even eight years later as I go through it again. From the sad and grim opening pages, as Gilmore takes us into the immediate aftermath of Dean's violent death and the pain his loss caused the author, to his unique approach and motivations for writing such a personal memoir, this tome never lets up. The vivid and gritty anecdotes, the naked psychological disections are staggering in this very original approach to James Dean the person. Taken with Val Holley's honest and penetrating 1995 effort, James Dean:The Biography, one comes as close to the flesh and blood young man as we will likely ever get. From the beginning it is obvious that the driving force behind Dean's infinite complexity and troubled nature was not only the early loss of his beloved mother, but the subsequent rejection and emotional abandonment of Jimmy by his father, Winton. Gilmore's painful honesty here brings Dean's sad childhood into focus like no other previous writer. Winton is revealed as having been an emotionally vacant and cold blooded man, forced into a marriage and fatherhood that he quickly found to be stale and filled with responsibilities he never anticipated. Gilmore exposes the father of James Dean as being stilted, cruel and abusive-by-indifference.He wanted out from under the crushing entrapment of a sickly, frail wife and a "girlish weakling" of a son. Mildred Dean's death set the stage for Winton's new-found freedom, but it more ominously began the restless, lonely and confused life of his son. John Gilmore was a 17 year old struggling actor when he met Dean in New York around 1953. They were both from broken homes and had indifferent fathers. Most of their support, emotional and otherwise, came from an assortment of other family members, and for the most part, each had to find his own way in the world. Dean and Gilmore shared much in their brief and intense friendship, including an exploration of a sexual nature that Gilmore details in a way that reveals the adventurous and fearless curiousity of two 'bad boy' types. Including many previously unpublished photos taken by Dean of Gilmore,a rare shot of the controversial mentor of Dean, the Rev, James DeWeerd and many classic shots of Jimmy, Gilmore's memoir of his time with the mercurial rebel exposes the fraudulence and irresponsible prejudices of many previous works on Dean that pander to the conservative sensitivities of the right-wing nostalgia crowd.One who approaches this complex tale with hopes of confirming Dean's alleged homosexuality will be further confounded when they read between the lines. Gilmore eloquently addresses this issue and the result will surprise many while it increases the scope of this fascinating and multifaceted icon. Since its original publication, Live Fast, Die Young has created uproar and controversy, but perhaps not as much as it would have if Paul Alexander's Boulevard of Broken Dreams had not gone to the firing squad first. The lesson I got from this study on James Dean is that his short, restless life was about the search for emotional and artistic freedom. It also showed what can lie behind the glossy sheen of accepted myth and tradition: that being a genuine human being more interesting and vital than any movie magazine legend. There's been some question as to John Gilmore's taste in what he has revealed here. I think what other previous writers chose to ignore, when it was right in front of them ,is far more tasteless AND questionable.The final chapters deal with the painful struggle of Gilmore and other Dean friends to understand and cope with his sudden death. This includes a shocking detail which left this reader all the more saddened by Dean's fate. As if his story isn't sad and poignant enough, now comes this haunting capstone to an already powerful story. I cannot recommend this book enough for the progressive mind and the serious student of James Dean. Paul Waters

Really great book, the only problem, the pictures are all in black & white, its an overview of the Californian State, but if you want a more detailed focus on each city you may need additional guides.

This book is full of gems that I would never have found otherwise. Descriptions and prices listed are spot-on.

Just used this book for a two-week road trip through California. I also had a few other Cal guidebooks with me and this one was the best. It was well organized, in depth and consistently gave good recommendations.

1. I live in California and thus I'm familiar (at least) with the surrounding region I live in etc...

2. This book physically looks good, has a nice layout, but is relatively devoid of concrete data (ie places to eat, stay etc...). Furthermore, it reads as if it were written by some college political science major at USF...

3. It's tough to find a good travel book; Perhaps the Moon publication might be better. However one thing is sure--> if you want a book with actual good information--> forget this one. If you just want a book with very cursory info--> this might be ok in that it's fairly compact, it covers the entire state etc...

Most people can say they know San Francisco/Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County, or San Diego. These are the places people typically hit up when they plan a trip to CA. Having lived several years in SoCal, I found this book opened my eyes to all the state has to offer. It balances the sections on the large cities with other destinations and activities. You can easily stay with friends in LA or SFO and get a better tour of the town than the book can offer, but what about Death Valley or the Redwoods or PCH? This is where the book has been of great help to me.

Myers, Walter Dean. Handbook for Boys. New York: Harper Collins (2002).
211 pages.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Fry Reading Level: 6

Set in urban New York City, Handbook for Boys follows the story of two boys, Jimmy and Kevin, who get themselves into trouble with law. Instead of going to juvenile detention, the boys have the alternative of performing community service at a local barbershop owned by a man named Duke. Duke takes in young boys that are headed in the wrong direction and uses the time that they work in his shop to teach them important life lessons.

Jimmy narrates the story, giving his reactions to and impressions of the advice that Duke gives. Duke talks about everything from money and sex to personal responsibility versus a victim mentality. He expresses a lot of initial resistance to Duke's lectures, but always ends up reflecting on Duke's advice by the end of the chapter.

Although both Jimmy and Kevin work at the barbershop, they do not get along. They have a competitive, hostile relationship. They also seem to view their time at Duke's barbershop differently. While both of them dislike the menial work they have to do and the constant lectures and ragging they get from Duke and other regulars at the barbershop, Jimmy at least responds to what Duke tells him. Kevin, on the other hand, puts up more resistance to Duke's efforts. For instance, Duke invites Kevin and Jimmy to a basketball game; while both boys feel that Duke merely asked them out of charity, Jimmy actually goes to the game, while Kevin blows Duke off.

At the end of the story, however, the reader sees the effect that Duke has had on Jimmy through the difference in his behavior as compared with Kevin's. Kevin ultimately gets arrested for drug possession, and loses his opportunity to get off lightly with community service at Duke's. Jimmy sees Kevin's position at the end of the story and realizes what a vital opportunity Kevin has given up, and how lucky he himself is to have had his time with Duke. Jimmy cleans up his act and makes positive choices via the advice that Duke gives him.

This book is probably medium interest-level. My students didn't seem overly thrilled about it, but many of them finished it despite having the choice to read other books. The overall tone of the book is conversational, but can be too didactic and preachy at times. Also, the book takes a lot of its subject material from urban African-American culture, so kids who do not know much about that culture or who are not from that culture may not be able to relate to it as much. The writing style in the book can come off as contrived, such that the moral of the story often overrides the story itself. I think there are many other books out there that more skillfully and subtly tell a story that makes kids reflect on their behavior, rather than the in-your-face moralizing that this book presents.

I think that Handbook for Boys is a great book. This book is about a boy named Jimmy, who gets in trouble with the law, for selling drugs to help his mother.Jimmy's mother can't afford to get him out of jail.So Duke lets Jimmy work at his barbershop as his punishment.That is where Jimmy learns about life and problems people face everyday.
I would reccommend this book to anyone,but more for teenagers.

Jimmy is a black city kid, living with just his mother. One day he gets into a fight at high school and really does some damage to the other kid. The school takes this fight very seriously, and Jimmy begins to worry that he may have really messed up his life by having the fight. A local man named Duke who owns a barbershop offers to be Jimmy's mentor.

Every day after school, Jimmy goes to the barbershop to clean up and listen to Duke and his old friends talk about the people who come in to get their hair cut. Another high-schooler is also there--Kevin is something of a know-it-all superstar who Duke has promised to send to college in exchange for working at the shop. Kevin is in trouble, too, though, for smoking marijuana and Duke has agreed to mentor him to keep him out of juvenile detention.

As the boys work, they become more annoyed with Duke and his friends. It seems like nobody can come into the shop without Duke and the others saying bad things about him when he leaves. They talk about how the problems these men have are their own fault, and they drag Jimmy and Kevin into discussions about choices and deciding the direction your life is going to take. Jimmy tries to tune them out at first, but then he begins thinking more and more about what they have said. Does he really need a plan so his own life will go the way he wants? Does he know how to get to where he wants to go?

I liked that Duke and his friends were really bright and articulate, and had interesting discussions about free will, philosophy, and the way the world works. I also liked that the city seemed to be portrayed realistically--it gave me a much clearer idea of why so many city kids get lost in the system. It's not always that they aren't trying, it's that they don't have anyone to tell them how to succeed.

The book Handbook for Boys by Walter Dean Myers was a good book. Many of the chapters had people telling the main characters(Duke, Jimmy,Kevin, Mr.M, and Cap)problems in their lives. Once they left the setting the main characters told there opinions on that persons problem. What I liked about this book was that it showed real-life situations with ways to solve your problem. It shows you the ways how to stay out of trouble and ways to succeced.
All the characters in this book have different opinions on how to look at certian situations. For example Duke said that you should read and Cap said that you should not read.
Two of the main characters Duke and Jimmy really got along through out the book. They went many places and helped people in their free time. Jimmy works at the barber shop with Duke, and Kevin. Jimmy is there because he got in trouble and needed help. He also could use the money for his mother and him. One thing that I didnt like about this book was that many of the chapters didn't relate to the other chapters. It was like a bunch of short stories for each chapter. Sometimes it would be difficult to follow some parts in the book.
This book caught my interest and I enjoyed reading it. If I had the chance I would read this book again. Walter Dean Myers is a very good author.

Great book for teenagers. I was reading this book because for my class you have to read a novel by the end of the 1st quarter and each quarter on. I decided to choose this after the information on the back and the cover interested me. I sure didnt waste my money nor my time. It was a great book that deserves alot of credit. I think for Myers this book was alot better than Monster.
Next I probably will be reading the classics;
Elephant Man, Odyssey,Grapes of Wrath, and Huckleberry Finn.

Read this book teens and even adults!
I think its even funner than most video games!
It teaches you lessons about what to do in certain situations!

Donald Spoto writes what you would expect from the noted author; a well-researched fact-based bio of culture/pop icon James Dean. The book starts out with a somewhat scathing account of the fans who make the pilgrimage to Dean's home town of Fairmount, Indiana to "celebrate" his death. Once Spoto puts some of these sycophantic fans in their place, he moves on to the meat and potatoes. He does a great job of pointing out that Dean was still finding himself at the time that he died; Spoto avoids putting him in a category as so many other authors have attempted to do. Donald's very dry humor makes it an easy and enjoyable read.

Donald Spoto's biography of James Dean surpasses all others hands down, by-the-jesus, & period. Not least of all because SPOTO NAMES HIS SOURCES, unlike most Dean biographers--notably David Dalton in his much-ballyhooed James Dean: The Mutant King.

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 (1953), he was or had been on sixteen television programs and appeared in a multitude of plays on and off Broadway. What was the Dean 'mystique'? 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. Like Princess Diana, he burned his light out early. He was really not a man at all, still just a confused boy when he died.

Being an Elizabeth Taylor fan, I had seen James Dean in "Giant" - his final film and knew little of his life, save for his interest in fast cars, and his tragic death. I had recently become interested in Dean and his work and picked up the recent Warner box set of his three films on DVD. On a quest to learn more on Dean's life, I picked up Donald Spoto's biography "Rebel". I chose "Rebel" because from what I'd heard, it offered a respectable look into the young actor's short life and career, and tried to dispel many rumours that surround Jimmy's legend. I felt that it indeed did that, and I learned quite a bit of who James Dean was.

Dean's life and his relationships were forever altered because of the death of his mother, the only person he was ever close to (at the time). His father was always distant in Jimmy's life, even when his mother was alive. This was heightened when Jimmy was sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle in Fairmount, ID - the state where Jimmy had lived early life. This is paramount to understanding Dean, his motives, and his relationship with others. His fears of abandonment plagued all of his relationships, and stopped him from opening up to others. As quickly as he would make friendships with certain people, he would drop them and move on, without another word.

Donald Spoto's "Rebel" was an intriguing look into the life of a mythical Hollywood figure, James Dean, who as I quickly found out was a complex and tormented young man.

I just finished reading this book about two weeks ago. I had never read any other James Dean books and I thought this was a very good book, very informative. I didn't get bored or bogged down once. I enjoyed every part of it - Jimmy's early life, life in New York, and his short, but brilliant Hollywood career. I would get totally absorbed in reading it, sometimes staying up way too late just because I couldn't put it down.

I have read other reviews that consider this book "generic" or more detached, but since I am not a James Dean expert, and have never read a book on him before, I can only give my perspective and opinions. I thought this was a very well-written and researched book. I am now reading "James Dean, little boy lost," by Joe Hyams, which I bought through an Amazon Marketplace buyer.

Ah, Mr. Dean James has done it yet again. With frightfully proper English means and manners, he has given us a wonderfully crafted murder mystery romp with all the trappings...and some vampires thrown in for good measure.

The story is an incredibly fast read; so much so, that you'll probably want to reread it as soon as you're done, just for the fun of it. (I know I did.) Honestly, with its spendid imagery and penchant for detail, I was hoping that it would take a lot longer to go through, but no matter what the length, the story satisfies most completely.

Will there be more adventures in store for our hero, Simon Kirby-Jones?

There had better be. The world needs more delightful characters like Simon. Are you listening Mr. James?

If you are, then 'thank you' for giving us Simon and all his cohorts and cronies.

To everyone out there reading this...do more reading. I suggest starting with every one of Mr. James' Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries. Write-On Mr. James!

The novels in this series just get to be more and more fun. Dean James has created in Simon Kirby-Jones a remarkably endearing character, given that he is a gay-vampire. Be that as it may, this story, like all the others, pit Simon and his mind against murderers extraordinare. For added fun, Simon has a human love interest. This, like all of the others in this series is formulated on the classic 1930's British murder mystery patterns, complete with proper diction, and formal dialogue. Lots of things are revealed in this particular addition, and one can only guess where the next book will lead. Indeed, the book closes on such a point that Dean James can let the series end, and still have solved all of the problems of the major characters. If however, and I sincerely hope he does, he adds another book to the collection, it will be eagerly picked up by this reader. These books are refreshingly campy and deserve your attention.

In this fourth episode of his series Mr James ties all the lose ends.

Simon faces both his former vampire lover and his new human one and has to make his decision. I will not spoil the fun for you of course by telling but I will reveal that Simon decides and his readers should now wonder what will happen in the next episode now that all the cards have been uncovered and all the tension released.

As far as this novel is concerned though, it is more somber than the previous ones.
There are fewer puns and witticisms, the general atmosphere is more doleful.
The victim is neither innocent nor evil but somewhere inbetween: likeable enough for us to grieve his death and bad enough to understand the reasons of the murderer too.

This approach is far more mature of course, but it could spoil the fun of those expecting a copy of the previous light hearted books.

The emotional climax at the end of the book -where Simon makes his choice- is not well written and I felt disappointed.
Neither was I thrilled by the author's judgemental attitude toward occasional sex.

In this fourth installment in Dean James' series of vampire cozies, undead author-cum-amateur sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones goes positively medieval. Simon dons period costume to blend in with the "natives" after a historical reenactment society, the Gesta Angliae Antiquae, sets up camp in Simon's adopted hometown, the quaint English village of Snupperton-Mumsley. When the inevitable murder occurs--Simon is Snupperton-Mumsley's answer to Jessica Fletcher--our protagonist annoys the local constabulary once again by endeavoring to solve the crime himself. The GAA, it turns out, is riven by political rivalries. But is any of the men who would be elected king of this self-important little group power hungry enough to murder for the throne?

More interesting than the mystery in Dean James' latest are the developments in Simon's personal life. Tristan Lovelace, Simon's former advisor and lover and the vampire who brought Simon into the undead fold, arrives eager to win back our hero's affections. But will Simon succumb to Tristan's occasional charms, or will he save himself for local aristocrat Giles Blitherington, Simon's devoted personal assistant?

The Simon Kirby-Jones mysteries are not great literature. James' secondary characters tend to be two-dimensional, and the upper-crusty English cattiness many of them display can become cloying. But the mysteries are decent, and, more importantly, the concept of the books is charming. Though I would that modern-day medical advances hadn't defanged our hero--pills taken twice daily render him nearly human in his appetites--I very much like the idea of a genteel vampire taking a bite out of crime somewhere in the English countryside. James' cozies make for enjoyable light reading.

Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)

Other readers have slammed this book for being rushed or too light or fake. Well we are not talking Shakespeare here. The book has a nice little plot and all the loose ends get tied up in the end. The characters are whimsical and it was nice to read. The murder was not too horrible and I think the vampire aspect was amusing. This is the sort of book to read before going to bed, to take your mind off your own personal problems and take you out of yourself for a short while, and I found the book relaxing and entertaining. I plan to read other novels by this author.

This is a good addition to 'The Crow'. However I did find some of the stories a little tedious and one or two just plain boring, and that is why it only gets 4 stars. Perhaps I found these less good because they weren't directly about The Crow, and more realted to the theme of revenge and death.

But a poem by Henry Rollins, and 'Spooky Codeine And he Dead Man' by O'Barr himself, and 'Twice By Fire' by Ramsey Campbell, this book gains its four stars, plus th great works by other writers, too many of which there are to mention.

I advise you buy 'The Crow' before this book, as a lot of the stories refer to things in 'The Crow'.

A good book for fans of The Crow and James O'Barr, as well as fans of dark fantasy/horror.

I really loved this book and I think they should have movies on some of the stories. I would recommend this to fellow Crow fans and Dark Fantasty. :)

indeed another great addition to the crow name..

This is worth your time if you like The Crow movies or the graphic novel. There are many good stories in this volume. There is also some good poetry and some good art throughout the book. There is even a good Eric Draven story somewhere in the volume.

You will really like this book if you like The Crow or dark poetry. It's worth your time.

A book comemorating death? Would one buy something as such and still be rendered a person of sanity? The answer is yes on both accounts. The book The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams is just that. Edited by the creator, the book takes you on numerous adventures scribed by different writers on the mythos of the crow. Most of the stories deal with the same contextual theme of wrongful death, sadness and a way of making things better where things have gone wrong. The book succeeds in a number of aspects and truly brings out the vengeful spirit that is the Crow. Though the character was created in the early 80s, it has grown to fame by the release of two successful movies, one in which was immortalized by the late Brandon Lee. One might ask what is the difference between The Crow and the Marvel comic character, the Ghost Rider, which also serves as a vengeful spirit. While the latter seeks vengeance for things gone wrong, the former has the special attribute that it can be anyone or even anything that can pick the mantle of the Crow. Anyone can become his or her own special spirit of retribution.

Most of the stories and poetry are well-written though some are just too far fetched to be taken seriously, a number of stories delve more into fantasy than your regular fiction. A number of stories, however, capture your mind and heart from the instance you read them. Stories that traverse the here and now. On how things should have been, but aren't. James O'Barr's piece, "Spooky, Codeine and the Dead Man" is a perfect example of such. Another story would be "Moving Toward the Light" by Rick R. Reed, a though-provoking piece about pain and hurt. The story is extremely graphical and can truly touch the reader and make him witness first hand the descriptive pungent exploitation the character experiences. The story makes you think and wonder, can this truly happen in a world of today, and the answer to that painful question is an excruciating yes.

The book is a must read for not only horror fans, but those who truly believe that there are outside forces controlling the paths each one of us takes, a power that can right where things have gone wrong, horribly wrong.

Another very enjoyable read. Simon Kirby-Jones is a real tease though leaving Giles wanting!

Has no one but me noticed that on page thirteen of the first book, Simon explains that he must take the pills twice a day? And then throughout this second book, he takes them three times a day?

What's up with that?

As far as mysteries are concerned I expect genre loving readers will still find this second episode at fault. The very classical rules of very classical detective stories require that the readers be given all necessary inditia to solve it for themselves.

It does not happen here and the identity of the murderer is entirely unexpected.

As for the rest I was happier than with the first book: this series is apparently not meant to be more than just entertaining and entertaining it is.

The writing is quick, light hearted; there are repetitions and redundant statements but fewer than in the first episode not to mention that Simon is much more likeable here than it was there.

An easy read for a lazy afternoon: this book is nothing more but also nothing less than this.

This is really a cute cozy mystery but it needs more vampire type action. Simon did not vamp out not once.. (sad face) and he needs to get with his boyfriend if he is going to have a lover.. GET on with it already ... haha
I will get the other books and read them.. they were cute.

Simon Kirby-Jones needs a stake driven through the heart.
It would truly be a mercy killing for this character.

Val Holley's biography is one of my favorite books on Dean, and I've read just about every book on him in English. It's accurate, in-depth, and definitely the most richly anecdotal of all Dean bios. (Quotations up the ying yang!) Trust me: If you love Jimmy, you'll love this book.

Have a taste test:

Lyricist Marshall Barer, who had a crush on Jimmy, said that "Jimmy had his own special kind of wit. There was a toy animal stuck to the ceiling of the apartment [where Jimmy was living with sugar daddy Rogers Brackett in NYC]. I asked, 'How did that get up there?' Without missing a beat, Jimmy said, 'Suction shoes.'"

Have another:

Barer also recalled, "Once when I arrived at the Algonquin [Hotel, NYC] in a cab, Jimmy rushed over. He had a beautiful girl with him, an up-and-coming actress and said, 'You can settle the argument: Which one of us is more beautiful?'"

Barer replied that the contest was a draw, but I'm not buying. :-*

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.

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!

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

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.

Being a huge James Dean fan, i found this book to be a great look into his life. The way this book explains the many who have tried to walk in his footsteps brings a whole new appreciation to who James Dean really was.. Also I love the humorous twists here and there...

This book on James Dean actually covers his life only in the first three chapters, but it is packed with little known info about the long dead star. The rest of the book is about all the actors who tried to follow in his footsteps, even Elvis and Jack Nicholson. It is chock full of stuff that I never knew and shows how great Dean was--even to those other actors in movies. If you want the dirt, this book has it. If you want to be entertained, this book has got it for you. Highly recommended.

If you like to know what happened to all those old TV stars and B-movie types who seemed to be called the next Jimmy Dean, then this book lets you know about them. Some became famous and most seem to be unknowns to me except what my dad talks about. Dean was cool and the others werent, and the book proves that once and for all.

The "Next James Dean" is a fun and informative look at the life and followers of James Dean. The book starts off covering deans life as a kinda intro just reminding us just who James Dean is and some of the rumors and stories that plaged his life and death.
The book also itroduces us to the new crop of Dean actors. In the wake of his death there was a void for a brooding pretty boy in holywood. In the late fiftys it seemd like Hollywood was over run with moody sexualy ambiguious idols all to eager to be the next James Dean.
This is all covered hilariously in "The Next James Dean", a book that mixes rumors with facts posers imposters, the talented and the cluless,all fighting for the title of being the Next James Dean.

This is surely the worst book about James Dean yet published. This book is wildly innaccurate, extremely trashy in its sloppy rehashing of tabloid rumours about Dean's supposedly unsavory personal life and habits and incompetently written to boot. A tip off to its abysmal quality is that the company that published it is one of the leading print on demand publishers who will publish anything without regard to quality provided that the author pay the publisher. In short, a vanity press for writers whose books could not attract a legitimate, paying publisher. It's sad, really.