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James Dean
More than a mere gloss on the legend, this is a passionate, intelligent, and sensitive ressessment of Dean's life and career. Hoskyns make Dean come alive as no other writer has ever done, revitalizing the shallow cardboard figure portrayed by the media and revealing a Dean rarely seen--compelling, talented, winsome, and, above all, human. 123 black-and-white-and-29-full-color-photographs.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 1989
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August 5, 2014
I'm going to have to start a running list here on Goodreads of biographies that were written by biographers who clearly dislike their subjects. This one will go to the top of the list. On the very first page, Hoskyns asks the rhetorical question: why write another Dean bio when so many already exist? His answer, in his own words? "Because I think none of these attempts has prodded sufficiently into what really makes this confused, narcissistic, violently ambitious, thoroughly inadequate boy so fascinating." Thoroughly inadequate?! Gee, Barney, tell us what you really think of James Dean! Please, don't worry about any preconceived notions you might have contaminating your work as a biographer. Who wants objectivity these days anyway, when you can just sit back and make snarky comments?
Actually, I do. If a person is "thoroughly" inadequate, why would anyone find themselves compelled to write about them? For money, I guess. So, at least we know why Hoskyns is in the business of writing, which is an admittedly difficult field in which to prosper. But let's look at the other adjectives chosen to describe his subject. "Violently ambitious" . . . first of all, I don't know what this is supposed to mean. Show me one successful person who isn't "ambitious". The addition of the word "violently" would seem to imply that Dean brutalized people in his efforts to get to the top, perhaps stealing their parts, threatening them, or possibly even blackening their eyes so they could not audition?! No? He didn't do any of that? Okay, so why "violently" ambitious? Maybe because Barney Hoskyns needs a dictionary?
As for the other words Hoskyns chose for Dean: "narcissistic" is a label that can and has been attached, at some point, to just about everyone who has ever become a star. It's an easy assumption. These people promote themselves, they're photographed frequently, they're constantly asked about themselves, and so on. So, let's move on. "Confused" is the adjective that really struck me, and convinced me (rightly) that Barney Hoskyns a) can't write his way out of a wet paper bag and b) has a serious ax to grind when it comes to James Dean. How can anyone be called "confused" by someone who never met them or had a conversation with them? I've read plenty of material on Dean, and have my own opinions, but I can't imagine stretching the bare details and myths and gossip to such an extent that I start believing I know whether someone who died in 1955 was perpetually "confused" or not.
Hoskyns himself acknowledges that there is no dearth of Dean biographies in print, so if you're interested in his life, just trust me and go pick out another book. The only redeeming things about this book (and the reasons I added a star to my would've-been-1-star-rating) are a) the number of pictures (lots, although they're all b&w) and b) the size of the pages (large, so you can cut them out - discarding the poorly written text as you go - and hang them on your wall like a teenage girl, if you want to.)
If you're wondering whether I made it past that first obnoxious page: I actually did, out of morbid curiosity alone. The entire book continues in the same shabby vein. So, now I'm on something of a mission to find a respectful (and hopefully well-written) book on James Dean.
Actually, I do. If a person is "thoroughly" inadequate, why would anyone find themselves compelled to write about them? For money, I guess. So, at least we know why Hoskyns is in the business of writing, which is an admittedly difficult field in which to prosper. But let's look at the other adjectives chosen to describe his subject. "Violently ambitious" . . . first of all, I don't know what this is supposed to mean. Show me one successful person who isn't "ambitious". The addition of the word "violently" would seem to imply that Dean brutalized people in his efforts to get to the top, perhaps stealing their parts, threatening them, or possibly even blackening their eyes so they could not audition?! No? He didn't do any of that? Okay, so why "violently" ambitious? Maybe because Barney Hoskyns needs a dictionary?
As for the other words Hoskyns chose for Dean: "narcissistic" is a label that can and has been attached, at some point, to just about everyone who has ever become a star. It's an easy assumption. These people promote themselves, they're photographed frequently, they're constantly asked about themselves, and so on. So, let's move on. "Confused" is the adjective that really struck me, and convinced me (rightly) that Barney Hoskyns a) can't write his way out of a wet paper bag and b) has a serious ax to grind when it comes to James Dean. How can anyone be called "confused" by someone who never met them or had a conversation with them? I've read plenty of material on Dean, and have my own opinions, but I can't imagine stretching the bare details and myths and gossip to such an extent that I start believing I know whether someone who died in 1955 was perpetually "confused" or not.
Hoskyns himself acknowledges that there is no dearth of Dean biographies in print, so if you're interested in his life, just trust me and go pick out another book. The only redeeming things about this book (and the reasons I added a star to my would've-been-1-star-rating) are a) the number of pictures (lots, although they're all b&w) and b) the size of the pages (large, so you can cut them out - discarding the poorly written text as you go - and hang them on your wall like a teenage girl, if you want to.)
If you're wondering whether I made it past that first obnoxious page: I actually did, out of morbid curiosity alone. The entire book continues in the same shabby vein. So, now I'm on something of a mission to find a respectful (and hopefully well-written) book on James Dean.
Displaying 1 of 1 review