Book Review #1
James Dean: The
Mutant King by David Dalton
On reading the book I had
nothing to compare it to being it my first, therefore I was able to go in with
fresh eyes and only a ‘limited amount’ of knowledge of Mr Dean. I say limited, I
thought I knew all there was about Dean before I read this book! On the adjacent
page before every chapter starts there is an extract from a poem or a book, for
example a poem extract from James Whitcomb Riley, whom Dean valued. Each extract
I found to be knowingly or unknowingly related to Dean in some way. The little
extracts I really did adore, it made me feel a little more connected to Dean
and his thoughts.
Before the chapter starts there
is a miniature summary of what is to expect in the ensuing chapter, which again
I thought was a lovely touch. There are pictures throughout the entire book,
not just the middle, this I find saves you a lot of work flicking back and
forth of the pages and adding potential damage to the book. The one and only
one criticism I had about the book was the quality of some of the images. All images
are in black and white which to me is no big deal, but some of the images have
a blurry like quality and if like me you enjoy seeing Mr Dean at his full
potential in sharp HD then it can be a bit of a frustration.
Thus far I was pleased aesthetically
and kinetically; bar a few images. When I started reading I went into full
James Dean mode, entirely absorbed and I was ever so delighted. Credit to the author
David Dalton and the research that he conducted as it was ever so in depth. Through
reading the book I found out things about Mr Dean I didn’t know before. Research
aside, the way that it was written was extra thrilling. It didn’t just skim the
surface, it wasn’t like many biographies which are just facts after facts written
on paper it was like a story, it had emotion and passion and you feel involved.
It has interviews/ quotes from co-stars, directors he worked with and intimate
friends of his. You feel as though you know Dean from his mental state to the tiny
dirt specks under his fingernails.
To me this book has been
beautifully written with a lot of thought and effort, you gain a real insight
to Jimmy’s life from the day he was born, his relationship with his father, his
coming to term with his mother’s death, his school years, the starting of his
career to the day he passed. If anything Jimmy’s personality really shines through!
RRP - £6.95
Online price - £4-£6
(my book was around £5.80)
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