ABOUT THE BOOK

The Legend of James Dean

The purpose of this work is to clear up the confusion surrounding James Dean’s legend and to correct the problems created by the government’s decision to cover up the facts of his life. In the context of this work, I retell the James Dean story in a way that brings the real James Dean to light and explains how he became a legend. Here, I offer an explanation as to why Hollywood repeatedly cast James Dean in juvenile-delinquent roles, and I attempt to explain how the decision to do so caused James Dean to appear to be a rebel.

When one looks at James Dean’s life, it immediately becomes clear that James Dean was not a misdirected youth or a tough street thug. By all accounts, Jimmy Dean was a good boy, who grew up on his aunt and uncle’s farm in Fairmount, Indiana. James Dean was extremely well adjusted as a teenager, and, after he dropped out of the University of Southern California at Los Angeles and moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, he became totally focused on his chosen career path. James Dean was never rebellious or misdirected.