It's been a quiet week as we head into the holidays. If you haven't seen it, Fox News Digital interviewed me about my book, Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean, and the segment ran this week. Be sure to check it out here!
4 Comments
Today is the publication day for Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean. It’s been a long road to publication, from the first inklings of an idea for the book in the pandemic spring of 2020 to the finished product, hitting retailers today. I am immensely proud of this book, and I am excited for all of you to have the opportunity to read it.
As I celebrate my book’s release, I want to extend my thanks to my agent, Lee Sobel, who believed in Jimmy when no one else did; to Chris Chappell and Emily Burr, my editors at Applause Books, whose insightful editing and tireless work on behalf of this project made it possible; to Dave Holmes and Kelly Stout at Esquire, who allowed me to write about James Dean for the magazine as proof of concept; and to everyone else who contributed in ways large and small to the research that went into Jimmy. To help launch the book, I’ve made the introduction available for free on my website in the new Jimmy section of the site. I have also compiled a page which I will continue to update with media coverage of the book, including recent stories in The Daily Mail, The New York Post, and more. You can buy your copy of Jimmy at your favorite retailer or by using the links below. It's finally here! After four years of research, writing, revising, and editing, this week I received two boxes of Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean from my publisher. The book looks beautiful, and I am excited for all of you to be able to buy copies on November 19! The inspiration for the Jimmy dust jacket was an homage to, but not an exact copy of, William Bast's original 1956 James Dean biography. My first edition is a bit faded, but it was originally the same shade of red. Bast's cover showed Dean draped in shadow, mine bathed in light, symbolizing the difference between his biography, which hid the truth and mine, which exposes it.
I am proud to share the cover of my new book Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean, out this fall from Applause Books, and imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. It was a long, challenging road to develop an attractive cover that captured the feel of the book, but I think this one more than succedeed.
It was a busier week for me than for pyramids and flying saucers. I spent the week finalizing art for my book, negotiating the cover design, and arranging for my next major magazine feature. Meanwhile, the Salt Conference of financial investors in New York City announced David Grusch would be a featured speaker, the second year in a row that wealthy nerds turned their gathering over to their adolescent sci-fi fantasies. We should all be disturbed that the self-described masters of the universe take their faux-honorific so literally and think space aliens are the next financial frontier. Similarly, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced her intention to hold a Senate UFO hearing this summer, in the middle of the presidential election campaign. With Democrats trying to make the case that they are the sober, responsible alternative to a venal thug and his caravan of kooks, maybe putting the party’s UFO obsessives front and center for another flying saucer hearing when there are serious and immediate issues at stake affecting every American isn’t the best look.
This week, various editions of Vogue magazine published a lengthy piece on the failed romance of James Dean and Pier Angeli, born Anna Maria Pierangeli. The original Italian article by journalist Giacomo Aricò, published on Wednesday, and the truncated English adaptation published on Friday contain a number of misrepresentations and errors that came from the telephone game of repetition and PR that passes for “celebrity” coverage in our media. But the broader purpose of the piece, as the author writes in Italian, is to deny that Dean was either homosexual or bisexual, a remarkable claim for a major magazine in 2024. Let’s take a look at some of the ways the Vogue pieces went wrong.
I am happy to announce that my forthcoming book now has its official title. Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean will be published this fall by Applause Books. I am excited to see the book moving its way toward publication!
It's been a bit of a difficult week for me. Unfortunately, I have been swamped with work, family issues, prior commitments, and book publishing obligations, and this has left me no time for writing blog posts this week. Truthfully, it will likely be a couple of weeks before things calm down enough for me to do any substantive writing that I’m not getting paid for. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends to keep up with the volume of obligations, but something has to give. There are only so many hours in the day.
In the meantime, my publisher has asked my for suggestions for titles for my James Dean book. They are looking for something that is resonant and intriguing and somehow incorporates the concept of masculinity without using that word. I have never been any good at titles, and I have no idea what to suggest. I am delighted to announce that I have partnered with Applause Books to publish my biography of James Dean next year. I am deeply appreciative of the tireless work of my agent, Lee Sobel, in helping to find my book the best possible home, and for the support and enthusiasm of my editor at Applause, Chris Chappell. Publication of the book is the culmination of a years-long journey that began when I happened upon Rebel without a Cause on Turner Classic Movies one day during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and involved the largest and most comprehensive literature and archival research into James Dean’s life and legacy ever conducted. I am so thankful to have found a team that believes in my book and my work and wants to help me share with the world a story that needs to be told.
|
AuthorI am an author and researcher focusing on pop culture, science, and history. Bylines: New Republic, Esquire, Slate, etc. There's more about me in the About Jason tab. Newsletters
Enter your email below to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on my latest projects, blog posts, and activities, and subscribe to Culture & Curiosities, my Substack newsletter.
Categories
All
Terms & ConditionsPlease read all applicable terms and conditions before posting a comment on this blog. Posting a comment constitutes your agreement to abide by the terms and conditions linked herein.
Archives
January 2025
|