I know why it's called unauthorized . . . There's nothing in it. *sigh* At least it was only ten dollars, right? Anyone else read this Nature Boy thing only to be sorely disappointed?
Dean's Unauthorized Biography
- Thread starter LunarCrystal
- Start date
Yes, I thought it was amateurish and slight, although there are some interesting tidbits that I hadn't read elsewhere. So, on one hand, you can be glad it was only $10. On the other hand, you can be really annoyed that you could have read the whole thing online for free at iUniverse:
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-21829-6
I get the impression that Ms. Zambrona got interested in Dean because of the classic movies he made as a young man, but then lost interest when she discovered that he didn't continue to have a top-ranking movie career. She totally missed the fascinating and unique odyssey that his life has been, and still is.
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-21829-6
I get the impression that Ms. Zambrona got interested in Dean because of the classic movies he made as a young man, but then lost interest when she discovered that he didn't continue to have a top-ranking movie career. She totally missed the fascinating and unique odyssey that his life has been, and still is.
Snish said:
Oh, wow. I could have read the whole thing for free? Well, it was a xmas present. So, I'm not *too* upset.
But yes, I agree with you. There are so many other interesting parts of his life that I want to know about! She made no mention of Dean meeting Wallace Berman, or of paying 300 dollars to get him out of jail, no mention of the escapades he took to Mexico with Dennis Hopper, no mention of his ART Whatsoever! Sorely, SORELY disappointed. The man's life was and continues to be an adventure story that I want to read, and some of what he's done is already out there but not mentioned in this book.
She took all of her information from filmographies and news articles and pieced it together for some haphazardly written rag.
There is one thing that struck me as surprising, however, and really the only part of the book I found slightly interesting that I hadn't known before. Now, it could be my affinity with sensitive people. But there was a part where she talks about Dean watching a rough cut of Paris, Texas, privately in a small room. Apparently (and according to her) he was bitterly disappointed and broke down crying. That was the only time I was actually affected by what I was reading.
Everything else was "He made this movie in 19-such and such, with these various actors and he enjoyed it. Then, in 19-such and such, he made this movie, with these various actors and didn't like the experience. . ."
Can someone, for the love of all that is good, please contact Stockwell or his agent and do the man justice by writing a Good, Thorough, and Accurate biography? He deserves it!
Funny you should put it that way. I've had some...contact and experience with the author. Had I known anyone was interested in this book I would have suggested saving your money.
In the meantime 
, you can learn more about Dean's life by reading the articles on the Sassies website than you can by reading "Nature Boy":
http://stockwellsassies.tripod.com/articles.html
There's some new stuff in there, for those who have visited before.
, you can learn more about Dean's life by reading the articles on the Sassies website than you can by reading "Nature Boy":http://stockwellsassies.tripod.com/articles.html
There's some new stuff in there, for those who have visited before.