When I saw “Surviving James Dean” on the shelf, I felt like I had to reach for it, probably just to remember. James Dean was the idol of my adolescence, although he did not captivate me much. My cousin, however, married her first husband because she looked, walked, and acted exactly like James Dean. When the actor died, our entire generation of people went into mourning.
I can’t tell how much of what I read in the pages of the book may be true. It’s always easy to say anything for or against a person after he’s dead, because he’s not there to tell the truth about him or defend himself against lies, if there are lies.
This book, however, is a memoir of the writer William Bast and reflects his life, his lifestyle and the way he looks at his former roommate and friend. I didn’t take this book as the truth of James Dean as it would be in an objective biography, but more as the truth of William Bast and his obsession with the actor.
James Dean was not only an American icon; he was a worldwide idol. The reference to Dean’s homosexual tendencies should therefore not be taken as fact, as they may be colored by the writer’s own tendencies and his admiration for the actor. After Dean’s death, the author must have had his glory days as he was held in high esteem by everyone, the renowned and the unknown alike due to his friendship with Dean.
According to Bast, James Dean had his flaws, especially when it came to financial responsibility, recklessness, and perhaps eccentricity, but he was enthusiastic about life and showed compassion for living things. The best part of the book for me was when the two friends shared an apartment and helped each other in times of need.
The author’s language is direct and easy to understand, and some parts of the book can be very interesting for those who remember James Dean and still cherish his memory. A passage in which the author takes his first ride in Dean’s famous white Porsche reveals the actor’s recklessness that led to his demise. Passages like this make the book worth reading.
“The low, sleekly built Porsche took on hills like highways, sticking perfectly to the road around every treacherous curve… Never, in all the time I’d known him, had I ridden in a car with Jimmy when he had Driven so fast I swore that night I would never ride with him again.
The book’s author, William Bast, educated at the University of Wisconsin and UCLA, has focused extensively on James Dean in the book James Dean: a Biography and in “The Myth Makers,” a television drama. Originally from Milwaukee, Bast resides in Los Angeles.
“Surviving James Dean” is in hardcover with 320 pages and ISBN: 156980298X.
Even if it was written from a different perspective and possibly an obsession, I found the book descriptive and interesting, because it points out the complexities of two people who have shared a friendship, as well as room and board. “Surviving James Dean” might be worth reading if you keep an open mind about some uncertainties.