Book Review: Surviving James Dean

This book was written by William Bast, close friend, confidant, and oftentimes roommate to James Dean. Originally published in 1956 under the title James Dean: A Biography, the book sold well and became the first official biography of James Dean. It garnered the author a lot of publicity and many considered it THE definitive James Dean book. However, that was only half the story. What Mr. Bast left out was the fact that as well as being James Dean's close friend, confidant, and roommate, he was also his lover.

William Bast met James Dean while they were both students in the UCLA theatre department. From that meeting (through their girlfriends at the time) a friendship blossomed. That friendship would last over the next five years until the tragic death of James Dean in 1955.

The connection that these two shared is hard to describe, and I won't try to do it justice. I couldn't possibly get it right. It was the kind of friendship and love that one only experiences once in a lifetime. To say more would be to ruin the book.

This book not only gives you a look at James Dean. You also follow the author and learn about his life. It gives you a great view and understanding of Hollywood in the 1950's and also what it was like to be a homosexual during that time period. I highly recommend this book, not just for the story of James and William, but for the descriptions of the era as well.