James Dean: Little Boy Lost

Joe Hyams is a real respectful and informative author who really wanted to write about James Dean what I know James Dean would have written about himself if he were alive today and decided to write about his personal life, which is something James Dean did not like to talk about with the media. Yes, Jimmy did love Pier Angeli whose real name is Anna Maria Pierangeli whom he lovingly called Annarella. This was a name her father called her before he died in 1950. James Dean found a true love in Anna and she in him. There are countless interviews and documentaries that can attest to Jimmy stating that Pier Angeli was the love of his life. Actress Julie Harris, James Dean's co-star in East of Eden mentions in one documentary that Jimmy was always talking about how much in love he was with Pier and how beautiful her soul was. Larry King interviewed co-stars of his who spoke about this very emphatic relationship in James Dean's life. They had many interests and one very important life change in common that is they both lost a parent. Neither one ever forgot about the other and author Joe Hyams wanted to make that known. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. James Dean would be delighted that this part of his life, the joyful part, was written about.

This is one of the best books that I have read about James Dean. The author did a wonderful job exploring all aspects of Jimmy's life. He showed the good and bad about Jimmy and talked about him on such a personal level and about his own experiences with Jimmy. I could barely put it down. He covered almost everything there is to know about Jimmy from his childhood to his well-known movies and personal relationships. He also interviewed many people who knew Jimmy closely. It's truly an excellent book!

This book is truly excellent. It gives a detailed description on the life of Jimmy Dean from a close personal friend. I have read many books about Jimmy Dean, and this was the best. It's one of those "I can't put it down" books.

I read the book when it first came out and found it to be very informative and touching, without all of the trash and downtrodden-ness I have read in other books...this one concentrates more on Jimmy as a person. And even though he did only make three films, there is a certain familiarity in James Dean that keeps the generations attracted to him, belonging to those who don't belong...there are some great photos and humorous moments as well... I highly recommend this book to any James Dean fan, or simply anyone looking for a good read...:)