Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: James Dean's Final Hours - Applause Books

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Publisher Marketing: (Applause Books). In Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die, readers take an evocative journey with author Keith Elliot Greenberg as he pieces together the puzzle of James Dean's final day and its everlasting impact. Greenberg travels to Dean's hometown to talk with folks who knew the star, and all the way to the California roads that underlay the tires of the actor's infamous Porsche Spyder. Taking the story back and forth in time, Greenberg gives insight into what drove Dean to live on the edge the early loss of his mother, his relentless drive to explore for the sake of his craft. Dean once said, "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." He lived to experience, and the one love that compared to his love of acting was his love of racing cars. Greenberg puts the event in historical context, reflecting on the world Dean lived in at the time, an era after World War II, the end of the Korean War, the advent of rock and roll, with the sixties coming down the pike. The star's too-soon departure froze him as a symbol of American Cool, and as proven by the 20,000 people who return to Dean's grave each year to pay homage, a major influence on youth culture for myriad generations. With fresh interviews with insiders, riveting storytelling, and acute attention to details from vehicle specs to Dean's stops along the way (including for an ominous speeding ticket) to how the news reached the world Greenberg delivers a thoughtful look at this historical moment.

Contributor Bio:  Greenberg, Keith Elliot Keith Elliot Greenberg coauthored "Legends of Wrestling: Freddie Blassie -- Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks" with wrestling icon "Classy" Freddie Blassie shortly before his death in 2003. A third-generation wrestling fan and senior writer for World Wrestling Entertainment publications, Greenberg is the author of more than thirty nonfiction children's books, and has written for "The New York Observer, USA Today" and "The European, " among others. He's also an award-winning television producer whose credits include "48 Hours, America's Most Wanted, " Court TV, VH-1, PBS, and The History Channel. He and his family live in Brooklyn, New York.