Rebel with a Cause

Book Description

In his autobiography, Franklin Graham tells his story of how God has taken his life and turned it into His Glory. Elizabeth Dole says, "Franklin has provided a very thoughtful and provocative account of how a young man develops and matures in his faith as the son of one of the world's most respected and admired spiritual leaders."

Customer Reviews:

An Exellent Read on Franklin Graham.......2007-04-06

In my humble opinion, Franklin Graham has written a frank and honest story of his struggles growing up in his famous father's shadow and how he has eventually formed his own identity.

Franklin describes many details of his life:

1. Growing up and early years in North Carolina.
2. Relationships with his family.
3. Going to school and the rebellion against authority he displayed.
4. How he eventually came into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
5. His own marriage and family life.
6. His involvement with Samaritan's Purse.
7. How he became involved in preaching himself with the BGEA.
8. Important people and missionary travels he has been on.

All in all, this is an excellent story by someone who is continuing the Graham legacy. While some people may not like his convictions, one has to admit that at least you know where he stands.

Read and enjoy. Highly recommended!

Inspiring Biography.......2006-08-24

This biography by Franklin Graham is inspirational and interesting.

Graham, who is the son of Billy Graham and Ruth Bell Graham, grew up as a bit of a rebel. This is the story of how his life turned around and he began serving God after years of running from him.

Although his rebellion was pretty tame by today's standards (smoking, drinking, and defying authority primarily), it was pretty significant for the eldest son of the world's most famous evangelist.

Franklin Graham matured to become a significant force for good in his own right - and in a different way from his famous father. Franklin has been the head of Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief organization, for many years.

I would recommmend this biography for anyone who is interested in an inspiring story of a fine Christian man.

God answered the prayer of Billy Graham........2006-02-24

Franklin Graham pours out his life in this book so that we can see the grace of God that conquers even those with a rebel spirit. I enjoyed this book. I could see that God has blessed Franklin Graham much through the faith and prayers of his family.

Great for teens ESPECIALLY!!!.......2006-01-23

This book is about the life of Franklin Graham and the struggles he went through being the son of the world's greatest evangelist billy graham. This book is great for teens that have just committed their life to Jesus Christ. This book inspired me and will inspire you just as much.

My No 1 Recommended Book for Young Christians, Especially........2006-01-16

If a young christian has committed him/herself to God, this book will help him/her strengthen the faith tremendously.
(By no means the book is too naive for grown-ups.)
If it helped me in my 40's so much, the book will definitely do more for younger folks.

This book has all the right qualities for christian books for young people. Clean & Honest, yet inspiring and revealing of core of christianity.

As for the negative review of other book-reviewer shown in this page : the person is completely misleading. Not only the book does NOT address on any aspects of hindu or any other religion to the extent that he's implying, let alone gives the readers a sense of disrespect or any false notion, but also if any part of book had mentioned about other religions, it is expressed only in a respectful, polite manner.

I read this book myself 3 years ago; and now I'm ordering 5 more copies at 1 cent per each so that I can give to others

* Remarks: There's a used books link on every searched book page.
I'm an avid user of amazon used book sellers. Their books are in excellent conditions.

good condition.

Rebel with a Cause : The Entrepreneur Who Created the University of Phoenix and the For-Profit Revolution in Higher Education

Average customer rating:

A great story
Rebel, rebel, you've outdone yourself!
The subject is interesting, but watch out for the writing.
He IS a Rebel and the book is FIRST RATE!
Winners Never Quit!

Rebel with a Cause : The Entrepreneur Who Created the University of Phoenix and the For-Profit Revolution in Higher Education
John Sperling
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471326046

Amazon.com

Rebel with a Cause is the straightforward memoir of an unconventional teacher turned businessman who founded the for-profit University of Phoenix despite enormous opposition from the traditional academic establishment and, in the process, helped permanently transform America's system of higher education. Beginning with his birth in a backwoods log cabin and life-changing experiences as both a merchant marine and union organizer, the book thoroughly recounts the many obstacles that John G. Sperling overcame as he evolved from an unhappy Cambridge-educated professor into a rookie middle-aged entrepreneur who parlayed his $26,000 life savings into a company that now boasts more than $500 million in annual revenues and a market capitalization of nearly $3 billion. Along the way, it reveals Sperling's decidedly unorthodox views on corporate social responsibility, education's role in the global economy, business practices in general, and even the legalization of marijuana. "I'm still an opportunist, still get into a lot of conflicts, and still find risky ventures exciting," explains Sperling, now 79. Some may find it a challenge to wade through his blunt, just-the-facts-ma'am prose, but those who persevere will discover a first-person saga that paints an enlightening picture of this iconoclastic executive as well as the industry-altering enterprise that he almost single-handedly built. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

"A great life and a great read . . ."-George Soros

"A remarkably cogent story of a most remarkable man. Sperling's openness about problems and failures inspires and informs the entrepreneurial spirit. Sperling describes the extraordinary power and potential of focused human intensity. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in starting or building a business."-Peter Lewis, Chairman and CEO, The Progressive Corporation

"The University of Phoenix is the largest private university in the United States. It is fully accredited and traded on NASDAQ. Mere mention of its name produces anger, fear, and envy on the nation's college campuses. In the private sector, it has inspired scores of companies to enter the education market. This is the story of the entrepreneur who launched a revolution in higher education."-Arthur Levine, President, Teacher's College, Columbia University

"Education will be one of the key growth sectors of our knowledge-based economy over the next ten years. John Sperling, founder and Chairman of Apollo Group, has been one of the visionary driving forces behind this growth. By developing a unique customer-focused model of higher education, Dr. Sperling has helped to build the largest private university in the United States that continues to be one of the best growth opportunities in education today."-Thomas Weisel, President & CEO, Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC

Customer Reviews:

A great story.......2003-11-30

John Sperling's story of his upbringing, and of his evolution into the Ceo of the University of Phoenix, the largest university in America, for-profit or otherwise, is a fascinating tale of struggle and perseverence. The bright-line antagonist in this saga is found in the intransigence and utter meanness of the entrenched academic establishment in California. Kay Henderson, the reigning head of the California post-secondary system, seems sent from central casting in this seeming story of good versus evil, and Henderson is one evil guy. He keeps coming back, like Freddy in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" or Jason of Friday the 13th fame, to visit continuing indignities on Sperling's efforts to make a college education for the over-25 adult learner more affordable, accessible and accountable.

Sperling, who began his career at 53 years of age, is now a member of the Forbes 400-richest, and a true latecomer (and self-made man) to entreprenurial success,. Per usual, he exemplifies the adage that change only comes to an industry from the outside. And thus, he began on a shoe string and succeeded because academia, then and today, remains bloated with unnessessary costs while ignorant and unconcerned with the outcomes of its graduates.

While the Univ of Phoenix has grown mightily, students at traditional colleges are going broke on ever higher tuition rates and concommitantly increasing student loans while professors continue to jack up their annual salaries and benefits far beyond the annual CPI index increases. Of note is that such increases have closely paralleled the explosion in Title-IV government loan appropriations to the point where state governments and the U.S. Congress are jointly searching for new ways to control these out-of-control expenditures.

Sperling tells a story of life changing bifurcation's as good as any "cliff-hanging" tale of fiction. His narrow misses and perilous good fortunes culminate in a 30-year old company with a $12 billion dollar market-cap on NASDAQ and a growth rate surpassing that of almost any dot.com on the board. With no-debt and loads of cash Sperling's University of Phoenix is bringing the lie to the whiners who run establishmentarian academic institutions as they flail about attempting to defend their delusional and profligate ways.

The new models of for-profit, post-secondary education such as those exemplified by Phoenix look alike Grantham University, a 4-year degree granting, low cost provider, all-online, 50-year old engineering and business school, will continue to follow in Phoenix's footsteps as the for-profit crowd ratchets up the pressure on the hollow reasoning of indifferent and out-of-touch academics who continue in charge of our nations non-profit institutions of higher learning.

John Sperling is a hero to the working men and women of America and his story needs to be told near and far. Just as the sand pile of chaos theory begins to collapse when the slope becomes too steep, establishment academia has begun to feel the inevitable hand of self governing criticality in its non-linear system of business. Indeed, this phenomena can be found in all the cycles of history where continuing excess leads to collapse and renewal. Sperling is just the latest of magnificent catalysts to accelerate this process in this latest of instant cases.

Rebel, rebel, you've outdone yourself!.......2003-01-02

If you are in your forties and have not yet been wildly successful, take heart. John Sperling, once an unhappy 52 year old Cambridge-educated history professor with $26,000 in savings, grew into an enormously successful entrepreneur. Now in his early 80s, Sperling is a billionaire, and heads the Apollo Group, a holding company whose main component is the University of Phoenix (UoP). UoP is revolutionizing access to business education for working adults in N. America and abroad. Rebel With a Cause is Sperling's personal memoir of his long struggle against the educational establishment to found and develop the for-profit UoP, transforming American education in the process. Sperling's background differs from that of many successful entrepreneurs. Born in a backwoods log cabin, Sperling started as a socialist and successful union organizer. Throughout his changing roles, the opportunistic, energetic, and apparently indefatigable Sperling thrived on adversity that would make most give up. In stolid but personal writing, Sperling reveals the details of the endless conflicts and triumphs, up to and including his new fights with the establishment over the legalization of marijuana. Still iconoclastic and entrepreneurial in his ninth decade of life, Sperling is now developing innovative new ventures including the Kronos age management clinics, and Seaphire, a project for developing aquaculture. Good reading for anyone facing adversity as they pursue their vision of something both worthwhile and potentially profitable.

The subject is interesting, but watch out for the writing........2001-04-01

This book is a bit puzzling. Looking at the title, you feel that the book is a biography of John Sperling. Reading the subtitle, you would think he is going to focus on the University of Phoenix and the growth of the Apollo Group. After reading the book cover to cover, I am not sure what the author wanted me to take away from this.

Some parts of his life get rather detailed (like his childhood sickness and early schooling) and could be interesting. His tone makes me think of someone on a pulpit trying to get me to acknowledge his past. I would not question the effects of his past if he didn't fly through other parts of it (all the quick affairs/relationships/friendships) which he mentions. His son is part of his company, so I was puzzled to see that there was little mention of him.

Given the sections that Sperling highlights for us, am I supposed to be awed by the rough start and many love affairs? Am I to be astounded by his success because of this?

I personally liked the history of the University of Phoenix. He does go into great detail on the political and legal wrangling with the accrediting board. He touches on the help from some people, but will then mention later that the person no longer had the "fire" and was let go from the company. It sounds like the university is his quest and he will not let marriage or friendship get in the way.

In the last sections of the book, Sperling talks about other projects he is passionate about. How did he decide to cover these? The Kronos Group took me by surprise. I saw no mention of this in the book until the very end. I have the feeling that the publishers were trying to make the book longer, so they just added some other thoughts in there. It does make for a very coherent picture of Sperling.

I have listened to the author speak before and find him fascinating. Reading the book gives me a different picture of him altogether. Either way, I would recommend the book for readers wanting a background on the creation of the University of Phoenix. Even though this is by Sperling, I would not read this for a good understanding of him. I believe some objectivity would be necessary for that.

He IS a Rebel and the book is FIRST RATE!.......2001-02-13

"Rebel With A Cause," by Dr. John G. Sperling, is part memoir, part social critique, and part business history. Though Sperling begins at the beginning - his birth in log cabin in the Missouri Ozarks in 1921 - he mainly focuses on his personal and profession battles over the past 20 years to build a university catering to the needs of working adults. The result of his efforts - the for-profit University of Phoenix - is now one of the largest accredited universities in the world, as well as the source of Sperling's considerable fortune.

Speaking of which, Sperling must be one of the few people on the planet ever to make real money in education (he parlayed a $26,000 investment into a $4 billion company). This alone is a remarkable and significant achievement - not just for Sperling and his investors but for their thousands of customers as well. Yes, "customers" is how Sperling refers to UOP students; I can't help but recall that not once in my own Ivy League education did any administrator use the words "customer service" and "higher education" in the same sentence ("Donation" and "probation" were used frequently, but that's another story.)

Sperling describes numerous obstacles on his long and winding road to "overnight success", including dastardly accreditation bureaucrats, disloyal employees; gratuitous FBI harassment, as well as the usual personal detritus of broken marriages, illnesses, etc. Perhaps the biggest potential hazards that Sperling had to overcome - "harness" is perhaps more precise - was his own penchant for risk-taking coupled with his low threshold of boredom. In fact, Sperling begins his tale by exhorting his readers "to strenuously avoid most of the behaviors that made me successful" - the very opposite of the message of most business books. Add "cautionary tale" to the list of Rebel's parts.

Reading some of the other Amazon comments on Sperling's book, I can't help but wonder if we're all reading the same book, or - perhaps more to the point - if Sperling's critics have ever read another book by a businessman. I had to chuckle in particular at the knucklehead who chided Sperling for abandoning the general "theme of business books where ethics is very important and that it is important to support your fellow human being." I suppose there could be a new business book by the Dalai Lama, but most are written by self-promoting consultants pushing obvious insights and simple-minded formulas. Those few business authors who've actually founded or run large companies tend to produce highly-sanitized success-filled tomes completely devoid of the real carnage, cowardice and occasional brilliance of business.

Though readers seeking mainly to learn the history of UOP as an educational and social phenomenon will not be disappointed, it's the arc of Sperling's life and the honesty with which he recounts it that impressed me most. To quote one of countless juicy examples: The day young Sperling's abusive father died, he "rolled in the grass squealing with delight." Now seriously, would Kenneth Blanchard have the guts to admit such a thing? With reference to the infidelities of one of his wives, Sperling writes, "I was too cowardly to bring her to heel and I lacked the needed sophistication not to care." This quote highlights the deep source of Rebel's appeal: at 79, Sperling is finally sophisticated enough (and rich enough) not to care what anyone thinks about him personally - which makes for engrossing prose (though his life does occasionally resemble a train wreck).

In the last few chapters of Rebel, Sperling focuses on his current pet projects, which include health and longevity clinics, an aquatic agriculture company, an animal cloning venture and a very successful political campaign against the federal government's War on Drugs - a war that Sperling argues is already lost. The pride and hope of these chapters contrasts somewhat with the weariness with which he recounts his earlier struggles, and this contrast highlights what is ultimately so inspiring about "Rebel": This is the story of a man who simply never gives up - but instead keeps fighting, building, and leading.

Winners Never Quit!.......2001-02-04

Not the first to have grown up poor or the child of a lazy, abusive father, the difference in Sperling's story is that he acquired two things most do not: A desire to understand the economics of a world in which some go hungry while others do not, and a "nothing to lose" attitude that prevails throughout his life, both in his business dealings and personal relationships. Sperling survived his childhood, but it's not the Cambridge education, career in acadame, his years as a union leader, or the trail of broken relationships that draw the reader in. During his tenure at San Jose State, Sperling began to focus on a problem no one else wanted to bother with - the barriers to working adults who wanted to return to school. And so this is the real story - his unrelenting determination to create the University of Phoenix, a for-profit institution for working adults that is now the largest private university in the U.S. These chapters, sometimes a little heavy, leave the reader dumbfounded as to the lengths which his detractors will go to quash his efforts. (And isn't it funny? Most of the traditional universities in the country now copy his model for adult education.) Although at times it seems his determination grew as a result of so many wanting him to fail, it becomes obvious that his sole intent was not the pursuit of wealth. Yet wealthy, he became - albeit in his seventies! It was interesting to learn that contrary to the status quo, acquiring wealth was not the end of his story. Not only does he still play an active role in the continuing evolution of adult education, he's a proponent of drug law reform, and is investing in numerous other projects destined to change the world; seawater agriculture, anti-aging medicine, and the storage of pet DNA for future cloning. Does he hope to get rich from these ventures as well? You bet he does! Sperling makes no apologies for his "take-no-prisoners" attitude - he's learned something about economics today's nouveau rich will never get. You can only buy so many toys, but if you make money trying to make the world a better place, it gives you the ability to keep trying to make the world a better place. I highly recommend this book. This is a great story - honest, fast-paced, thought provoking. His story is certainly proof of the old addage that "winners never quit." With all Sperling has accomplished - and at 79, still hopes to accomplish -this is one book that motivates you to put down the remote, get up off the sofa, and start making a difference.

Hactivism and Cyberwars: Rebels with a Cause

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Hactivism and Cyberwars: Rebels with a Cause
Tim Jordan
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism

ASIN: 0415260043

Book Description

This detailed history of hacktivism's evolution from early hacking culture to its present day status as the radical face of online politics describes the ways in which hacktivism has re-appropriated hacking techniques to create an innovative new form of political protest. The authors provide an explanation of the different strands of hacktivism ranging from such avant garde groups as the Electronic Disturbance Theatre to more virtually-focused groups labelled "the digitally correct". The full social and historical context of hacktivism is portrayed to take into account its position in terms of new social movements, direct action, and its contribution to the anti-globalization debate. This book provides an important corrective flip-side to mainstream accounts of E-commerce and broadens the conceptualization of the internet to take into full account the other side of the digital divide.

Rebels With a Cause: Working With Adolescents Using Action Techniques

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Rebels With a Cause: Working With Adolescents Using Action Techniques
Mario Cossa
Manufacturer: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Drama Games: Techniques for Self-Development

ASIN: 1843103796

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Henry B. Gonzalez: Rebel With a Cause
Jean Flynn
Manufacturer: Eakin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1571688463

Rebels With A Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran

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Rebels With A Cause : The Failure of the Left in Iran
Not for the novice
A Great Book on the Iranian Left
Neither worth the time nor the money!
WORTH EVERY PENNY

Rebels With A Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran
Maziar Behrooz
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1860646301

Book Description

Rebels with a Cause unearths new details and provides fresh insights into an enduring puzzle of modern Iranian political history, concluding that the Left’s demise came from a combination of Iran’s geopolitical setting, where both the Soviet and Western worlds saw advantage in the stability of Iran during the Cold War, as well as internal factors such as splits and factionalism, and--not leas--the Iranian Left’s over-enthusiastic devotion to a barren Stalinism with its poverty of philosophy and ideas. This book is based on primary and secondary Persian-language sources never before published in English.

Customer Reviews:

Rebels With A Cause : The Failure of the Left in Iran.......2006-03-09

The political left in Iran has long played an active though not very effective role in Iranian politics, through such organizations as the Tudeh party (in the 1940s and 1950s), the Fadaiyan and Mujahidin groups (in the 1970s), or more recent Marxist splinter groups.

Behrooz chronicles the rise and fall of groups often operating in the shadows of Iranian society and analyzes the reasons for its failure to achieve lasting power. Relying on an array of Persian and English sources, his valuable book documents the revival of the left in the wake of the coup against Muhammad Mussadiq in 1953, the anti-shah movement, and the early years of the Islamic Revolution. While Soviet sources may yet shed new light on this subject, Rebels With A Cause contains an account worth reading.

Why did the left always find itself shut out of power? Behrooz provides useful insights about the internal failings: personal rivalries hampered political goals, Marxists failed to create a strong base, and leftists did not recognize that the Islamists' anti-Western orientation did not imply pro-Soviet leanings. He also points out external factors leading to their defeat: Iranians' distaste for the Tudeh's subservience to Moscow and, later, Gorbachev's reforms (which undercut the Soviet model). Generally, though, the author finds the roots of failure in the left's strategic mistakes and its being outmaneuvered by the Islamists. In other words, he pays too little attention to the larger question: Could it be that, despite the problems of uneven development of the Pahlavi regime, Marxism just did not have relevance for many Iranians? In the end, Marxism proved to be just another foreign ideology which most Iranians, even the poor, saw as unnatural and irrelevant to their needs.

Middle East Quarterly, Fall 2000

Not for the novice.......2005-06-18

As my fellow reviewers have noted this book is poorly written. So if you're looking for a casual read this is NOT for you.

However if you are interested in modern Iranian history, and the catastrophic failure of the Leftist movement of Iran, then this book does have something to offer.

It does give a good overview of the leftist parties in Iran, how and when they where formed (interesting given many were formed by power struggles), main historical developments, notable members and interrelationships. So there is a fair amount of valuable and interesting factual information to be found.

Unfortunately the author glances over the social and political context to these developments. The book is therefore less valuable to readers not familiar with Iran's social and political history, and more valuable to those who can do the contextualizing for themselves.

In defense of the author, given the lack of quality research material on this subject there was not a lot to work with - so this must be viewed as somewhat of a pioneering work.

A Great Book on the Iranian Left.......2004-01-15

This might be the first book on the history of Iranian leftist parties and organizations in Iran. It is well-written and informative. It is not an anti-left book neither it tries to oppose any political group. It is just a history of what happened to the left in the 20th century in Iran.
Many people in the left didn't like it because for the first time somebody gave them a mirror to look at their own face.

Neither worth the time nor the money!.......2003-11-11

This is a poorly written book. In additon to its numerous spelling and grammer errors, its flow of information is diffcult to follow, and the author's bias in interprtation of events is mostly annoying. It may serve as agood reference for bibliography in a mediocre college papar about Iran, but that's about it. It most certainly did not woth either my tome or my money.

WORTH EVERY PENNY.......2000-04-25

THIS BOOK PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT IN IRAN OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES. IT IS AN EASY, COMPREHENSIVE READ FOR ANYONE WHO IS STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES OCCURRING IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

James Dean: Rebel With A Cause (Indiana Biography) (Indiana Biography Series)

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easy read, but very biased
James Dean
Disappointing, not up to the author's usual work

James Dean: Rebel With A Cause (Indiana Biography) (Indiana Biography Series)
Wes D. Gehring
Manufacturer: Indiana Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0871951819
Release Date: 2005-05-25

Book Description

On September 30, 1955, a budding movie star who had just completed a rigorous schedule that included three films, set out on a trip to participate in a sports-car race in Salinas, California. James Dean never made it to his destination. Instead, Dean's silver Porsche 550 Spyder was hit head-on by another motorist. Dean, the actor from Fairmount, Indiana, had died. Dean, the legend, was born. Even today, fans of the actor make annual pilgrimages to Dean's Indiana grave site.

In this third volume of the Indiana Historical Society Press's Indiana Biography Series, Wes D. Gehring, a noted authority on film, takes a fresh look at Dean's life, exploring the actor's early days growing up on his beloved aunt and uncle's farm in Fairmount to his struggle for success as an actor in television and on Broadway to his meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood. The biography also features a foreword written by Conrad Lane, Ball State University professor emeriti and a longtime film essayist.

For too long, Gehring argues, Dean has been totally confused with the troubled teenager he played in the movies, most powerfully in the classic Rebel Without a Cause (1955). The real Dean was a hardworking actor equipped with a clear agenda for success. The biography examines how Dean consciously posed as an angst-ridden youth. "Indeed," notes Gehring, "it was easily his greatest and most sustained acting job."

In addition, the book highlights the key influence Indiana played on Dean's life. Instead of a meaningless stop on his road to success, the state, especially the tight-knit community of Fairmount, offered the budding star sustained encouragement and support through good times and bad. Readers will also discover Dean's comic ability among friends and family, including his always popular imitations of such fellow acting greats as Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando.

Customer Reviews:

easy read, but very biased.......2006-02-19

Wes Gehring's 'Rebel With a Cause' bio on James Dean is a tastefully designed little book which initially gives the impression of a serious, well-sourced and in-depth study of the actor's life. However, looks are decieving, and while it does have its good points and a very attractive package, many of Gehring's conclusions are heavily biased and woefully uninformed. I bought this dignified, intellectual- looking book at Fairmount, Indiana's Rebel, Rebel shop, but was not able to read the jacket flap notes due to it being shrink wrapped. Later, I was able to meet Gehring and his wife on the front lawn of the Fairmount Historical Museum as they were in the middle of a book signing session. A nice, soft-spoken man, Gehring graciously unwrapped my book, signed it and enthusiastically answered my query regarding how his bio is different from all previous books on Dean. His reply was the same as what I would later encounter at length in the book: that being his central thesis of James Dean being a highly calculating and ambitious actor who cleverly "posed as the angst- ridden adolescent and played it to the hilt". And that's only the beginning of Gehring's frantic, right- wing deluge of conservative rationalizing as he tries to systematically debunk all previous biographers who've written about Jimmy being a troubled and moody rebel. Gehring gets carried away with his use of phrases like "angst- ridden" and "troubled, tortured youth", his worst remark being the crowing Eureka- type declaration of what he believes is a much needed "moratorium on all things angst- ridden in future literature on Dean!" Generally, this treatment of Dean's life reads like a highly agendized and conservative take that shrinks in horror and indignation from all the realities of Jimmy's short, tumultuous life. The basic conclusion I had after reading this book was: ALL THESE PREVIOUS BOOKS ON DEAN CAN"T BE WRONG, and that, unfortunately, is what Gehring is asking us to believe. Although extememly well sourced and researched, it appears that this aspect only served to give the book crediblity and to flesh out the back pages with an appearance of dogged, fair research. Another terribly misinformed gaff in the text is Gehring's dismissal of a central thesis of Val Holley's excellent Dean bio, James Dean: The Biography; that being Holley falling back on "simple sentimentality" what with his conclusion that Dean's career accomplishments were brought about because of, not in spite of, his emotional and psychological disposition. Gehring could not be more wrong. The self destructive artist is a well documented phenomenon, and Dean was one. There is FAR too much evidence and solid, first hand anecdotes, across numerous reliable sources, that vividly illustrates that James Dean WAS, without question, an immensely wounded and reckless person with ALL manner of unrest inside. What is odd and perplexing about Gehring's take on Dean is how he tries to take some issues to the very edge of what is accurate, such as his condemnation of the callous Winton Dean, but then backs away with a polite "everybody has their reasons", regarding Winton's sending young Jimmy back to Indiana in the wake of his mother's untimely death. Far too much credence is given to Dizzy Sheridan's spurious "memoir" of her life with Dean, a historian's nightmare as to chronology and imagined conversations/scenarios. And how Gehring can know that Dean "savored" the humiliating setbacks at UCLA is beyond this reader. Again, there's too much evidence to the contrary that Dean was nowhere near that technically minded or somehow removed emotionally from the immediate day-to-day sufferings and deprivations of his early days. I don't know how any author with a clear view of the whole subject can actually structure a whole book around such flimsy theories; case in point would be Gehring's latching onto the anecdote pertaining to Dean's friend Karen Sharpe, which implies that Jimmy was a calculating poseur.
Gehring makes a mountain out of a mole hill with this single anecdote. That's to say nothing of the staggering amount of material found in his book that was clearly lifted from Holley's 'far superior '95 book; in some cases it is properly credited, but in others it's not. One of the few people that Dean was close to in Indiana was the elusive school teacher, Bette McPherson,but she is omitted from Gehring's white bread, conservative tale, while the close relationship with the Rev. James DeWeerd is neatly and annoyingly tidied up. Just because The Rev. lived with his aged mother and served on the school board doesn't mean he could not have been gay and sexually predatory with teenage boys in Fairmount, including Dean. Gehring rightfully dismisses Paul Alexander's outrageously sensationalized nonsense of a bio, but he does nothing to explain why the Jack Rupp quote about DeWeerd's homosexuality is a "misleading embellishment". However, Gehring IS right on target about Dean being essentially spoiled by his small town successes and by the big- hearted Winslows. He was, indeed, the 'big fish in a small pond'. Also, it cannot be questioned that Jimmy was better off returning to Indiana in the wake of his mother's death; with an indifferent, distant father like Winton, what choice did the rest of the family have? In the end, Gehring's strange, good-looking, biased tome is worth having, but ONLY for the serious Dean student who wants to take in the WHOLE picture and scope of James Dean literature. Beyond that Wes Gehring presents yet another 11th hour ploy by the family, (whether they were directly involved or not), and the conservative right of Dean circles, to clean up and "sanitize" Dean's story. If you're serious, approach with caution, because this is the other side of the coin from Alexander and Hyams. There is worthwhile stuff and worthLESS stuff between these covers. Paul Waters

James Dean.......2006-01-27

"James Dean: Rebel With A Cause" is about the life of James Dean. It starts off with the day he died in a car accident at the age of 24 and then rewinds back to the day he was born. It goes through his Indiana roots and his time in California, from his Broadway debut to his star-making role. We knew him as Cal Trask, a unloved son in "East of East", Jim Stark, an angst-ridden teen in "Rebel Without A Cause", and Jett Rink, the contemporary cowboy in "Giant". I liked the book becuase I like learning about new people. The only thing I didn't like was that there were a lot of words I didn't understand. But that didn't stop it from being a good book about an amazing actor.

Disappointing, not up to the author's usual work.......2005-08-28

Wes Gehring is capable of writing a good biography, as he did for Red Skelton, but this book adds nothing to the James Dean oeuvre. Most disappointing of all is the author's ill-conceived attempt to deny that James Dean was gay or bisexual. Gehring goes to frankly ridiculous lengths to deny the now-well-known fact that Dean was not heterosexual. When the author refuses to recognize such a central, basic fact of a person, how can he write a useful, believable biography of him?

Readers seeking a biography of James Dean would be better served by books such as "James Dean" by George Perry, which has been authorized by the Dean family. The definitive biography of Dean has yet to be written, I believe, but in the meantime, the George Perry book is fine. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is also worth a look, though those who refuse to believe that anyone they like is gay will no doubt close their hearts and minds to that one. Some pointless, unfounded prejudices die hard in some people, it seems.

James Dean remains an important cultural icon worldwide, and it is my hope that a better biography will be written one day. Since he died so young, this is a difficult project. But you can definitely by-pass the Wes Gehring attempt.

Rebel With a Cause: The Autobiography of Hans Eysenck

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Rebel With a Cause: The Autobiography of Hans Eysenck
Hans Eysenck
Manufacturer: Transaction Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560009381

Rebel With a Cause: A Season With NASCAR Star Tony Stewart

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Not quite a "Driver #8" story about Driver #20.
Just a Recap
Setting the record straight
A must read for Stewart fans!!
Need more insight!!

Rebel With a Cause: A Season With NASCAR Star Tony Stewart
Monte Dutton
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1574882805

Book Description

Monte Dutton’s Rebel With a Cause provides an inside look at emerging NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart’s 2000 racing season. Stewart’s impressive 2000 campaign has not disappointed the fans who applauded his stellar rookie year, 1999. In 2000, Stewart not only racked up impressive wins, but his fierce competitive spirit and his tell-it-like-it-is attitude have made him a fan favorite. He has made headlines with his dramatic victories but also with his occasional scraps on and off the track with Jeff Gordon and other drivers. Tony Stewart is, without a doubt, one of NASCAR’s most rebellious heroes as well as one of the sport’s best young drivers.

Customer Reviews:

Not quite a "Driver #8" story about Driver #20........2002-04-30

Mr. Dutton's first book, "At Speed blah blah..." was terrible to the point where I think it should not have been published. His literary agent - whom provided a helpful review here which clarified the origins of the content of "Rebel With a Cause" - will perhaps be dismayed that I reached that conclusion after reading "At Speed..." while browsing in a bookstore and not after wasting my money on it. It might be good for kindling, but that's about it.

Mr. Dutton's effort with "Rebel" is better, though maybe not by leaps and bounds. The book recaps Stewart's sophomore year in Winston Cup, with each chapter corresponding roughly to a week at one track, and then the next track, etc. It's well written and it serves as an entertaining chronicle of Stewart's up-and-down 2000 season. That said, the emphasis is on off-track matters and how those matters affected Stewart's on track performance. Details about what was he was doing on the track during any given race are conspicuously missing, to the book's detriment.

In fact, the book is pretty dull when it comes to conveying any on-track excitement at all, and it reads much more like a columnist reporting the news. Furthermore, I'm not even sure if Mr. Dutton actually interviewed Stewart one-on-one for any part of his book. If he did, it doesn't show. While Stewart is quoted at length throughout the text, one is left with the impression that the quotes are simply lifted from Stewart's press conferences.

Even so, having Stewart's season recorded is still a treat, and what general race coverage there is is sufficient to keep the book moving. But compared to "Driver #8" which follows the same "2000 Winston Cup season, week-by-week" approach, "Rebel" unfortunately does not measure up well. This is partly because of the aforementioned lack of detail about Stewart's on-track experiences during each race, but also because Mr. Dutton simply is not Stewart. To Mr. Dutton's credit as a reporter he is objective throughout his book, but unfortunately that approach precludes the reader from developing any sense of intimacy with his subject. You might get a sense about how Stewart has been shaped by Winston Cup, but you won't feel you've gotten to know him yourself. In fact, Mr. Dutton's style is so objective that you won't even get to know HIM.

Of course, if you are Stewart fan, then Earnhardt Jr.'s book certainly can't "scratch your itch." Objectively, I think "Rebel" is a three-star book, but since I'm a Stewart fan, I've given it four. The casual fan will find a better read in "Driver #8." While the tone of this review is somewhat negative, "Rebel," despite its shortcomings, is still a good, solid book. You could do a lot worse!

Just a Recap.......2002-03-05

Im a big #20 fan and was expecting to find alot of information I never heard before. Unfortunately, this book seemed to be just a recap of the 2000 season. At times I felt I was reading old newspaper articles about the races. The very small amount of 'behind-the-scenes' stuff could have fit into 20 pages. If your a new fan or a fan of another driver this book will get you caught up with Tony's past seasons and should put the negative publicity to rest. Otherwise I would wait for Tony's book to come out but of course us diehards need to pick up everything anyway :)

Setting the record straight.......2001-12-05

As Monte Dutton's literary agent, I feel obliged to set the record straight. (...) Monte has written strictly original material; it is NOT a reprinting of items from "NASCAR This Week," syndicated by Monte's employer, The Gaston Gazette. Therefore, readers will NOT be "familiar with this material." Furthermore, Monte had no obligation to include in his comprehensive recounting of Tony Stewart's outstanding 2000 sophomore season "a coherent picture of the complex mechanics, culture and social context of racing." Gimme a break! All hard-core NASCAR fans already know this stuff. Furthermore, Monte has already covered much of this information in his first book, At Speed: Up Close and Personal with the People, Places, and Fans of NASCAR.

A must read for Stewart fans!!.......2001-07-19

This is a great book and a must read for Stewart fans...it would also be a good read for people who are critical of Stewart because it goes a long way to explaining why Tony does some of the things he does...I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Need more insight!!.......2001-07-04

I am a big Tony fan who couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. However, after reading it, I was disappointed that there wasn't more background to Tony's past (growing up, highs and lows, etc). I felt it was a basic run down of last season. Yes, there were little bits here and there but I wanted a deeper look inside to who Tony really is. I wanted to find out what makes him tick and why. I felt that I got more of a recap on last years Winston Cup season, not the inside scoop I was expecting.

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Green Day: Rebels With a Cause
Gillian Gaar
Manufacturer: Omnibus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rebels with a Cause is an in depth account of Green Day's 20 year journey from their scrappy high school band days ot international stardom

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