{"product_id":"west-of-eden-an-american-place-paperback","title":"West of Eden: An American Place - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJean Stein\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER - An epic, mesmerizing oral history of Hollywood and Los Angeles from the author of the contemporary classic \u003ci\u003eEdie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJean Stein transformed the art of oral history in her groundbreaking book \u003ci\u003eEdie: American Girl, \u003c\/i\u003e an indelible portrait of Andy Warhol \"superstar\" Edie Sedgwick, which was edited with George Plimpton. Now, in \u003ci\u003eWest of Eden, \u003c\/i\u003e she turns to Los Angeles, the city of her childhood. Stein vividly captures a mythic cast of characters: their ambitions and triumphs as well as their desolation and grief. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e These stories illuminate the bold aspirations of five larger-than-life individuals and their families. \u003ci\u003eWest of Eden\u003c\/i\u003e is a work of history both grand in scale and intimate in detail. At the center of each family is a dreamer who finds fortune and strife in Southern California: Edward Doheny, the Wisconsin-born oil tycoon whose corruption destroyed the reputation of a U.S. president and led to his own son's violent death; Jack Warner, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, who together with his brothers founded one of the world's most iconic film studios; Jane Garland, the troubled daughter of an aspiring actress who could never escape her mother's schemes; Jennifer Jones, an actress from Oklahoma who won the Academy Award at twenty-five but struggled with despair amid her fame and glamour. Finally, Stein chronicles the ascent of her own father, Jules Stein, an eye doctor born in Indiana who transformed Hollywood with the creation of an unrivaled agency and studio. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In each chapter, Stein paints a portrait of an outsider who pins his or her hopes on the nascent power and promise of Los Angeles. Each individual's unyielding intensity pushes loved ones, especially children, toward a perilous threshold. \u003ci\u003eWest of Eden\u003c\/i\u003e depicts the city that has projected its own image of America onto the world, in all its idealism and paradox. As she did in \u003ci\u003eEdie, \u003c\/i\u003e Jean Stein weaves together the personal recollections of an array of individuals to create an astonishing tapestry of a place like no other. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for\u003ci\u003e West of Eden\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Compulsively readable, capturing not just a vibrant part of the history of Los Angeles--that uniquely 'American Place' Stein refers to in her subtitle--but also the real drama of this town . . . It's like being at an insider's cocktail party where the most delicious gossip about the rich and powerful is being dished by smart people, such as Gore Vidal, Joan Didion, Arthur Miller and Dennis Hopper. . . . Mesmerizing.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Perhaps the most surprising thing that emerges from this riveting book is a glimpse of what seems like deep truth. It's possible that oral history as Stein practices it . . . is as close as we're going to come to the real story of anything.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Enthralling . . . brings some of  L.A.'s] biggest personalities to life . . . As she did for Edie Sedgwick in \u003ci\u003eEdie: American Girl, \u003c\/i\u003e  Stein] harnesses a gossipy chorus of voices.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Even if you're a connoisseur of Hollywood tales, you've probably never heard these. . . . As ever, gaudy, debauched, merciless Hollywood has the power to enthrall its audience.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"The tales of jaw-dropping excess, cruelty, and betrayal are the stuff of movies, and the pleasures are immense.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This riveting oral history chronicles the development of Los Angeles, from oil boomtown to Tinseltown.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(\"Must List\")\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJean Stein\u003c\/b\u003e was the longtime editor of \u003ci\u003eGrand Street\u003c\/i\u003e magazine and a former editor at \u003ci\u003eThe Paris Review\u003c\/i\u003e. She was the author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Journey: The Times of Robert Kennedy, \u003c\/i\u003ean oral history with interviews by Stein and edited by George Plimpton; \u003ci\u003eEdie: American Girl, \u003c\/i\u003ewhich was edited with Plimpton; and \u003ci\u003eWest of Eden: An American Place, \u003c\/i\u003ean oral history of Hollywood and Los Angeles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 7.9 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 21, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52445640851763,"sku":"9780812987935","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/WDF2Z3FRWGQyVHJtL0luZTM4dzZuQT09.webp?v=1758967149","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/west-of-eden-an-american-place-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}