| The unwanted offspring of Hollywood, Jesse Newman and Rikki Lee Travolta battle through the turmoil of emotional childhood abuse. In a sorrowful quest for the emotional acceptance that eludes them from their distant and abusive families, as young men they turn to careers themselves in Hollywood in the hopes that fame will provide a substitute for love.
Newman is blessed with the skills to succeed as an actor. Travolta is a guy who looks good with his shirt off. Through the luck of sleeping with the right casting agent, Travolta is the one who ends up with the successful career in Hollywood while his more talented but less lucky best friend Newman falls off the figurative face earth facing dejection after dejection as an actor and in his personal life. While one man's star rises and the other's falls, they both fall into the terrible web of alcohol and drug addiction, ultimately destroying one if not both. In this exploration of the sordid elements of an actors life, Travolta writes with great passion and an authentic if self-deprecating voice. | ||
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Plot & Themes job/profession: Job/profession/poverty story Yes Kind of living: - Phys disability/mental struggle? Yes Struggle with - drugs Story of entertainer? - TV Drama Actor Period of greatest activity? - 1950+ Subject of Biography Gender - Male Profession/status: Ethnicity - American Indian Nationality - Italian Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 () United States Yes City? Yes City: - New York - Los Angeles - dirty, grimy (like New York) - wealthy - - rude people - Chicago Misc setting - Fancy Mansion Century: - 1980's-Present Writing Style Book makes you feel? - thoughtful - like laughing Graphic sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - - - - licking - use of artificial tools - descript. of female anat. (the big B's) - actual description of hetero sex - descript. of female anat. (the big V) If this is a kid's book: - Age 16-Adult Pictures/Illustrations? - A few 1-5 B&W How much dialogue in bio? - significantly more descript than dialog How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 51%-75% of book |
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