Steve McQueen, King of Cool: Tales of a Lurid Life [Hardcover]

This is one of those books that gets 1 star reviews and 5 star reviews. When some people read anything that contains gay subject matter their automatic reaction is "oh, yuck" and they do not get beyond that. The people who get beyond that tend to like this book.

Reviews:

A One Star Reviewer:

After thumbing thru Porter's alleged bio on Paul Newman, I'm not surprised that he would pick on legendary icon super cool Steve McQueen as his next target. I think it's time that McQueen's heirs such as his ex-wife, Neile and surviving son, Chad, intervene and sue Porter and his publisher for all their worth which is isn't much in literary terms. Here's an update on this book--I did thumb through some passages at Barnes & Noble--and my opinion hasn't changed much--it is still trash with very little truth in them. Porter seems to want to trash every celebrity he writes about and also "invent" preposterous dialogue to go along with his fictionous situation. I sure wish Ali McGraw, Barbara Minty or Steve's first wife, Neile Adams Toffel would sue this clown for ever writing this book.

Note About Above Reviewer: By their own admission they didn't read the book but just thumbed through for the dirty parts.

A Five Star Reviewer:

I never believed that my favorite actor, Steve McQueen, was exactly what he appeared to be on screen. No one could have survived the deep wounds of a tormented childhood and become well adjusted later in life. In a way, he said it all: "I live for myself. I answer to nobody." His wild and reckless youth included prostitution, drugs and even porn that is detailed in this lusty saga about a man who, at least temporarily, became King of the Box Office. Here are all the juicy scandals and the tantalizing behind-the-scenes stories of an actor and his involvements with his rival, Paul Newman; his idol, James Dean; his bitch Goddess, Marilyn Monroe, and countless others. He rode his motorcycle across a landscape of life and was a character far more intriguing, contradictory, impulsive, and outrageous than anything he portrayed on the screen. Although long dead, he lives again in Darwin Porter's carefully investigated saga of a screen icon.

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This is a book written for entertainment and is not really an historical commentary on the human condition of Steve McQueen, Hollywood, or anyone else. I would guess part might be compared more with gossip than hard facts. You might hate the book. You might like the book. You might get moist down there while reading the book. I don't know. :)