Hopper: A Savage American Journey

As unconventional a biography as Dennis Hopper was a man, Hopper: A Journey into the American Dream by Tom Folsom charts his roller coaster life and career through the lens of the landscape of American popular culture.

The chopper-riding hippie outlaw in Easy Rider. The prophetic madman in the jungle in Apocalypse Now. The terrifying psychopath in Blue Velvet. The kid gone wrong in Rebel Without a Cause. The actor taken under the wing of James Dean, a friendship that set Dennis Hopper on his path to becoming a star. A quintessentially American dreamer longing to be the next Orson Welles. The hell-raising director who revolutionized Hollywood.

Dennis Hopper’s extraordinary journey takes him to superhero highs and plummeting lows. Capturing the magic and the madness of his American Dream, Hopper is a wild ride through Dennis’s many lives. Written in a rebel spirit, complemented with iconic photographs, and packed with insights from his fellow actors, artists, and friends, Hopper tells the story of a half-century of rebellion waged at the edge of pop culture.

This is the story of how a Kansas farm boy became Hollywood’s most dangerous man—and then a legend.

• James Dean’s Protégé: Discover the intense, career-shaping friendship between two of Hollywood’s most iconic rebels, and the acting secrets Dean shared with a young Hopper.
• New Hollywood Auteur: Go behind the scenes of the chaotic, revolutionary making of Easy Rider, the film that blew up the studio system and defined a generation.
• Pop Art Insider: Explore Hopper’s deep connections to the art world, from championing Andy Warhol’s soup cans to building a legendary, multi-million-dollar collection.
• The Ultimate Hollywood Comeback: Chart Hopper’s path from the notorious failure of The Last Movie and his exile in Taos to his triumphant, terrifying return in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers.