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 rebel biography reveals the stories behind the legend:

The James Dean Connection: An intimate look at the pivotal friendship that shaped Hopper’s career, from his days on the set of Rebel Without a Cause to the ghosts that followed.
New Hollywood Cinema: Go behind the scenes of the chaotic, revolutionary production of Easy Rider and discover how Hopper’s hell-raising vision changed filmmaking forever.
Genius and Madness: Chart the razor’s edge between brilliance and self-destruction, from his prophetic role in Apocalypse Now to his notorious, career-defining meltdown on The Last Movie.
The Pop Art Years: Explore Hopper’s life as a photographer and art collector at the heart of the Pop Art explosion, navigating friendships with icons like Andy Warhol and finding his place in a new creative world.