Hollywood Dreaming: Stories, Pictures, and Poems

In his follow-up to A California Childhood, James Franco reflects on his life in Hollywood and beyond through an intimate and powerful series of poems, artwork, and short stories.

In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed A California Childhood, James Franco presents a compelling portrait of the life of a young actor coming into his own in Hollywood. Told in an absorbing array of literary styles and art forms€"from short stories and poems to personal snapshots, paintings and self-portraits€"Hollywood Dreaming brilliantly pieces together the youth of a seemingly familiar actor, playfully blurring the line between reality and fiction. The escapades of a jaded Hollywood insider counter a series of inter-connected stories about a boy named Shrimp and the hopeful young actor he becomes. Each piece of the story, whether visual or textual, thoughtfully peels away another layer of the book€s protagonist, whose character unfolds like a Russian nesting doll. Ultimately, the collage that James Franco creates becomes a fascinating caricature of himself, a performance on the page that is equal parts provocative, funny, and emotional.