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William J. Mann

Biography

William J. Mann

William J. Mann is the New York Times bestselling author of KATE: The Woman Who Was Hepburn; HOW TO BE A MOVIE STAR: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood; HELLO, GORGEOUS: Becoming Barbra Streisand; and WISECRACKER: The Life and Times of William Haines, winner of the Lambda Literary Award. He divides his time between Connecticut and Cape Cod.

William J. Mann

Books by William J. Mann

by William J. Mann - Biography, Entertainment, Nonfiction, Performing Arts

The most influential movie actor of his era, Marlon Brando changed the way other actors perceived their craft. His approach was natural, honest and deeply personal, resulting in performances --- most notably in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront --- that are without parallel. Brando’s impact on American culture matches his professional significance; he both challenged and codified our ideas of masculinity and sexuality. Brando was also one of the first stars to use his fame as a platform to address social, political and moral issues, courageously calling out America’s deeply rooted racism. William Mann’s biography of the Hollywood legend illuminates this culture icon for a new age.

by William J. Mann - Biography, History, Nonfiction

Drawing on previously hidden historical documents and interviews with the long-silent "illegitimate" branch of the Roosevelt family, William J. Mann paints an elegant, meticulously researched and groundbreaking group portrait of this legendary clan. Mann argues that the Roosevelts’ rise to power and prestige was actually driven by a series of intense personal contests that at times devolved into blood sport. THE WAR OF THE ROOSEVELTS is the story of a family at war with itself, of social Darwinism at its most ruthless --- in which the strong devoured the weak and repudiated the inconvenient.