Hollywood: Photos and Stories from Foreverland

Hollywood: Photos and Stories from Foreverland
Author(s)
Genre(s)
Age Range
8+
Release Date
April 24, 2018
ISBN
9781250086020

A photographic tour of the different sides of Hollywood by the bestselling author of life.love.beauty.

The actor, photographer, and bestselling author reveals the Hollywood we see--and the one we don't--with a photography narrative featuring more than 250 emotionally charged color and black and white photos.

Keegan Allen is a Hollywood native, growing up in a world that millions visit and many more imagine. With an avid fan base that follows him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and a busy career that includes seven years on the hit series Pretty Little Liars as well as films directed by James Franco and Gia Coppola, Allen also is a lifelong photographer whose first book, life.love.beauty, was a national bestseller.

Now Keegan turns his eye and camera to the place he knows best. Hollywood captures the beauty and glamour of the place itself--with unusual angles of the famous sign, the glint of sidewalk stars stamped into the entrance of the Grauman's TCL Chinese Theater in the rain, the Chateau Marmont at twilight, secret local hideaways, red carpets and more--but also the darker side of dreams unrealized in the faces, hands, eyes, and footsteps of those who live on the fringe of celebrity. His photos are enhanced by revealing, intimate captions, lyrics, and other writing, as well as hand-drawn illustrations, exciting parodies, and iconic emulations. A book that will engage and surprise Keegan's legions of fans and followers, Hollywood is an essential gift for anyone who has visited or imagined this storied place.

A photographic tour of the different sides of Hollywood by the bestselling author of life.love.beauty.

The actor, photographer, and bestselling author reveals the Hollywood we see--and the one we don't--with a photography narrative featuring more than 250 emotionally charged color and black and white photos.

Keegan Allen is a Hollywood native, growing up in a world that millions visit and many more imagine. With an avid fan base that follows him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and a busy career that includes seven years on the hit series Pretty Little Liars as well as films directed by James Franco and Gia Coppola, Allen also is a lifelong photographer whose first book, life.love.beauty, was a national bestseller.

Now Keegan turns his eye and camera to the place he knows best. Hollywood captures the beauty and glamour of the place itself--with unusual angles of the famous sign, the glint of sidewalk stars stamped into the entrance of the Grauman's TCL Chinese Theater in the rain, the Chateau Marmont at twilight, secret local hideaways, red carpets and more--but also the darker side of dreams unrealized in the faces, hands, eyes, and footsteps of those who live on the fringe of celebrity. His photos are enhanced by revealing, intimate captions, lyrics, and other writing, as well as hand-drawn illustrations, exciting parodies, and iconic emulations. A book that will engage and surprise Keegan's legions of fans and followers, Hollywood is an essential gift for anyone who has visited or imagined this storied place.

Editor reviews

2 reviews
Hollywood
(Updated: July 01, 2018)
Overall rating
 
3.0
Plot
 
N/A
Characters
 
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Writing Style
 
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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
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HOLLYWOOD is the second photographic journal by Pretty Little Liars’ star, Keegan Allen. This time he showcases people and places exclusively from Tinseltown. Though there are some familiar faces, such as Lucy Hale and Tyler Blackburn, the majority of his subjects are ones you can find any given day on Hollywood Boulevard. There are costumed characters, tourists, homeless people, social media influencers, and regular passersby.

HOLLYWOOD seems to be Allen’s love letter to the title city, and in many ways, the chosen pictures made me feel like I was there. Having lived in Los Angeles for a period of time, the imagery made me nostalgic, but also reminded me why I left. Allen’s Hollywood is the real Hollywood, not the one we’re used to seeing in the movies. I’m impressed by his ability to capture both the allure of the town, as well as the air of desperation. Yet, though his lens is honest, it’s not brutal. There is a certain level of hope and we’re-all-in-this-together atmosphere to his work.

What makes HOLLYWOOD especially poignant is that Allen grew up there and then joined the ranks of the dreamers. The entire book focuses on these dreamers and where they pursue said dream. Even though the book has minimal text, all the poetry, anonymous stories, and photo captions revolve around this theme. Some stories are positive, some are negative, but they all are human and relatable. My favorite piece is “This Foreverland.” It’s the best summation of many people’s relationship with Hollywood; “Looking for this foreverland. Lost in this foreverland.”

Allen has many photographs near and around the famous Hollywood sign, as well as other iconic locations, such as the Walk of Fame, Chateau Marmont, Paramount Pictures Studio, and more. He doesn’t leave many stones unturned.

Anyone who’s ever been to Hollywood or has wanted to go will enjoy this book. It’s visually appropriate for all ages and perfect decoration for a coffee table.
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