Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Breathtaking!
  • GREAT PHOTO BOOK!
  • LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
  • Necessary to a Marilyn's fan
  • Beautiful Art
Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting
Bert Stern
Manufacturer: Schirmer Art Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3888141915

Book Description

Bert Stern / Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting

Bert Stern, the famous commercial and fashion photographer of the 60s, was the last to be granted a sitting by Marilyn Monroe six weeks before her tragic death. The three-day session yielded nearly 2,600 pictures—fashion, portrait, and nude studies—of indescribable sensual and human vibrancy, of which no more than 20 were published. And yet these few photographs ineradicably shaped our image of Marilyn Monroe. This book presents the complete set of 2,571 photos. The monumental body of work by the master photographer and the Hollywood actress marks a climax in the history of star photography, both in quantity and quality. It is a unique affirmation of the erotic dimension of photography and the eroticism of taking photos, and it is the world's finest and largest tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

Text by Bert Stern

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Breathtaking!.......2007-04-03

Its simply a must in every Marilyn collection! Its like spending an entire day with her! If you like Marilyn you will love this book with hundreds of pics.

5 out of 5 stars GREAT PHOTO BOOK!.......2007-03-11

Thanks Bert Stern a wonderful photo documentary about
Marilyn Monroe.

I was very impressed from the pictures.

Thank you!

5 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS BOOK!!!.......2007-03-11

I love this book!! It's so interesting to read Bert Stern's story in the beginning because we get to read about Marilyn in a whole new light from a different perspective. It just proves how captivating she was. And the pictures are incredible and haunting at the same time since she died 6 weeks later. If you are a devoted Marlyn Monroe fan, you need this book. It's worth the money because there are over 2500 pictures and it is not a small book. I believe it is 9 pounds! She's beautiful and the pictures definitely capture her beauty, even at age 36!

5 out of 5 stars Necessary to a Marilyn's fan.......2007-01-17

There was late for international shipping (the book was a gift for Christmas).
I had an excellent contact with the team who explain me the difficult.
Finally, I received the book on time.
Beautiful Marilyn and a lot of unknowed photographies.
Best value for a beautiful book.

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful Art.......2007-01-12

The book is awesome. The pictures are besutiful and I keep the book out on the coffee table as an art piece. Everytime I have company my guests are astounded of all the different elements of art in Marilyn's last seating.
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • about the "late" Marilyn Monroe
  • murdered or not mr. wolfe doesn't tell real story not profitable for him
  • Card Carrying Psychiatrist?
  • mr. spoto is insidious he mentions nancy miracle but in such a way as to discredit her real story
  • Don was right!
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe
Donald H. Wolfe
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688162886

Book Description

With explosive new revelations concerning the "National Security Matter" that led to the cover-up of her murder, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is a page-turning account of one of the most shocking crimes of the century. Donald H. Wolfe meticulously chronicles her final days, names the killer, documents the mode of death, and identifies those who orchestrated the cover-up. The pieces of the puzzle regarding Monroe's mysterious death finally lock in place with the testimony of the remaining two key witnesses who have come forward for the first time.

Assistant District Attorney John Miner, present at the autopsy, reveals his secret interview with Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist. He also explains why Marilyn Monroe was a homicide victim, and why he is calling for a new investigation and the exhumation of her body.

Newly discovered CIA and FBI files document the dark secret in Marilyn's relationship with the Kennedys, the truth behind her break-up with the President, the shocking facts about the star's last weekend at Cal-Neva, and the many bizarre events that took place at Marilyn's home the day she died.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars about the "late" Marilyn Monroe.......2007-02-25

Hi ! I may be wrong but I don't think Don got it right this time - his book on the Black Dahlia, on the contrary, is by far the most convincing that was ever written on the subject. What killed Marilyn is most probably a serial killer that I happen to have encountered myself. His name is nervous breakdown. But why for godsake did Peter Lawford introduced her as the "late" Marilyn Monroe at Kennedy's birthday party ONLY 3 months before she died and would for ever be referred to as the late Marilyn Monroe ? Was it a most cynical inside joke given the fact that - as we know it now - he and his brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy are rumoured to have visited Monroe on the day she died ?

1 out of 5 stars murdered or not mr. wolfe doesn't tell real story not profitable for him.......2006-06-01

Nancy Miracle wrote the real story and Mr. Wolfe stole what he could the only real story is told and available through the marilyn monroe foundation marilyn monroe had a real life and that real life is available =through the marilyn monroe foundation only

3 out of 5 stars Card Carrying Psychiatrist?.......2005-10-22

I share the concern of amazon reviewer Thomas Hughes that author Donald Wolfe accuses people close to Marilyn of being communists.

This didn't detract much from Mr. Hughes' love of the book, but it sure gives me a problem.

The 2005 movie "Good Night And Good Luck" spells out the danger of accusing people of communist tendencies. Donald Wolfe should watch it.

I can try to defend just one of the deceased victims of Mr. Wolfe's witch hunt. Dr. Ralph Greenson was the best known psychoanalyst in California in the 1950s and 60s. He was a professor at the UCLA medical school in that era before David Geffen put his name all over it.

I simply cannot believe that Dr. Greenson attended Communist Party meetings as late as 1962 when he counselled Marilyn as the last months of her life ticked away. He also supported JFK, so why support a leader who tries to overthrow communism in Cuba?

UCLA probably was just as bureaucratic and underfunded in 1962 as it is today, but it's a real stretch to think that a professor at the medical school endorsed communism. Then I'm supposed to believe that he hired one Eunice Murray to spy on Marilyn on behalf of the party?!?

Don't get me wrong, I accept that Jack and Bobby used women as toys including Marilyn. But the Communist Party could care less about that.

1 out of 5 stars mr. spoto is insidious he mentions nancy miracle but in such a way as to discredit her real story.......2005-09-13

he tries in this book but fails and because he just researched the old story through the old hollywood lies but when he does mention nancy maniscalco her real daughter and in such a way as if she were related to the kennedy's it makes one sick what a sellout if he was that close to the reality and then went for the old crapola see www.marilynmonroefoundation.com for how to get the real uncensored story of the real woman and her daughter published by the marilyn monroe foundation

5 out of 5 stars Don was right!.......2005-08-07

Donald Wolfe nailed the theory of Marilyn's death years ago....I know him personally....no one cared then and his book sat idle. This book tells it as it probably was. Good job Don.....you finally have the answers......
My Story: Illustrated Edition
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Some Like It Hot, but this was ....Alright
  • Good Buy
  • Her Story
  • Surprising insights from a "blonde bombshell" movie icon
My Story: Illustrated Edition
Marilyn Monroe
Manufacturer: Taylor Trade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1589793161

Book Description

Written at the height of her fame but not published until over a decade after her death, this autobiography of actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) poignantly recounts her childhood as an unwanted orphan, her early adolescence, her rise in the film industry from bit player to celebrity, and her marriage to Joe DiMaggio.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Some Like It Hot, but this was ....Alright.......2007-08-14

The book was all about Marilyn , her life, loves and all verbatim. I know and understand more about her childhood and personal life through this book. I loved reading it and seeing all the photographs it included. I must say that the ending was so abrupt;In a way it shows how fast and unbelievably sudden Marilyn left us. The funny, witty, and even smart comments she wrote was clear to everyone she was an intelligent lady that will be remembered forever.

4 out of 5 stars Good Buy.......2007-05-12

This book had a lot of information about Marilyn as well as many pictures. Good Buy!

4 out of 5 stars Her Story.......2007-04-10

It was very interesting to read this book, since it came from Marilyn's own words. You read so many books written about her, but with MY STORY, I felt like I was having an intimate chat with a close girlfriend. I only wish there was more. I finished it in a few hours and found myself wanting to learn more about her years after her divorce from DiMaggio.

4 out of 5 stars Surprising insights from a "blonde bombshell" movie icon.......2007-04-06

Reading this book one realizes that in real life Marilyn Monroe was very observant and insightful, the antithesis of the bubble-headed role she projected both on screen and in public. In simple, almost childishly naive conversational tones, she describes her childhood as an orphan, sexually abused by an older man and married (to another man) by her late teens. She recounts the struggle as a young actress - the seemingly endless round of casting calls and dashed hopes until she begins to get noticed by the powers that be.

Her persona may be that of someone lacking street smarts, but she is also perceptive. Her observations of the usual cast of characters at Hollywood - the movers, shakers, stars and wannabes of all stripes - is surprisingly deep. She describes the myriad women whose movie roles for ten years has been limited to walk-on extras, as walking "ten feet towards nothing" after each fleeting appearance.

Her tone is wisful and longing but she never devolves into self-pity. Her famed vulnerability and her adult/child appeal comes through as very real personality traits, not as an on screen creation. She sees herself as just another pretty girl, and cannot comprehend the magic spell she cast on Hollywood and her fans. It comes as a surprise to read her revelation about sex being no big source of pleasure for her.

I would have loved to see at least a chapter's worth of commentary on her writings. Other than for the obvious luminaries who greatly impacted her life, many people she mentioned would be unfamiliar names to readers of this book. A little background on their influences on her life would have been a welcome addition to the book.
Inside Marilyn Monroe
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Searching for Marilyn
  • Skimming Marilyn Monroe
  • Better than I expected
  • The Crème de la Crème of Marilyn Monroe Biographies
  • a very sensitive an touching book about Marilyn Monroe
Inside Marilyn Monroe
John Gilmore
Manufacturer: Ferine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0978896807

Product Description

Inside Marilyn Monroe is an intense, personal memoir spanning more than a decade (1952-1962) by the then-actor John Gilmore, detailing his acquaintanceship with the most important movie star in the world, Marilyn Monroe. From Hollywood to New York, from New York back to Hollywood, the casual hello-goodbye friendship building to a point where Monroe and Gilmore were about to make a picture together but tragedy struck in Marilyn's life. Gilmore turned from acting to devote himself to writing and his memoir gathers Marilyn's personal life through many asscoaites and stars known to Marilyn and Gilmore. Revealed is a treasure-trove of facets of Marilyn's life previously unknown. Gilmore's memoir shuns the conspiracy theories as he instead focuses on Marilyn as she really was, not as the media-created, cardboard sexpot, but the living and breathing "wonder" that she was. IThis haunting, highly personal memoir contains many photographs never before published and are made public for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Searching for Marilyn.......2007-08-22

I read this book with much interest as it is one of the few works (if not standing by itself), that has does not follow the tradition aimed at commercial priority, a dedication to harvesting "bucks" from "what's hot in the media." Rather, John Gilmore's memoir on Marilyn Monroe offers a painful interior view of a troubled, misunderstood, and grossly exploited young woman in possession of enormous potentialities and abilities never to be fully realized. I propose that it must be difficult for some readers and MM "conspiracy fans" to accept the devastating view this book tends to provide. However, it seems to round out a picture of a Marilyn we have been conditioned to ignore in favor of her cultural, societal value. One reviewer attempts to discredit the author's credentials, while another considers him a genius "of the heart". The latter reviewer has a point, considering that what Gilmore gives to us about MM goes to the heart, not only of his subject, but to the reader as well. For this, I applaud this author who has brought to me rekindled interest in all things Marilyn. I recently attended the Marilyn Monroe 45th Memorial Service in Westwood, California, where Gilmore gave an impressive and moving talk, an eloquent and glowing tribute for one who passed away 45 years ago. He was apparently swept off his feet by the Marilyn he met so long ago, and perhaps has carried a torch all these years. In my opinion, he has underplayed his past association with Marilyn considerably in the memoir, INSIDE MARILYN MONROE, yet the emotional content cannot be overlooked, nor can the reader avoid confronting it. For years, Marilyn's impact was blurred, earlier movies and the like having left little reverberation in the wake of her success. Now solidly resurrected into a media wonder, a ploy as deliberate and marketed as her blown-dress shot on Times Square, all of course to MM's credit, though the real person she was, long absent from the hoopla and commercial brouhaha, in fact overlooked or lost, emerges in Gilmore's book like a sudden gust of fresh sea air. She never saw the fortunes made in her name or the bartering of her few personal possessions for millions of dollars.

Gilmore's writing is superb, confidentially toned. He has provided for me a pipeline to deeper emotions. The work is anti-exploitive, a memoir following little or no formula, and thus reminding me of the line "genius is never loyal to patterns." It is possible that this author's work (I have read several of John Gilmore's books), conflicts with the commercially programmed approaches which by their nature cloud issues but at the same time to assure high returns. Another well-understood line is that truth often proves a bitter pill to swallow. Perhaps a day will come when we might "turn that dial" to a channel that gives us an unvarnished truth. Gilmore's memoir on Marilyn Monroe appears to do just that. He is certainly on the right path. Until such a time as we may "switch" to a more meaningful media avenue, it is the varnish that will be marketed, not the truth that lies beneath. In reading this memoir, I feel I am confronting an out-of-the-way view on this enormously popular subject. Marilyn, a refreshing yet a bitter pill Gilmore gives us. There is little "glam" writing here, and an absence of judgment, The reader may find beauty and happiness in life and rejoice in witnessing the loveliness that life offers. This is what real literature is all about, always tragic by nature. It is in this niche that author Gilmore seems committed, regardless of the toes he steps upon. INSIDE MARILYN MONROE is a literary achievement in a day of crass exploitation, and though it might prove that bitter pill for some, the rewards of being able to get this close to Marilyn, to who she was and what drove her, tortured her, far outweighs the harshness Gilmore reveals about us now, the frail, faulted, silly humans scrambling for the Almighty Dollar. A work well done, standing almost as a hallmark in a media awash with insincerity. This book, a treasure trove for Marilyn fans, should be required reading in every class on Popular Culture.

2 out of 5 stars Skimming Marilyn Monroe.......2007-08-21

I was hesitant to buy this , as the title of this book about one of the most continuously exploited beings who ever lived seemed faintly suggestive of vulgar possibilities, but bought it I did. I started out not liking it, then I kind of liked it, I really wanted to.... but then I decided that overall I wasn't at all crazy about it. I know little about John Gilmore except that his name is unknown to most, he wrote a fairly successful book about the famous Black Dahlia murder, and he was seemingly on the periphery of old 1950's Hollywood. He may very well have known James Dean intimately and he may very well be one of those kooks who has repeated his stories so many times that now he himself believes them. At the most, he is a man who admittedly met Marilyn Monroe half a dozen times and therefore wrote a book about her. There are things in this book that even I as an avid and lifelong M.M. student hadn't heard before, and rare photos that I have never seen. And his quotes re: M.M. from other people who knew her in New York and Hollywood are sometimes interesting and insightful, if being second hand rememberences. But, though this rememberance is overall a sympathetic portrait, my problem with this book, other than that he didn't really "know" Marilyn at all, is that it presents only a Marilyn so inarticulate and intellectually crippled as to being rendered almost mute. It has been established that M.M. was an extremely insecure person who spent her short life trying to overcome the emotional scars of her early life. But, as many newsclips , interviews, and rememberences of others through the years show, she was often confident, articulate, self aware, and objective about her "image" and herself during her lifetime, and, undoubtedly, a huge troubled screw up much of her life as well (gee, just like a "real" human being...). To me, this rememberence presents only the troubled, insecure creature. This is not the Marilyn who singlehandidly reunited the estranged Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan in full view of an Actors Studio benefit. Who wittily quipped "I'm the same person, it's just a different suit.." to the interviewer who queried M.M. on what she interpreted as a more "refined" M.M. style. Not the Marilyn about whom photographer Elliott Erwitt said "she was a very bright person...very rarely does one meet a truly witty woman. Marilyn Monroe was one." And to the interviewer who posed the question "What is your nightmare", she replied "The H bomb, what's yours?".. or to another interviewer who asked "How does it feel to be Marilyn Monroe?" she replied "Well...how does it feel to be yourself?" No, there is no sign here of the Marilyn who bravely pursued self growth and awareness much of her entire life, in the face of overwhelming odds and extreme and very public preconceived prejudices . And while this very well may be the only view of Marilyn that Mr. Gilmore may have been exposed to in his six brief encounters with her, I simply didn't find it interesting enough to warrant having purchased the book. It abruptly ends with what everyone already knows, of course, her death...with Mr. Gilmore informing us what Marilyn was thinking in her final moments.."she wondered if she was dying..." "she knew there was a kind of electrical impulse to do with the heart that was governed by nature..." I am curious as to how he knows this. Ultimately, though I think the author attempted to present a sympatetic portrait, it is simply too one sided and at best limited to the 50 year old rememberences of one who never really knew the person. It has all the feel of one attempting to make a whole cloth out of some very spare pieces of fabric, and the positive and glowing reviews of this book have all the feel of p.r. blurbs supplied by acquaintances. I would not bother buying it if I had it to do over again. But....as always, our dearest Marilyn oddly transcends all the facts, myths, lies,...and remains Hollywoods most beautiful, supernatural, legendary , most adored citizen and film icon, and her ghost still now and probably will forever haunt the early morning misty streets of that largely imaginary town, as well as the minds of more people than almost anyone else ever in existance. That is her triumph.

3 out of 5 stars Better than I expected.......2007-08-13

I was surprised to find this book more appealing than I had expected.
It is a memior only of the author's interaction with Monroe. He does not
speculate about other aspects of her life, which I found refreshing. So,
while limited, it does give some good insight into MM and the author does
not claim to be more than he was in her life. If you are a fan, then I
think you will enjoy the book.

5 out of 5 stars The Crème de la Crème of Marilyn Monroe Biographies.......2007-06-26

John Gilmore's genius is at its peak in this penetrating biography. Because of a fascination with Marilyn Monroe that began before puberty, I have read every single book ever written about her. I love her. But I'd long been frustrated that none of the books I read gave actual breath to the real human being that Marilyn/Norma Jeane was. Not until now. At long last the book I'd been searching for all my life has been written. Even better, it's been written by one of my favorite authors. And the prose is breathtaking: "Trying to reach Gladys [Marilyn's mother] was like stirring the air, floating her further away." Finally, I can experience what it truly was like to be inside the skin of Marilyn Monroe. Opening John Gilmore's book on Marilyn means stepping into a time machine that has the capacity for mingling and merging energies to the point where the reader becomes one with Marilyn/Norma Jeane. It's more than the ultimate Marilyn Monroe experience. Reading INSIDE MARILYN MONROE illuminates the mind to a greater compassion and understanding of the human condition. To my loved ones, friends and family, there is no other book about life that I'd more strongly recommend than this one. It is an awakening. Through Marilyn Monroe, John Gilmore takes us on a journey to greater enlightenment. He does so with integrity. Every phrase he writes reverberates with truth. He knows that no matter how hard some people try to twist reality to their vision, for whatever reasons, the truth remains. And he is not afraid of facing the truth, going deep, to the core. This is why I respect him so much as a writer. I do believe he is a genius of the heart. There is no other book than this one that captures so clearly what motivated Marilyn to become a star greater than Jean Harlow. Such insights make this book a treasure for aspiring stars everywhere. Thanks to John Gilmore, the light will always shine. Especially if he performs INSIDE MARILYN MONROE on an Audio CD made available to the public. For it's about time John Gilmore shares his acting talents with his fans. I've heard him read and he's amazing. Van Gogh's Ear: The Celebrity Edition

5 out of 5 stars a very sensitive an touching book about Marilyn Monroe.......2007-05-22

This is one of the most sensitive and touching book I have ever read and owned about Marilyn Monroe. I recommend it to any Marilyn Monroe fan. It a most have.
Marilyn Monroe
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good, but missing something
  • Readable retread.
  • bravo leaming!
  • Marilyn Monroe By: Barbara Leaming
  • Page-turner but wrong conclusion
Marilyn Monroe
Barbara Leaming
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  4. Marilyn: Her Life In Her Own Words: Her Life in Her Own Words : Marilyn Monroe's Revealing Last Words and Photographs Marilyn: Her Life In Her Own Words: Her Life in Her Own Words : Marilyn Monroe's Revealing Last Words and Photographs
  5. Marilyn's Last Words: Her Secret Tapes and Mysterious Death Marilyn's Last Words: Her Secret Tapes and Mysterious Death

ASIN: 0517702606
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Amazon.com

This extraordinarily thoughtful book by Barbara Leaming, a literary star among movie-star biographers, offers the last thing you'd expect in a book on Marilyn Monroe: new information from verifiable sources. Sure, lots of the tragedy is familiar: an abused, confused girl from an orphanage with a mother in a madhouse rises from sexual party favor for homely showbiz men to the movie superstar who pushes them around, until she crashes, a victim of self-loathing and drug addiction.

The thing about a tragedy is that its heroine isn't a victim--she's responsible for her fate. Leaming does scholarly spadework, digging up hard facts from sources like UCLA's 20th Century Fox collection and the diary-like first drafts of Arthur Miller's semiautobiographical work, and she makes sense of Monroe's motives. She even apparently solves Monroe's suicide with clues from the star's psychiatrist's letters in the Anna Freud collection. Her last overdose may have happened just because her shrink went to dinner with his wife and she felt abandoned.

But until pills killed her, Monroe wasn't a candle in the wind. She burned with ambition and knew how to craft a persona and play power games--with moguls and with the commie-busters hounding her husband Miller. Leaming plausibly analyzes the Miller-Monroe-Elia Kazan love/hate triangle, sizes up the Kennedy connection, busts her acting coach Lee Strasberg as "chillingly mercenary," and deftly shows just how her life entangled her art, film by film.

This book has a woman's touch: it's a work of sharp intellect and emotional insight unclouded by lust or star worship. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

Barbara Leaming's Marilyn Monroe is a complex, sympathetic portrait that will totally change the way we view the most enduring icon of American sexuality. To those who think they have heard all there is to hear about Marilyn Monroe, think again. Leaming's book tells a brand-new tale of sexual, psychological, and political intrigue of the highest order. Told for the first time in all its complexity, this is a compelling portrait of a woman at the center of a drama with immensely high stakes, a drama in which the other players are some of the most fascinating characters from the world's of movies, theater, and politics. It is a book that shines a bright light on one of the most tumultuous, frightening, and exciting periods in American culture.
        
Basing her research on new interviews and on thousands of primary documents, including revealing letters by Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan, John Huston, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, Darryl Zanuck, Marilyn's psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson, and many others, Leaming has reconstructed the tangles of betrayal in Marilyn's life. For the first time, a master storyteller has put together all of the pieces and told Marilyn's story with the intensity and drama it so richly deserves.
        
At the heart of this book is a sexual triangle and a riveting story of betrayal that has never been told before. You will come away filled with new respect for Marilyn's incredible courage, dignity, and loyalty, and an overwhelming sense of tragedy after witnessing Marilyn, powerless to overcome her demons, move inexorably to her own final, terrible betrayal of herself.
        
Marilyn Monroe is a book that will make you think--and will break your heart.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good, but missing something.......2006-08-12

I am a Marilyn Monroe bio junkie, and this bio was good; however, I was disappointed in the ending.

I felt the author tied up Marilyn's death too quickly, simply stating that the actress committed suicide. The reason this bothered me as a reader is because there are questions as to whether Marilyn really did commit suicide.

This is a good book to learn about Marilyn's youth and her start in Hollywood, as well as her marriages; however, if you want to investigate the death of Marilyn, I recommend Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summer OR Marilyn Monroe: The Last Days by Donald H. Wolfe. Both books are thoroughly researched, and the authors inform their readers of how they obtained information.

3 out of 5 stars Readable retread........2006-08-01

This book is a very well written highly readable retread of everything you already know about Monroe.

However, it does have a particularly strong emphasis on financial issues, contract negotiations and Monroe's money battles with the studios. This book contains far more detail about Monroe's financial dealings with Hollywood than you will probably find anywhere else. Not sure why though

Besides giving the reader all they've ever wanted to know about Monroe's finances (it is unbeleivable by today's standards that Monroe was living in rinky dink apartments and using a party line after becoming a major star) the reader is given reams of detail on her early relationship with Aurthur Miller and Miller's homo erotic professional, personal and political rivalry with Elia Kazan. Miller and Kazan are given almost as much ink as Monroe in this book.

Ms. Leamer tows the party line on Monroe. No one will argue that Monroe was not a tragic figure but it's old. There's more to Monroe's story than her tragic insecurity and her fragility and vulnerability (she wasn't so vulnerable when it came to negotiating her later contracts though nor was she so over wrought with sensitivity that she couldn't turn Milton Greene out afte all he'd done for her). Why was the most beautiful woman in the world alone so much? Could it be because she was tedious, draining, overwrought, consuming and manipulative? Maybe. But we can't look to writers like Ms. Leaming to explain.

This book is well suited to a first time reader of material on Monroe. It is a good read that does a good job of weaving together the chain of events that led to Monroe's stardom. It fails, however, to put Monroe into perspective. It fails to veer from the well worn and explain to the reader why Monroe was living in a cluttered three bedroom bungelow when she was the biggest star on the face of the Earth. Has the myth of Monroe been woven since her death by people like Ms. Leamer? There must be some explanation in Monroe's behavior and relationships that explains why she died alone, in a middle class home, on a Saturday night with only her house keeper for company and why this is so incongruous with the surreal stature Monroe is viewed with today.

We surely won't find out from books like this.

5 out of 5 stars bravo leaming!.......2006-01-31

i am a huge fan of barbara leaming, she is the one the best writers and she has managaed to humanize marilyn as no one has before, the book was fluid and wasn't over-whelming as most marilyn books are, hurrah! barbara! if there is a chance that you are reading this, i would love if you wrote about dorothy dandridge, i think she'd make a great subject for you!

5 out of 5 stars Marilyn Monroe By: Barbara Leaming.......2006-01-23

Film star, singer, model, oh, the life! Born on June 1, 1926, to Gladys Baker, a star was born. But it wasn't as easy as it sounds. Growing up in orphanages and foster homes isn't exactly the perfect childhood. Norma Jeane's mom was admitted to a mental institution at age nine, when she was sent to an orphanage. She later moved in with a family friend until she was sixteen. They couldn't afford to take care of her any longer so she had to make a decision: go back to an orphanage or get married. That's when she chose to marry Jimmy Dougherty (age 21) on June 19, 1942. He was sent off to the South Pacific after joining the Merchant Marines, so Norma Jeane had to find a job. She began to work in an assembly line at the Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank, CA. Yank Magazine photographer, David Conover, was the one who "discovered" Norma Jeane as a model. He began giving her modeling jobs as her new career. Norma Jeane divorced Jimmy Dougherty in 1946 because he made her choose between a career and their marriage. She chose career. On August 26, 1946, she signed her first studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox. Not too long after, she died her hair blonde and was told to change her name. Norma Jeane was soon to be known as Marilyn Monroe. And now, her movie career started! Her very first movie role was in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, in 1947. She began starring in many other movies until she starred in Niagara, where is said to have jumped her career ahead. On January 14, 1954, Marilyn married a famous baseball star, Joe DiMaggio. They soon divorced on October 27, 1954 due to "conflict of careers." Marilyn owned her own motion picture company named, Marilyn Monroe Productions. On June 29, 1956, she married Arthur Miller. He wrote part of the movie, The Misfits for her. Starring Marilyn and her favorite actor, Clark Gable. That was to be their last completed film. On January 20, 1961, Marilyn divorced Arthur. Not soon after winning the Golden Globes award for female- World Film Favorite, she was found dead at age 36 in her bed on August 5, 1962. There is no real proof as to how she died, but all we know is that there was an empty bottle of pills found lying next to her along with a telephone in her hand. This book is one of the best books I've ever read. Biographies are normally boring, but this one is not. Barbara Leaming used her very vivid detailed vocabulary to describe the wonderful life of the newest sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe.
This book is so wonderful because it actually shows and describes real life troubles of one of the most famous people of her time. Marilyn Monroe had a very hard childhood. Her mom was sent to a mental institution so she had to go to an orphanage and later to a foster home where they brought her up very strictly and religiously. Marilyn never had a stable place to live until she was pretty much forced to marry at the age of sixteen! It seemed that every time that Marilyn would find love, they would run away because her career didn't exactly fit the role of a "house wife." Marilyn wasn't accepted by anyone but her fans. And they just didn't understand the real her. Her whole life, Marilyn tried so hard to be someone that she wasn't. All she wanted was to be loved and no one accepted her for who she really was.
Marilyn Monroe is a very good book because it shows how hard you have to work to accomplish what you want to be in life. Marilyn wanted to be a movie star all her life. Stardom was everyone's dream. But, it's not as easy to accomplish as you may think. Marilyn Monroe was turned down by many of people. Not everyone wanted to have someone who represented sex in their movies. Not everyone was looking for that kind of girl, most producers were looking for the homey kind of girl and Marilyn just didn't fit that role. Marilyn was suspended from her career without an income for a while because she just simply refused to accept the job without looking at the script first. People in the show business like to take advantage of everyone. Marilyn Monroe had searched every where for someone to help her with her acting. No one wanted to work with her. Until Lee Strasberg noticed her talent and helped her when she moved to New York City. Becoming a star isn't easy and this book shows you just exactly why it isn't.
This book is also good not only because it shows you the troubles of being an actress, but it also shows you how wonderful being a star can be and all the benefits from it. In Marilyn Monroe's career she completed a total of 30 films and left one unfinished. She won many awards such as: 2 Golden Globe awards for being a Female World Film Favorite, she was titled Playboy "sweetheart" of the month, she was titled one of the 100 sexiest women, she was titled Best Foreign Actress numerous times, and many others. She was even so famous that she started her own motion picture company: Marilyn Monroe Productions. Marilyn Monroe was featured on a 32 cent stamp, she married many famous people, and she even got to star in a movie with her all time favorite actor, Clark Gable! What a dream come true. So, being a star isn't always about all the hard times. I would say that all the good things that came out of her stardom make up for all of Marilyn's misfortunes.
All together, this book is one of the best books I've ever read. Part of that being that I'm a true fan of Marilyn's and part of that being that author, Barbara Leaming, has wonderful talent and made this book so worth reading. Just her vocabulary and wording helps you actually feel like you were there with Marilyn when she went through her whole life. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading. This book is worth your time. Read it.

4 out of 5 stars Page-turner but wrong conclusion.......2004-07-28

I gave this book 4 stars simply because once I started it I couldn't put it down. Of course I love Marilyn Monroe. Who wouldn't after seeing one of her films? But this is the first book I've read about her. Leaming has a fast-paced, journalistic style. She gives a lot of facts, but also a lot of speculation. I took one star away because one could actually rename the book: Marilyn Monroe as described by the men around her. And she knew a lot of selfish users! On the one hand they tell us she's a vicious ballbreaker. On the other, we hear that she's nothing but a weak, mentally ill junkie. Which is it? She couldn't be both at the same time. My impression is that she had to fight misogyny with both fists from the day she was born until the day she died. And she was brilliant, regardless of the alcohol/pill habit...Based on Leaming's account, I would call Dr. Ralph Greenson an extremely questionable figure. He appears to spend all his time hovering around just one client, Marilyn. He knows the first thing she needs is to get off alcohol and pills, yet instead he guarantees that she's always amply supplied with both. He personally chooses Marilyn's lawyer, Mickey Rudin, and her housekeeper, Eunice Murray. Greenson has no concern whatsoever about doctor-patient privilege (confidentiality), and even has a private lunch with Marilyn's boss in Fox's executive conference room weeks before her death. What sort of a shrink is this?...Leaming concludes that Marilyn killed herself, but my opinion, based on the same material, is that it was someone else who decided to silence her permanently.
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Finally--Facts and not Fiction
  • Spoto's biography delivers
  • GREAT BIOGRAPHY ABOUT "MARILYN".
  • Not convinced.....
  • The Best Book On Marilyn
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography
Donald Spoto
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  1. Legend: The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe Legend: The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe
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ASIN: 0060179872

Book Description

Based on more than 150 interviews, this in-depth biography casts new light on every aspect of Marilyn Monroe's thirty-six years: her mysterious childhood and adolescence; her complex marriages; her personal and professional relationships; and the truth about her death.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Finally--Facts and not Fiction.......2007-07-24

Donald Spoto, a very well respected biographer, has written what is probably the best biography of the 50s icon. Contrary to a previous review here, he does not spend that much time on her death; what he DOES do though is give very plausible facts from inside sources that make sense. The hysterical theories and ravings of conspiracy loons that abound out there are not to be found here, and Spoto easily strips away their credibility. Spoto has obviously interviewed people that actually knew Marilyn, not fans who have one snapshot taken with the star that they turn into a career. Get this book--it is the one to refer to.

4 out of 5 stars Spoto's biography delivers.......2007-03-20

It is hard to imagine the kind of painstaking research that went into creating this comprehensive work of exquisite detail. Spoto not only captures the unique essence of MM's engaging personality, he includes the minutiae of her life experiences to such a degree that even someone who did not grow up surrounded by her iridescent image would feel a part of this era. Especially interesting are the intricate details of her early life, which would later so greatly affect her vulnerable psyche.

Unfortunately, what put me off were the conclusions he draws regarding the controversial circumstances of her death. He offers some bizarre theories, apparently of his own supposition, based on less than concrete evidence and woven to fit unanswered questions. You may find his theories plausible; you may find them ridiculous. Although he does argue a somewhat convincing case, I have never seen or heard of any other documentation that would support these claims. I believe the only real conclusion to be drawn is that we will never fully answer all the questions surrounding the mystery of her death.

This is the story of a very special lady, a lost and deeply lonely little girl who would reach her whole life for an intangible dream of fulfillment that would slip again and again through her fingers. This comprensive work does well in capturing the spirit of that struggle, and those who exploited it. Judge for yourself the validity of Spoto's allegations. Beyond that, you will find this a thorough and engrossing portrayal of our most luminous screen goddess.

5 out of 5 stars GREAT BIOGRAPHY ABOUT "MARILYN"........2007-03-11

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read
about the icon "Marilyn Monroe".

Highly recommended.

3 out of 5 stars Not convinced............2007-03-04

I have read many Marilyn biographies and all have inconsistencies.

Spoto's version is just the same -- he spends a lot of time pontificating about the details and the aftermath of Marilyn's untimely death.

Minute details were also different from other Marilyn bios I have read.

Mugsy, her dog, according to Spoto was male and adopted by Marilyn.

In another bio, the dog's name is spelled Muggsie is female and was purchased by Jim Dougherty to be a companion to Marilyn during his Merchant Marine days.

I figure if writers can't get that small detail correct (both authors claim to have interviewed Jim Doughtery), how can the authors get the real version of Marilyn's death correct?

I doubt anyone will ever know the truth about Marilyn's life and death.



5 out of 5 stars The Best Book On Marilyn.......2007-02-08

I bought my first book on MM back in 1982 (Yep, it was Robert Slatzer's book!). Since that time, I have read close to 20 books on MM. I think for anyone who wants the closest thing to the truth regarding, among other things, Marilyn's death, her supposed "secret marriage", and her reported "affairs" with both John and Robert Kennedy, this is the book to read. Great job by Donald Spoto! He captures the real woman behind the MM mystic. I love the chapter of MM entertaining the troops, and how great an experience it was for both her and the soldiers.
Blonde: A Novel
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Potentially Oates's Best, But Too Tawdry, and Too Graphic
  • Tour de force
  • Sad but addictive reading
  • A cautionary tale based on the life of a silver screen goddess
  • SO MONROE
Blonde: A Novel
Joyce Carol Oates
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006093493X
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Amazon.com

Penzler Pick, April 2000: It is surprising and shocking to realize that Joyce Carol Oates, one of the great writers living today, has never made The New York Times bestseller list (at least not in recent memory). Far less talented (and less famous) authors have made it while she, in all likelihood not caring much, has been shut out. That could easily change with her new novel, Blonde, which may be the masterpiece of a staggeringly distinguished career.

This 700-plus-page tome is based on the life of (you guessed it) Marilyn Monroe. In fictional form, with names changed (husband Joe DiMaggio is referred to as "The Ex-Athlete," Arthur Miller as "The Playwright," John F. Kennedy as "The President," for example), this may be the most accurate and compelling portrait of this beautiful and complex woman that one is ever likely to read.

But why discuss it on the mystery page, you might well be asking yourself. It was the author's intent to structure the book as a mystery, and of course she succeeds, as she seems to succeed at everything she attempts in the world of letters. And there is a murder, apparently arranged by a secret government bureau (FBI? CIA?), although that could be the victim's hallucination. Of course, it could also be both real and hallucinated (remember, even paranoids have enemies).

If you like biographies, you'll like Blonde. If you like novels, you'll like Blonde. If you like mysteries, you'll like Blonde. And if you fear that more than 700 pages by one of the greatest of living literary lions might be tough slogging, here's a little excerpt from the chapter titled "The President's Pimp:"

Sure he was a pimp.

But not just any pimp. Not him!

He was a pimp par excellence. A pimp nonpareil. A pimp sui generis. A pimp with a wardrobe, and a pimp with style. A pimp with a classy Brit accent. Posterity would honor him as the President's Pimp.

A man of pride and stature: the President's Pimp.

At Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs in March 1962 there was the President poking him in the ribs with a low whistle. "That blonde. That's Marilyn Monroe?"

He told the President yes it was. Monroe, a friend of his. Luscious, eh? But a little crazy.

Thoughtfully, the President asked, "Have I dated her yet?"

Nothing inaccessible about Joyce Carol Oates, especially in this most readable and relentlessly fascinating study of the lovely woman with whom the whole country was at least a little in love. --Otto Penzler

Book Description

In her most ambitious work to date, Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Baker -- the child, the woman, the fated celebrity and idolized blonde the world came to know as Marilyn Monroe. In a voice startlingly intimate and rich, Norma Jeane tells her own story of an emblematic American artist -- intensely conflicted and driven -- who had lost her way. A powerful portrait of Hollywood's myth and an extraordinary woman's heartbreaking reality, Blonde is a sweeping epic that pays tribute to the elusive magic and devastation behind the creation of the great twentieth-century American star.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Potentially Oates's Best, But Too Tawdry, and Too Graphic.......2007-09-04

This novel by Oates includes many of Oates's strengths as a writer; and, who is not interested in Marilyn Monroe? All in all, it is one of Oates's most interesting novels from a research viewpoint and she tries to get into Marilyn's head and fill in the details - albeit fictional. I thought that she failed to do so. She spent a lot of time on the small sexual details. Do we really want to know "how" the head of a studio had sex with her, and what position they were in, etc., etc.... and you can fill in the details yourself or read the book for much graphic detail. And, remember it is part fictional so it is part guess work by Oates. Less is sometimes better in literature. In short, it is a bit over the top.

Joyce Carol Oates was born in 1938 in upstate New York State and is a distinguished Professor of Humanities at Princeton. She gained fame with her first novel With Shuddering Fall in 1964. Now four decades later, she is the author of scores of novels, many short stories, essays, plays, and poetry. The present novel from is somewhere near the end of the chronological order of her body of work and we see the polished prose of an experienced writer.

I have read a number of her works from different time periods in her career and set up a Guide to Joyce Carol Oates Listmania list. Compared to her early novels, this is a straight-forward and almost a "light" read. It contains some drama but there are a few intense scenes, but less than in some other works. The novel has a good story structure and easy prose, and the reader is spared the "too much prose" found in some early works such as The Assassins. The read is mostly compelling.

Oates is known for her emotional and dramatic stories, often with women or even poor women such as students or teachers caught up in stressful situations, and often set in her native upstate New York (Niagara River - Syracuse - Erie,PA. triangle). Actually, some of her best work is found in her 10 to 20 page short stories, which are often dramatic, sometimes very intense, and many involve off-beat characters, and they include rapes, murders, and people with serious mental health issues, etc. People who have not read her collections of short stories should take a look at those.

The present novel is a departure in location but not in spirit. Marilyn Monroe was a stressed young woman with a mentally ill mother. She had to make many sacrifices to follow her acting career. Oates gives a good step by step view of her teenage years, her first days as a model, and the career that followed, along with her marriages.

This is a relatively compelling read, but very graphic, and some will be turned off by the details of Marilyn's sex life. Again, as in other works, she mixes in the tawdry a little too much. Overall I did not like it. I still prefer You Must Remember This and We Were The Mulvaneys. Both are better works.

Neutral recommendations: 4 stars.

5 out of 5 stars Tour de force.......2007-08-18

Don't believe the hype! Although widely panned, this book is superb. Less a meditation on Monroe herself, the book's real success is as a feminist critique of Hollywood. By focusing on the idea of Monroe the legend, it calls into question the entire Western project of deification and celebrity. It also works as a kalidescopic ride in and out of a multitude of literary styles and narrative voices, often operating as a brilliant piece of metafiction.

4 out of 5 stars Sad but addictive reading.......2007-07-31

I enjoyed the book even though it was pretty bleak and mostly depressing but how could it be otherwise? Monroe's life wasn't exactly the happily ever fantasy what with her rough beginning, the abuse, the sex and the drugs. I thought Oates did an enviable job of recreating Monroe's voice, her motivation and getting to the heart of the woman behind the myth. It begins with Monroe as a young child and portrays the abuse she suffers at the hands of an unstable mother and sets the ground work for Marilyn's unsuccessful search for a normal life which clashes time and time again with her overwhelming drive to become a successful and important actress.

5 out of 5 stars A cautionary tale based on the life of a silver screen goddess.......2007-07-03

I am a huge Marilyn Monroe fan; and I mean huge. My interest in her goes further than her ethereal image and numerous movie characters. I am constantly in search of any new information about her and continuously interested in her life. Needless to say, I was skeptical of Joyce Carol Oates' novel. However, Oates immediately informs the reader that this novel is not a true account of Marilyn Monroe's facinating and short life. This is a work of fiction that is based on facts, myths, and fodder that cling to the legend of Marilyn Monroe like cat hair clings to a sweater. This is an enthralling read and Oates' writing style is both poetic and beautifully post-modern. A warning to devoted Marilyn Monroe fans: This novel should be approached with an open-mind. Try to refrain from passing judgement on Oates. Try to realize that her creation may seem at times a little harsh, but she respects Marilyn Monroe and has created an absorbing piece of literature.

5 out of 5 stars SO MONROE.......2007-06-27

THIS BOOK IS FABULOUS FOR A MARILYN FAN - PICK IT UP AND CHECK IT OUT!!
Misplaced Loyalties: The Assassinations of Marilyn Monroe & the Kennedy Brothers
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Bizarre but interesting
  • ...maybe JFK just needed to be removed/assassinated
  • Don't waste time and energy
  • Fasinating
Misplaced Loyalties: The Assassinations of Marilyn Monroe & the Kennedy Brothers
Victor E. Justice
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1412068932
Release Date: 2006-06-30

Product Description

The assassinations of Marilyn Monroe, JFK and RFK, the people and events surrounding those murders, and their impact on American history. New, first-hand evidence will be disclosed from a CIA scientist who worked in an assassinations laboratory in Upstate New York, as well as the man who fired the fatal headshot that killed President Kennedy.

Misplaced Loyalties is the result of five years of research and interviews of numerous interested parties, including a former CIA scientist, who had two weeks prior knowledge of the JFK assassination in Dallas. He was also told two weeks after the fact how Marilyn Monroe was murdered with plausible deniability of a suicide. Also included is new information about the man who fired the fatal headshot from the grassy knoll that killed President Kennedy in Dallas, and a college intern who observed the celebratory mood on Air Force One as it returned from Love Field to Andrews AFB in Washington, D.C.

Using the fictional character of Henry Atherton, an investigative reporter, the author weaves together the new and existing facts to fill in many of the blanks that have been missing from these crimes, and sheds light on the probable truth as it relates to what has been portrayed in history books.

The unique format enables the author to give the reader a full understanding of not only what happened in each of these cases, but who was involved, and their motives. He shows how one of the most telling circumstances in each of these murders is the absence of evidence.

Reading Misplaced Loyalties leaves the reader feeling that what happened in the 1960s is not only relevant today, but current events indicate that history is repeating itself.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Bizarre but interesting.......2007-09-27

This book is a strange hybrid of fact, fiction, research and imagination, and unfortunately it blurs the lines between them all a good deal more than it should. It's fine to imagine what Bobby Kennedy "might" have said to his wife about Marilyn Monroe (good sleazy fun), but the book doesn't take any greater pains to prove whether any of its "facts" are true either. Do you care? Not if you're reading the book as fiction, but then one gets to long for all those pesky novelist's tricks like narrative, description, realistic dialogue, and psychological insight.

I'm afraid the book comes up short either as a full-blown novel or as a serious work if history, but hey, it's still great guilty fun. Read it for titillation and you won't be disappointed!

4 out of 5 stars ...maybe JFK just needed to be removed/assassinated.......2007-06-30

Similar to "Gun of Dallas" by Herman. Connects the dots and ties all the strings together; however, some of the dots and strings are hazy. All the players are there; Jim Files, Mac Wallace, Sergio Arcacha Smith, the Umbrella man, LBJ & Nixon. Premise seems to be that JCS and government agencies belives JFK was a threat to National Security; due to his pillow-talk with all his mistress,and his peace initiatives toward Russia. All and all, not a bad book.

1 out of 5 stars Don't waste time and energy.......2007-06-22

Yet another "author" wastes time on speculation, rumour and rubbish. He does not have an interview with the grassy knoll shooter for the simple reason that there was no shooter from the grassy knoll.

President Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone; Marilyn died of an accidental overdose and Senator Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan acting alone.

5 out of 5 stars Fasinating .......2006-08-09

I could not put this book down. It corresponded with everything I have previously reviewed on web sites.
Assassination of Marilyn Monroe
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Finally the whole story
  • Marilyn's Murderers Uncovered!
  • This is one 'wow' book
  • This is one 'wow' book
Assassination of Marilyn Monroe
Donald H. Wolfe
Manufacturer: Firebird Distributing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  1. The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe
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ASIN: 0751526525

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Finally the whole story.......2007-03-27

This book touched me. Not only does it give you insite in to what really happened that terrible night so long ago, but insight into who Marilyn Monroe really was and some of the reasons behind some of the things she did. The inter-linking of people that entered her life, the Kennedy's, her childhood, marriages, and the details of that terrible night of her death (murder to be sure) are all there. There have been so many books on Marilyn Monroe and speculation of how she died. I read it and kept shaking my head that so many people "got away with" so much! The lies, the cover ups, the "lost" evidence. It's all there. You can't help but feel sorry for a woman that just wanted to be loved, and discusted at the way the investigation (what a joke) was handled. People went to their graves with secrets, but the secrets are out now. If you are a Marilyn fan or into conspiracy theories, this is a great book!

5 out of 5 stars Marilyn's Murderers Uncovered!.......2002-04-24

This book was simply superb, and it contained a lot of hidden information unknown to me. For instance, the lovechild between
Marilyn and Kennedy and the scandalous secrets about the ... Kennedys that led to her death. The author has a very introspective view of the complete chaos her life was in during the end, and of treacherous friends who had woven a web of deceit around her plying her with drugs to keep her off balance
and confused. Luring her to Cal-Neva to be sexually abused and silenced by threats if she persisted in pursuing the Kennedys and vowing to hold a tell-all news conferance that would have been the end of Camelot. Oh! the shame of it all, heres a girl who had it all, beauty, fame and fortune but no inner peace for the tortured Norma Jean. For as it says "What does it mean to gain the whole world but lose your soul"!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who holds a good thought
for Marilyn, and is searching for the truth asto how she really

died, laying to rest the lies and coverup of the suicide theory,
kept in place for over forty years. Dynamite!! 3 thumbs up!!!

5 out of 5 stars This is one 'wow' book.......2002-01-22

I have always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe and often wondered how and why she died so young. There are so many conflicting theories, but the contents of this book are little short of explosive. They may not be correct, though someone must know the truth? Seems never published in the USA. Why not? Has someone got something to hide. Methinks... probably YES!
I would not part with my hardback English copy for $1000.

5 out of 5 stars This is one 'wow' book.......2002-01-22

I have always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe and often wondered how and why she died so young. There are so many conflicting theroies, but the contents of this book are little short of explosive. They may not be correct, though someone must know the truth? Seems never published in the USA. Why not? Has someone got something to hide. Methinks... probably YES! ....
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Marilyn Monroe, Private and Undisclosed by Michelle Morgan
  • WOW, another great Marilyn book
  • A must for any Marilyn Monroe fan
  • A Fine Read with a Fresh & Delightful Approach!
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed
Michelle Morgan
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  1. Inside Marilyn Monroe Inside Marilyn Monroe
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ASIN: 0786719583

Book Description

A comprehensive and meticulously researched treasure trove of information that brings to light the ordinary domestic details to the countless controversies of Marilyn Monroe’s life. Dozens of people who knew or were related to Marilyn — from the key players in her life (family, friends, and colleagues) to casual acquaintances — cover Marilyn’s foster childhood to her mysterious death.

This is a candid, human portrait of a woman whose star has only become brighter with passing generations.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Marilyn Monroe, Private and Undisclosed by Michelle Morgan.......2007-09-19

I have read just about all that has been written on the subject and this book pretty well tells it all. Very well written and quite interesting.

5 out of 5 stars WOW, another great Marilyn book.......2007-09-05

I have been a Monroe fan since 1953 (How To Marry A Millionaire) and a collector since 1959 (Some Like It Hot). I make it a point to buy every book published and released on Marilyn, and find that this newest addition to the collection is among the best. Ms. Morgan is obviously a great fan of Marilyn having researched this book for many years before putting it all down on paper. Compared to some other authors who splash some facts mixed with speculation and rumor and rush out a new "expose", Michelle Morgan went the extra distance to find people who knew Marilyn and can add their insights to the Marilyn canon.

I was especially taken with the reminiscences of George Chakiris who appeared in the "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I've told people for years that he was in that number but no one believed me. Can you imagine the thrill of working on that scene?

And the photos are not to be believed. Why has it taken so many years for some of these to surface when hundreds of previous authors have interviewed Marilyn's family and friends? This is an amazing accomplishment and I am very thankful to Ms. Morgan for her tenacity and endurance in getting this book put together. The book has a luscious jacket, is very heavy (so no reading on the subway on the way to work) and comes with a bookmark ribbon so you don't have to try and read this all in one sitting. Though that certainly is a temptation.

Personally, I flipped out by her "Sources" section where she lists all of the documents that she used in researching for this book. I was especially floored by the listing of magazine and newspaper references. I have many unmarked clippings from old movie magazines and can now update my log with the date or writer or source name that I didn't have before. And the "Sources" section also provides a listing of documents that I can add to my "want list".

Kudos to Michelle Morgan for a crowning achievement.

5 out of 5 stars A must for any Marilyn Monroe fan.......2007-08-29

This is the best book on Marilyn sense the book her sister wrote.
Michelle Morgan is a gifted writter.
It was so hard for me to put down. It's filled with never before seen photos throughout the book.
I was disapointed when I finished it because I wanted to keep going.
If you read this book you will not be disapointed.

5 out of 5 stars A Fine Read with a Fresh & Delightful Approach!.......2007-08-28

It's been a while since we've been treated to a new book about Marilyn, the last one I believe was "The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe" by Sara Churchwell. I find Michelle Morgan's book well worth waiting for!

Written in a very straight forward manner; Private & Undisclosed is definitely worth buying & reading even for those who have read Marilyn's story time & time again. There is something very appealing in the author's approach to her story; one that has no agenda other than sharing the details of Monroe's life in a simple & honest fashion. Interviews with by-standers, extras, & common folk who were there to witness events in Marilyn's life but never before contacted to share their stories, are both plentiful, refreshing, and thoroughly delightful to read!

The tiny little photographs that accompany the story (& are very difficult to see in good detail...) are then shown in a larger version after every few chapters. This is greatly appreciated.

Many of the photos have not been widely seen or published before now; though many of the pictures labeled as such will be quite familair to hard-core Marilyn collectors. Even a few quite popular & excessively used pictures have been listed as previously unpublished. However, there are still enough unseen or rarely used pictures to make it worthwhile to add this slightly over-size hardcover to your MM collection!

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