Book: Marilyn: Norma Jeane by Gloria Steinem with photography by George Barris
Source: Library
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
I've always found Marilyn Monroe to be fascinating because she's was able to transform her life from semi-orphan to Hollywood star. Her life was never without pain and no matter how hard she tried she could not escape her demons.
This book showed how Norma Jeane's sad life never left her once she was transformed into the legendary Marilyn Monroe. I find it interesting that despite having a love of learning, people just could not see pass the "dumb blonde" façade and see an intelligent person. Even some of the biographers who wrote about her life could never stop being condescending whenever they referred to her attempts to educate herself. They seemed to believe that she couldn't possibly have a thought in her head besides being a sex goddess but this book showed how smart she was but it was her internal problems that she couldn't shake.
And her problems seem to get worse as time went on but without getting the help that she needed things continued to spiral.
Gloria Steinem not only showed Marilyn's troubled life and difficulty with love but also showed how compassionate she was.
Amidst the thought provoking words were photos from her life as Norma Jeane to Marilyn Monroe. Many of the photos were unpublished pictures from George Barris who at the time had been collaborating with Marilyn to create a one of a kind book. But after her death the photographer (who was also her friend) did not want to continue the project without her and it was many years later that these pictures were finally published.
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