This is a review of the 2012 'New Edition: Revised and Expanded' version.
A well written, well researched, engaging, loving, passionate, admirable biography that details the life of one "orphan"/foster child/model/actress/singer/entrepreneur, Norma Jeane, aka Marilyn Monroe, penned by a clear superfan.
It's not gossip. It's not any kind of fluff or sensationalised tabloid piece. It's not exploitative. It's simply the facts. A think piece that sympathises exceptionally with the amazing and amazingly human starlet. It's sensitive and empathetic towards her.
I am as fascinated as Michelle Morgan. The more I read about Marilyn, the more I learn about her, the more I love her, too. She's great in every film she's in, but she isn't to be defined by her filmography alone. She was such a brilliant, wonderful, shining gift of a human being, and like many gifts, we tend to use her and take her for granted, not fully appreciating what we had; not appreciating her for who she was - and is to us now.
She was far more behind the camera and the glamour. She had a brain, and she had so much to say! She was always trying to improve herself. She was a bookworm!
Marilyn was gorgeous, beautiful, honest, kind (but not a pushover, plus she had limits, like any person in her position), altruistic, not-so-naïve, curious and, simultaneously, a subject of curiosity herself, vulnerable, and tragic - in a myriad of kaleidoscopic, crystal-sparkling ways.
I think a lot of women identify with her, and want to be like her... without the darkness and curse of the patriarchy. If only she wasn't yet another victim, a casualty of a Hollywood run by monstrous, predatory men (usually and predominantly cishet white men).
She refused to be a victim, however. She refused to give up and give in. She was strong and determined, despite her depression and traumatic experiences. She was ambitious. She tried and fought until the bitter end.
Marilyn was, for lack of a more suitable word, a goddess, who was taken from us far too soon.
A laudable, whole, three dimensional, no-shits-giveth-nor-taketh person, living life to the full, bursting with all the potential in the world, who could have and should have lived for those promising dreams of hers to come true. Oh, to think what could have been.
These are among the reasons why we continue to be starstruck by Marilyn; why she remains so beloved even today.
Let us never forget her, and other women like her.
'Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed' - also contains collected black and white photos.
I am currently reading Michelle Morgan's other, later released biography about Marilyn, 'The Girl: Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist', and so far I am enjoying it.
Reading about the world's most famous classic starlet is very sad and heartbreaking, yet these make for good, immersive holiday books.
Captivating, curious, enticing, enchanting, beguiling, and breathtaking stuff, like the woman herself.
Morgan's writing and research are a must for any Marilyn Monroe fan.
For further thoughts from this Marilyn fan, here is a link to my 'Marilyn Monroe: By Eve Arnold' review.
Final Score: 4/5
P.S. I just realised that Michelle Morgan has the same M-name alliteration as her idol, Marilyn Monroe.
No comments:
Post a Comment