The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
by J. Randy Taraborrelli
List Price:
Our Price: $6.95
You Save: $20.04 (74%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.16 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: J. Randy TaraborrelliEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-08-25
ISBN: 0446580821
Number of pages: 576
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
Book Review: An intelligent must read on Marilyn Monroe
Summary: 5 Stars
Marilyn Monroe is one of those past celebrities who has and will live on for eternity. She had an aura of the rare combination of innocence and sensuality that enthralled all. There has also been much mystery, myth and rumour over her last years and death. The connection of the Kennedys adds that definite touch to make the whole story even more alluring. But many often forget that Marilyn Monroe was a real person who was born, had a difficult childhood, invented Mariln Monroe, an entity which became worshipped and idolized, the feelings that the true woman, Norma Jeane Baker never felt or achieved in her life.
There are those who are enthralled by her shining star, the presence she possessed and the mysterious vulnerability she possessed. She had IT and men and women alike have always been drawn to it. Then there are those who know more of the story from her childhood in foster homes and the mental illness that ran rampant in her family and want to go deeper. They identify more with the true person, the Norma Jeane. I am one of those. I understand how different Hollywood was then and how stars were manufactured and the true person lost. It makes perfect sense that the personality of Marilyn Monroe took over more and more as her personal self esteem never grew.
One may also ask why another book on Marilyn? Isn't this all the old stuff rehashed? An author just out for a buck? Gratefully the answer is that this book far surpasses all other biographies on Ms. Monroe. J. Randy Taraborrelli not only pays homage to Marilyn but does the most research of any previous author to try to get to all the true facts of the miraculous woman's life. He spends much time on the influential people and those who were a part of her childhood going so far as to provide true insight into their lives before Marilyn came along so we can understand more their perspective with their actions in her life. Much more emphasis is given to her mother and her life plus their relationship. Many in the past have chosen to ignore the true impact Gladys Baker had on Marilyn. There are also other reasons why Mr. Taraborrelli was able to delve deeper for due to the 2006 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT there was FBI documentation on Ms. Monroe released that has never been seen including an anonymous agents report on Marilyn's relationship with Bobby Kenneddy. It is very interesting to read how as Marilyn the FBI did keep much attention on her. It is not just gossip.
The author here pays true respect to all previous biographers and takes much previous information and then goes further. Her marriages, films, Kennedy relationships particularly with Pat Lawford Kennedy come to new life and depth with well research data. And the author adds an additional 30 page section at the end of the book where he details everyone he interviewed, all the books and files he read. His research here is so precise the reader must give him the highest kudos. He also never takes info to back his personal opinions. Often he writes of rumours that have been held true for years and will provide info to show how they could not have been true. But when not able he will leave an issue open-ended and leave the reader to form their own opinions.
Bottom line, this book shows an intimate, honest look at all aspects of Marilyn and her life. No matter what additional information the story is still sad. We still have Norma Jeane Baker, a young woman raised with little love or esteem who becomes a model and then actress who had a rare gift that she used to become Marilyn Monroe. Norma Jeane never went away and with all her acclaim she remained troubled and looking for love throughout her life. The truth about her death will always be a mystery but she was constantly abusing pills as life became more and more difficult for her. There is a very important lesson to learn as one reads how the Hollywood system used doctors to provide her with numerous pills and medication so she could perform not in any way caring of the after effect she would deal with. Norma Jeane/Marilyn Monroe was dealt a raw deal from day one and it is fully drawn here for us to experience with true facts and immense research.
I highly recommend this book. It is a truly must read. I only hope that Marilyn did find some happiness in life and that she is now living the hereafter she deserves. Also, may fans continue to praise the special angel she was. I know I always will. Thanks J. Randy Taraborrelli for a biography that is not based on gossip and rumour that provides much needed insight into the life of a very special person. A very intelligent, well researched worthy read.
Summary of The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
From New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli comes the definitive biography of the most enduring icon in popular American culture.When Marilyn Monroe became famous in the 1950s, the world was told that her mother was either dead or simply not a part of her life. However, that was not true. In fact, her mentally ill mother was very much present in Marilyn's world and the complex family dynamic that unfolded behind the scenes is a story that has never before been told...until now. In this groundbreaking book, Taraborrelli draws complex and sympathetic portraits of the women so influential in the actress' life, including her mother, her foster mother, and her legal guardian. He also reveals, for the first time, the shocking scope of Marilyn's own mental illness, the identity of Marilyn's father and the half-brother she never knew, and new information about her relationship with the Kennedy's-Bobby, Jack, and Pat Kennedy Lawford. Explosive, revelatory, and surprisingly moving, this is the final word on the life of one of the most fascinating and elusive icons of the 20th Century.
Entertainers Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Entertainers Books
El Sid: Saint Viciousby David Dalton
Griffin; Published: 1998-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops:
Moonwalkby Michael Jackson
Crown Archetype; Published: 2009-10-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.45
Price in other shops:
High Society: The Life of Grace Kellyby Donald Spoto
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2010-10-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.19
Price in other shops:
Stand & Deliver: The Autobiographyby Adam Ant
Pan Macmillan; Published: 2007-04-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $109.68
San Antonio Rose: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF BOB WILLS (Music in American Life)by Charles Townsend
University of Illinois Press; Published: 1986-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $33.50
Price in other shops:
Orson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to Xanaduby Simon Callow
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1997-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.22
Price in other shops:
The Basketball Diariesby Jim Carroll
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1987-07-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.52
Price in other shops:
Hollywood Animalby Joe Eszterhas
Hutchinson; Published: 2004; Paperback; Book
Love, Janisby Laura Joplin
It Books; Published: 2005-08-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
A Paper Life CDby Tatum O'Neal
HarperAudio; Published: 2004-10-12; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $17.77
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Jackie, Ethel, Joan : Women of Camelotby J. Randy Taraborrelli
Warner Books; Published: 2000-02-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.73
Price in other shops:
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosedby Michelle Morgan
Da Capo Press; Carroll & Graf; Published: 2007-08-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.73
Price in other shops:
Marilyn Monroe Special Anniversary Collection (The Seven Year Itch / Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / Niagara / River of No Return / Let's Make Love / Marilyn - The Final Days)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2006-05-30; DVD
Best price: $24.54
Price in other shops:
MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroeby Lois Banner
Abrams; Published: 2011-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.50
Price in other shops:
Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosisby David Wills
It Books; Published: 2011-11-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.52
Price in other shops:
LIFE Remembering Marilyn (Life (Life Books))by Editors of Life
Life; Published: 2009-10-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Lettersby Marilyn Monroe
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 2010-10-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.99
Price in other shops:
Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words: Marilyn Monroe's Revealing Last Words and Photographsby George Barris
Citadel; Published: 2001-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.66
Price in other shops:
Marilyn Monroe: The Biographyby Donald Spoto
Cooper Square Press; Published: 2001-07-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.00
Price in other shops:
My Storyby Marilyn Monroe
Taylor Trade Publishing; Published: 2006-09-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.48
Price in other shops: