Donald Spoto

A biography of the screen legend employs thirty-five thousand formerly sealed documents--letters, diaries, and other papers--to examine virtually every aspect of Monroe's life and death.

The Biography

Marilyn Monroe

Wynter

I have never been an avid Monroe fangirl, but I admire a lot of her work. The movie Niagara, from which the cover image is taken, left a very memorable impression on me as a child, and was the first film of hers that I've seen. Some Like It Hot counts second of the top three in my all time favourites list (The Princess Bride holding eternally the #1 spot, and The Atonement closing the list at #3). After watching My Week With Marilyn a few months ago, I realised that, while I know these films by heart, I don't really know much about the actress herself. Naturally I turned to Goodreads to find a good biography to fill gaps in my knowledge.

Marilyn Monroe was a cultural icon shrouded in myth and otherworldly allure. It is no wonder that the majority of her biographers fall victim to sensationalism, hysteria, and twisting of facts in favour of strange conspiracy theories. When I took upon myself to find the most reliable narrative of the late actress's life, Donald Spoto's monumental work crossed my path showcasing numerous recommendations. Indeed, this is the most unbiased biography of Marilyn's life I've seen yet. It doesn't indulge in unnecessary flourishes, instead relying on hard facts and documents from the estate. It never crosses into gossipy territory, which would immediately turn me off from reading it further. No, I finished this 700+ pager in one breathless sitting, and I feel like I really got to know Norma Jean for who she was. I was so very sad to turn the last page. 

This biography tells of Marilyn's unstable childhood, her relationship with her own sexuality, her battle with the movie studio tycoons, and her three tragic marriages. It also addresses and debunks the persistent Kennedy/Monroe rumours, and offers the most logical sequence of events that led to her untimely death. If you want to read one book on Marilyn, let it be this one.

Based on her personal archive of over 35,000 pages of documents - including letters, diaries, billets doux and suicide notes - as well as extensive interviews with friends and colleagues, this biography of Marilyn Monroe rejects many myths about her dramatic childhood, her marriages, and her relationships with Hollywood moguls, politicians, poets, artists and statesmen. It also offers evidence of the truth behind her death.

Georgia Carr

This biography is VERY in depth. Maybe a little too much for me.

Marilyn Monroe The Biography

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