Customer Reviews

Marilyn

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Gloria Steinem explores Marilyn's life through an empathic and feminist perspective in one of my favorite Monroe biographies. Ms. Steinem respectfully addresses the Marilyn's life within the context of her era and retrospectively. She also addresses the impact of Marilyn's childhood sexual abuse and family history on her functioning. Marilyn would likely be proud of this intelligent, compassionate, historical and cultural treatment. I place this book in league with biographies by Carl Rollyson, Graham McCann and Fred Lawrence Guiles. Of course, the timeless photographic images by George Barris accompanying the brilliant text are refreshing, delightful and touching. Steinem truly strives to understand Marilyn, celebrate her strengths and re-evaluate her for our times. Marilyn seems "to speak" through Steinem's insights and in Barris' photographs.

Having recently read the axe-grinding Marilyn Monroe "biography" by Ted Jordan, finding this gem by Gloria Steinem (with beautiful photograhps by George Barris) was such a relief. Whether kind or unkind, most Marilyn biographers are men; it makes sense that a woman (and a feminist) would have a much different understanding of her. Steinem pays much attention to the remaining Norma Jeane personality in the grown Marilyn, a little girl who was abandoned, abused, shuffled between the orphanage and foster homes, and married off at 16. This, Steinem writes, explains much of Marilyn's troublesome behavior: she still had the insecurities of Norma Jeane, but tried to get the love she needed by being the sex symbol Marilyn.

This larger sized paperback is split into chapters, for example: "Norma Jeane," about her childhood and background, and "Work and Money, Sex and Politics" about Marilyn's battles with the Studio, her marriages, and her affairs with powerful men. Each chapter is a complete essay unto itself. And the accompanying photographs, most taken by George Barris the month before her death, show a natural, cavorting, and thoughtful Marilyn at 36 years old.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone curious about the REAL Marilyn Monroe. In truth, she had many realities, but I think that Gloria Steinem captures the most important one.

This is a beautiful photo expose' of Marilyn just six short weeks of her tragic and untimely death. As the first reader/reviewer has stated, this book was written with references to the stars' sexual abuse and family history, which lead to her emotional problems dating from adolescence. Gloria Steinem wrote this work without any 'bias' to this movie legend. I found her writing to be sensitive and understanding throughout. George Barris' photographs are as beautiful and will forever be timeless images of this very remarkable screen star of the 20th century throughout the next millenium. This book should be considered a "must have" for the Monroe fan and collector.

I have read a good 40+ books on MM. I have found only a fraction rings true all combined.

This is concise, to the point and has bullets of "secret facts". Gloria Steinem wrote this and with FACTS that have not been disputed by any government official or any credible author. You no longer have a "conspiracy theory" except the conspiracy to keep a woman from being all she wanted to be. This is by far the most believable and honest book. The George Barris pictures are exquisite and her last pictures ever taken. I see sadness in her eyes but a free spirit who ushered in a new begining,a stronger woman and THE American woman in her looks and freedom of expression.

One would not think that a book on Marilyn Monroe by Gloria Steinem could be any good. However, this book is that and more. A picture book published in 1986, with photogrphS by George Baris, both the text and the pictures are quite good. That is a rare combination. The pictures were taken in summer, 1962 by George Barris and continue all through the book. These pictures were never shown in close to their entirety before, so that was the main reason for the existence of this book. The photographs, especially the beach ones, are some of the best ever taken of Marilyn, looking relaxed and very girlish in the last summer of her life. She does not look like she had any problems at all, much less the ones she had. The photographs did need a showcase, and this book is a more than adequate one.

The text is surpisingly good for something that was written expressly for a photo book. Usually, in those cases, the text is neither good nore relevant. Mariyln Monroe and Gloria Steinem are an unlikely combination, but that does not mean that it diod not work. It did-fabulously. Gloria Steinem does a insightful job oif writing about Marilyn's life, and who she was. Gloria Steinem, although the queen of feminists, is not overbearing here. Marilyn Monroe was no feminist, but Gloria Steinem recognizes that, and interprets Marilyn Monroe from a feminist viewpoint without going overboard. She could so easily have overdone things as Mailer did in his book. This is Marilyn in a different light, but one that suits her. The comments are enjoyable to someone who is not remotely intetested in anything feminist. This is a good book, not just a curiosity that raises eyebrows.

I read this book when I was 17 (the original 1980's copyright) and fell in love with Marilyn Monroe. This was the first book I read on her. I love that the author, feminist Gloria Steinem, walked out of a theatre showing one of Marilyn's films as a teenager only to write such a heart felt biography about her short life as an adult. Marilyn was not perfect. She had her demons. She had her bad days, even bad years, but she was human. None of us really knew her, but Steinem trys.

Steinem writes about her in a sympathetic, feministic style. She really shines light on why she was the way she was, flaws and all. This is the book that started my fascination with Marilyn Monroe. This book will truly provide its reader with new information into her life. This book moved me to tears when I first read it at such a young age. Now in my thirties, I've ordered a new copy and plan on rereading it soon. Now as a mother of 2 little girls I find myself highly protective of them and I'm sure this book will touch the mothering side of me. It's been 16 years and Marilyn still fascinates me.

Luved this book!!~!! So Beautiful!!~!! I was excited to add to my collection!!~!! ;)

It's fitting that Gloria Steinem, who helped the world see women as the people they really are, should tackle the subject of Marilyn Monroe. Monroe was, and in some ways still is, the ultimate target for projected feelings about women. This book was published at about the time as the more popular but now discredited biography by Norman Mailer. Mailer's work can serve as Exhibit A about the attitudes and beliefs that both made and broke Marilyn.

I came to this book after reading Randy Taraborelli's The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe where it is cited. Taraborelli builds on not just this book, but the feminist thinking Steinem pioneered which is now so mainstream that it would hardly be labeled "feminist". Steinem writes that Marilyn resents her role in her husband, Arthur Miller's "The Misfits" where she saves horses by having a female cliched hysterical fit. Both Steinem and Taraborelli discuss the role Miller tailored for her in "After the Fall", with Taraborelli clearly more strident in his depiction of stereotypes Miller was putting on her.

I had expected more from Steinem on Marilyn's female support system. Taraborelli shows how this began from a series of female care givers. As an adult, Marilyn bonded with her half sister, two female drama coaches, Pat Lawford, a female publicist and other female professionals. Steinem stresses Marily's father's absence and his denial of her. This has the effect of minimizing the impact of Marilyn's mother's emotional instability and how it resulted in her emotional insecurity as a child.

Steinem covers one area Taraborelli doesn't touch, and that is birth control, a subject taboo at the time, and somewhat so today. Very few biographies of women go near this fundamental issue in a young woman's life. Steinem poses that there were a number of abortions and describes Marilyn's longing for children.

In the 20+ years since this book, old myths have been replaced by new ones. Interesting things emerge, such as how Norma Jeane got her name and how short a time the Kennedy acquaintance was. We know more about Marilyn's half sister My Sister Marilyn: A Memoir of Marilyn Monroe, and with feminism, there is a more realistic understanding of Marilyn's first husband and marriage than can be envisioned from 1950's stereotypes.

The photos show a variety of faces such that you have to look at some twice to assure they are the same women. All are timelessly beautiful and her age of 36 is hard to determine. From Taraborelli you learn Marilyn's strategy in having them done, which shows her will, her drive and her incredible ability to rise to an occasion.

While I would have liked more analysis from Steinem, for a coffee table book, it doesn't get much better than this.

This was pretty good. i had it a few years ago and sold it for money because i was broke. there are alot of black and white photos and color as well. it is not that great on content. i mean it has content but its not like a 700 page book or anything, its about 1" thick. it does not go into alot of detail on her affairs or anythig. but is a good biography for the collector., and there are alot of nice pics in there.

Inside is a jewel of pictures by George Barris who was the last photographer to take the last pictures of Marilyn and they capture her innocence. The climax is definitely the colored pictures of Marilyn. We see the last faze of Marilyn's life in the book but evidently she looked very happy. Obviously, something had to give and it was Marilyn. The book is like a last tribute to Marilyn showing her pictures and describing her childhood and life.