With the passing of time there seems to be an alarming rate of books published about Marilyn Monroe that fit more under the ‘fictional category’. This is very worrying as there are readers out there who believe these stories are true. In a hundred years from now, Marilyn’s history will have been completely re-written as these books distort the truth and create sensationalism, which is then passed on as fact as people struggle to decipher what’s actually real or false!
I think it’s time to take a step back and remember the woman who the public rarely saw.One of the early memoirs, told by Norman Rosten, Marilyn: An Untold Story offers us such a glimpse. How refreshing of Norman to write of Marilyn, not as a sexual conquest, former lover or casual acquaintance but as her friend, the Marilyn who was someone’s wife, a stepmother, a pet-lover, a lonely, at times insecure woman. Here we are a witness to an ordinary woman, whose fame and choice of career made her at the same time an extraordinary person, and yet the real person is able to shine through, faults and all.
While the book is brief, it is an interesting insight into her life during her marriage to Arthur Miller and the last seven years of her life. It includes some of her poetry which shows signs of her spontaneity and originality. There’s a small picture section which has some private photos and couple of ‘public’ ones.It’s a loving tribute that’s like a step into the past where Marilyn comes vividly back to life.
By Fraser Penney
