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Taraborrelli, J. Randy. The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. New York: Grand Central Pub., 2009. Print.
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I’m out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”
–Marilyn Monroe
Many know of Marilyn Monroe for being a popular sex symbol of the 1950’s, playing “dumb blonde” characters, and for being so beautiful she just didn’t know how to what to do with herself. The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe is an innovative movement into her miserable private life. An “it girl”, and complete icon of the twentieth century. Her talent made people envious. Taraborrelli teaches us that everything is not what it seems; in fact, it is most likely far from. This biography should interest all, and absolutely no time wasted reading it. Rumors are addressed and the stories written between the lines are groundbreaking.
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I’m out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”
–Marilyn Monroe
Many know of Marilyn Monroe for being a popular sex symbol of the 1950’s, playing “dumb blonde” characters, and for being so beautiful she just didn’t know how to what to do with herself. The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe is an innovative movement into her miserable private life. An “it girl”, and complete icon of the twentieth century. Her talent made people envious. Taraborrelli teaches us that everything is not what it seems; in fact, it is most likely far from. This biography should interest all, and absolutely no time wasted reading it. Rumors are addressed and the stories written between the lines are groundbreaking.
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The Reading:
A.) Marilyn Monroe’s private life always consisted of unknown speculation. Many thought that her mother was dead and never had a relationship with her. This would be false, as a matter of fact Marilyn’s mother, Gladys Baker, was alive and was always present in Marilyn’s life. She was mentally ill, which is also closely examined in this biography. Also introduced for the first time is Marilyn’s struggle with her own mental illness. Taking place all over the world but mostly in Los Angeles, Hollywood, and New York, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe tells the beautifully tragic story of a girl who made a name for herself.
B.) Taraborrelli uses the events that occurred in Marilyn’s life to his advantage in teaching his audience that nothing is ever as it seems. No matter how iconic and perfect somebody or their situation may seem, it is the most unlike case in the world. Things heard or seen should not be taken at face value. Reading this book would benefit anybody growing up in this century. The meaning of this biography is to show the suffering of somebody who appeared to have it all. This message is conveyed by using real life experiences and tragedies that a real person, Marilyn Monroe, really felt.
The Evaluation:
A.) I personally do not like how Taraborrelli wrote like he knew her every thought. He wrote the book as if he were Marilyn Monroe versus writing about her. This was shown on numerous occasions throughout the book, for example, “When Johnny Hyde died, Marilyn felt that she’d lost not only one of her greatest allies, but also the closest thing she had to a father figure.”(Taraborrelli 168). This happens a lot throughout the book, the author describing how Marilyn felt. That is something that simply cannot be written down by anybody other than Marilyn Monroe herself.
B.) However, Taraborrelli did do many things well in this biography. One of which was that he captured her passion for her career most excellently. “Since the beginning of her film career, Marilyn had striven to win the approval and respect of those in her profession. She studied her craft and worked with coaches from day one. She had the adoration of millions of fans yet somehow felt her beauty got in the way of her being recognized as a serious actress. There is evidence that some movie critics felt the same way.” (Taraborrelli 201). He somehow managed to seize what seemed to be every important detail of her fascination of what life had to hold. This is what makes this biography so noteworthy.
The Conclusion:
Capture life and take it for what it is or make it what you want to. Do not let other people’s appearances fool you. What may seem to be perfect probably is not. The truth is that everything is never as it seems. After all, Marilyn Monroe was beautiful, sexy, rich, famous, adored by millions, talented, and she took her own life. She struggled an ongoing battle with her own mind about who she was and what she was worth. It’s absolutely insane, but it was the truth. No matter how perfect something may seem…that is never the case.
word count: 685
A.) Marilyn Monroe’s private life always consisted of unknown speculation. Many thought that her mother was dead and never had a relationship with her. This would be false, as a matter of fact Marilyn’s mother, Gladys Baker, was alive and was always present in Marilyn’s life. She was mentally ill, which is also closely examined in this biography. Also introduced for the first time is Marilyn’s struggle with her own mental illness. Taking place all over the world but mostly in Los Angeles, Hollywood, and New York, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe tells the beautifully tragic story of a girl who made a name for herself.
B.) Taraborrelli uses the events that occurred in Marilyn’s life to his advantage in teaching his audience that nothing is ever as it seems. No matter how iconic and perfect somebody or their situation may seem, it is the most unlike case in the world. Things heard or seen should not be taken at face value. Reading this book would benefit anybody growing up in this century. The meaning of this biography is to show the suffering of somebody who appeared to have it all. This message is conveyed by using real life experiences and tragedies that a real person, Marilyn Monroe, really felt.
The Evaluation:
A.) I personally do not like how Taraborrelli wrote like he knew her every thought. He wrote the book as if he were Marilyn Monroe versus writing about her. This was shown on numerous occasions throughout the book, for example, “When Johnny Hyde died, Marilyn felt that she’d lost not only one of her greatest allies, but also the closest thing she had to a father figure.”(Taraborrelli 168). This happens a lot throughout the book, the author describing how Marilyn felt. That is something that simply cannot be written down by anybody other than Marilyn Monroe herself.
B.) However, Taraborrelli did do many things well in this biography. One of which was that he captured her passion for her career most excellently. “Since the beginning of her film career, Marilyn had striven to win the approval and respect of those in her profession. She studied her craft and worked with coaches from day one. She had the adoration of millions of fans yet somehow felt her beauty got in the way of her being recognized as a serious actress. There is evidence that some movie critics felt the same way.” (Taraborrelli 201). He somehow managed to seize what seemed to be every important detail of her fascination of what life had to hold. This is what makes this biography so noteworthy.
The Conclusion:
Capture life and take it for what it is or make it what you want to. Do not let other people’s appearances fool you. What may seem to be perfect probably is not. The truth is that everything is never as it seems. After all, Marilyn Monroe was beautiful, sexy, rich, famous, adored by millions, talented, and she took her own life. She struggled an ongoing battle with her own mind about who she was and what she was worth. It’s absolutely insane, but it was the truth. No matter how perfect something may seem…that is never the case.
word count: 685