The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe

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This weekend I was lucky enough to spend some time with family and friends.  Friday night I had book club, which was as enjoyable as ever.  I really don't know what I'd do without this group of girls as friends, they really are the best.  Then, on Saturday my aunt, Sherry, down in Norman had a family get-together.  My other aunt, Becky, who lives in Oregon, only gets to come down once a year and so this get-together was in her honor.  

Last year I didn't get to see Becky because of our little stint in San Antonio, so I hadn't seen her since our wedding the year before.  Boo to that!  It was so fabulous seeing everyone, including most of my cousins and their sweet little ones. 

I can't wait for the next family get-together...but, I probably won't have as many tomatoes to contribute next go around.  Luckily, my family are HUGE tomato eaters and so I was able to unload every single tomato I had on my counter with them.  Delicious, but hard for just one person to eat them all!  Right now, there's just one lonely tomato ripening on my counter...I think I can handle that, ha!

But, speaking of book club...I realized on Friday when I spoke about this book to my club, that I hadn't done a review on here.

There have been a number of biographies about Marilyn Monroe, even one autobiography from Marilyn herself.  This particular biography I picked up at Half-Price Books, my favorite book retailer, in audiobook form.

When I started The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, I have to say that my main experience and knowledge about Marilyn Monroe included a few movies and the fact that my step-dad really likes her.  She was kinda the "it" girl in his generation.  And so what I learned from this book was a lot.

Did you know that Marilyn Monroe...

• was an orphan?  
• suffered from mental illness?
• was a victim of domestic violence?
• liked to be nude...like, a lot?
• was coached into playing out her sexy persona?
• didn't really know who her father was?

Some of these I'm stretching a bit...like the fact that she was an orphan.  She knew her mother, however, (Marilyn Monroe's) Norma Jean's mother gave her up and did not raise her.  Mostly because she, herself, was suffering from mental illness and was institutionalized for long periods of time in her life...not really an environment conducive for raising a small child.  Actually, Norma Jean's "foster mother" and her mother's best friend fought over who got to raise her because Norma Jean was such a wonderful child.

There is a wealth of information, like this, in the book that was completely and totally fascinating to me.  In fact, this book captivated me enough that I'll probably continue to read more about Marilyn Monroe.  She was an intriguing person and it was such a shame that her life ended in her prime.

I highly recommend giving this book a whirl, if you're into that kinda thing!