MARILYN MONROE: The True Story of an American Icon

MARILYN MONROE - The True Story of an American Icon

Let’s think of some of our preconceptions of Marilyn Monroe. Dumb blonde. Hollywood misfit. Calculating diva who manipulated events for her own ends. Think of some of the images that we associate with this icon. Sitting seductively, her legs tucked under her, lips semi pouted. Or, that rolling, sexy walk. Perhaps most famous of all, standing with mock innocence, her dress billowing up from the wind coming from the air vent below. We should know by now that there is a difference between a screen persona and a real person, but with somebody such as Marilyn Monroe it is difficult to separate the two. We know her through her excesses, and through those images that are seared into our cultural consciousness. In fact, as we shall see in this book, Marilyn was a complex character. Following a tough upbringing, she was always needy and rarely felt properly appreciated. She was an intellectual who sought to make up for her limited education. A perfectionist who continued with acting classes even when a global star. And she was somebody with a driving, desperate urge to succeed. This is the story of one of the most famous people ever to have lived, an icon both on and off screen. Renowned for her beauty, her fashion and her unique personality, Marilyn Monroe is a true legend, never to be forgotten.