Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe by Gail Crowther: REVIEW

Goodreads blurb

Timed to the 100th birthday of Marilyn Monroe, and with the full cooperation of the Monroe estate, comes an investigation into the literary life of the Hollywood icon and actress … . Far from the spotlights of the Hollywood film sets and the flashbulbs of the press, Marilyn Monroe was a great reader and lover of books. … Through her deep research, Crowther delves into Marilyn’s personal collection of books and … charts how Monroe, who left high school before graduation, embarked on an impressive and progressive program of self-education, hungry for knowledge, and devouring books as an active and engaged reader. … Because at the end of her life, it was not her jewels or her furs, her shoes, or dresses that she cared about. It was her books.

My Review

I was expecting to find this interesting, but I ended up really really enjoying it. Gail Crowther has done massive amounts of research into Marilyn Monroe’s life, her contemporary world, each one of the books she owned at the time of her death, and every comment made by and about Marilyn in regards to her relationship with literature. You can learn a lot about a person by looking at the books they treasure (and the books that are notably absent from their collection), and Crowther offers us a surprising amount of information on Marilyn from hers.

For instance, I was fascinated to learn just how ahead of her time Marilyn was in collecting banned books. She also appears to have been a devoted reader of self-help books before the self-help industry was really a thing. And if you’re interested to know which genres Marilyn indulged in and which she avoided, Crowther’s got you covered.

Aside from the bookshelf-snooping, though, Crowther also explores the way Marilyn’s contemporaries reacted to seeing her read, and I’ve gotta tell you, the RAGE some of the comments stirred up in me… And people (read: men) are still making the same comments about her today!

To be honest, I take that personally. I’ve been reading “heavy” literature since I was 12, and I’ve always been tiny, shy, and young-looking for my age (strangers still think I’m a teen or in my 20s, and I’m over 40). A lot of people (read: men) over the years have laughed or sneered or rolled their eyes at the idea that I read Literature with a capital L. If they, as intellectually superior beings, struggle to read these things, how could this little girl with the pixie face possibly manage it?? Hahaha! Right? 🙄 So I relate on a deep level to Marilyn’s constant struggle to be taken seriously as a reader.

And on a related note, I’m finally going to read Ulysses this summer. I’ve tried to avoid it because I think James Joyce was a little too full of himself, but… the way people (read: men) STILL act like Marilyn (read: any woman, probably) couldn’t possibly have ACTUALLY read it makes me livid. It’s words on pages, bros. Stop acting like it’s quantum mechanics or something. (Not that quantum mechanics is impenetrable either.)

But anyway, yes, I loved this book. If you enjoy books about books and/or books about Marilyn Monroe, I highly recommend checking it out.

Marilyn and Her Books is available to purchase on Bookshop.org (in US and UK) and on Booksellers.ca (in Canada). Please note: These are affiliate links, and I might earn a small commission from any purchase made through them, at no extra expense to you. Bookshop.org and Booksellers.ca support independent bookstores while offering the convenience of shopping online.