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Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words
No one looked like her. No one walked like her. No one talked like her. Sexy yet vulnerable, and unexpectedly talented, she was no ordinary screen goddess. Few really knew her. What others wrote, she called "Lies! Lies! Lies!"
Here, at last, is Marilyn Monroe's account, in her own singular voice. It was June 1, 1962, her thirty-sixth birthday. Famed photographer and reporter George Barris had come to see Marilyn on the set of what would be her final, unfinished, film. They had met eight years earlier, became friends, and planned to do a picture book and autobiography. Now the time was right. For the next six weeks Barris photographed and interviewed the actress. "Don't believe anything you read about me except this..." she told Barris. And so she began to confide the truth about herself.
Barris last talked to Marilyn on August 3, less than twenty-four hours before she was found dead in her apartment. At their last meeting, she was effervescent and eager to embrace life. "I feel I’m just getting started", she said. Barris firmly believes that murder, not suicide, caused Marilyn's untimely end and he could not bring himself to publish her thoughts or the haunting photos of that summer - until now.
"Marilyn: Her Life In Her Own Words" is a candid memoir enhanced by 150 black-and-white and color photos, many never before published. A highlight is "The Last Photo Shoot": where Marilyn appears luminous without makeup on the beach at Santa Monica and in a North Hollywood house. This moving book brings Marilyn Monroe back - beautiful, flirtatious, and sweet as a first kiss - for one rare and radiant farewell.
Here, at last, is Marilyn Monroe's account, in her own singular voice. It was June 1, 1962, her thirty-sixth birthday. Famed photographer and reporter George Barris had come to see Marilyn on the set of what would be her final, unfinished, film. They had met eight years earlier, became friends, and planned to do a picture book and autobiography. Now the time was right. For the next six weeks Barris photographed and interviewed the actress. "Don't believe anything you read about me except this..." she told Barris. And so she began to confide the truth about herself.
Barris last talked to Marilyn on August 3, less than twenty-four hours before she was found dead in her apartment. At their last meeting, she was effervescent and eager to embrace life. "I feel I’m just getting started", she said. Barris firmly believes that murder, not suicide, caused Marilyn's untimely end and he could not bring himself to publish her thoughts or the haunting photos of that summer - until now.
"Marilyn: Her Life In Her Own Words" is a candid memoir enhanced by 150 black-and-white and color photos, many never before published. A highlight is "The Last Photo Shoot": where Marilyn appears luminous without makeup on the beach at Santa Monica and in a North Hollywood house. This moving book brings Marilyn Monroe back - beautiful, flirtatious, and sweet as a first kiss - for one rare and radiant farewell.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
76 people are currently reading
2119 people want to read
About the author
George Barris
3 books7 followersGeorge Barris was an American photographer best known for his photographs of Marilyn Monroe. He was known for taking the last photo of Monroe on July 13, 1962.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
February 21, 2013
This is a great book on Marilyn, one of the best—my favorite, and as a huge MM fan, I have read a lot. It gives insight to the woman behind the legend; the human begin the myth. It shows how kind and witty of a person she was and what her real personality was like, not the Dumb Blonde persona she played so well on the screen. She was a strong, hard working, humble, inspirational woman that of course had her problems, just like everyone else. Too often, people forget that Marilyn was a real person. She actually lived and breathed, laughed and cried, and went through a lot of difficulties and hardship, from her childhood to the scary world of Hollywood.
George Barris managed to capture some magical photos of the world's most famous woman, many of which have become the most famous of her photographs. But beyond the beautiful images, he managed to capture the woman herself. Him and Marilyn became friends and he is one of the very few people that truly respected her. Just reading this, you can tell that he speaks about her with love and respect. He shows that what everyone else chose to see of Marilyn was not all there was to be seen.
This is one of the BEST Marilyn Monroe books you can find, and I recommend every Marilyn fan, everyone interested in her at all to read this. Make it one of the first books you read about her, along with "My Story".
George Barris managed to capture some magical photos of the world's most famous woman, many of which have become the most famous of her photographs. But beyond the beautiful images, he managed to capture the woman herself. Him and Marilyn became friends and he is one of the very few people that truly respected her. Just reading this, you can tell that he speaks about her with love and respect. He shows that what everyone else chose to see of Marilyn was not all there was to be seen.
This is one of the BEST Marilyn Monroe books you can find, and I recommend every Marilyn fan, everyone interested in her at all to read this. Make it one of the first books you read about her, along with "My Story".
September 25, 2013
Bitter-sweet biography and memoir of one of the few Hollywood legends I will surely never ever meet. This memoir is a fascinating and captivating quick read (I read it this afternoon). Marilyn seemed to be so full of life, and happy too, during what turned out to be the last few weeks of her short life. She was taken away from us way too soon. It was eerie to read that the co-author of her memoir, George Barris, spoke to her the day before she was found dead, and that they made plans to meet and continue to work on their joint book only few days later. Would a suicidal person do this? I'm no expert, but I don't think so. He refuses to believe that she ended her life, and quite frankly, so do I.
September 19, 2011
George Barris is a renowned photojournalist. In 1962 he was working on a book with Marilyn Monroe. It was to be a biography which would include many of the photos he had taken of her. They had become good friends. In this book, Barris publishes his photos along with the notes taken from his interviews with Marilyn. His last conversation with her was the day before her death. They had planned to meet that week. She had called to chat, and expressed some thoughts to him, “As far as I’m concerned, the happiest time of my life is now. There’s a future, and I can’t wait to get to it. It should be interesting.” At the time of her death, press reports stated that Marilyn had been depressed and took her own life. Barris notes and photos reveal the opposite, and in his poignant conclusion, Barris reflects, “Fewer than 24 hours after Marilyn’s phone call, she was dead. The press told the world she had committed suicide. I will never believe Marilyn took her own life. She had too much to live for. She was excited about this book. She sounded so happy…It remains my belief, though I have no proof, that she was murdered”. This book is a haunting tribute to a star whose life ended too soon. A very good read.
September 20, 2011
This collection of Marilyn Monroe’s writings, be they ramblings or poetry or journals—is haunting, yet beautiful, just as was her life. I learned that perhaps Marilyn wasn’t even a very good writer, but her writing came from a place inside herself that needed release, needed expression. I took from that the lesson that it is okay to writing simply because you feel—that you needn’t always write to “produce,” and that instinct is an appropriate guide when you’re doing this kind of writing.
August 5, 2013
What a beautiful and complex woman.
Before reading this book, I only knew Marilyn as the pretty blonde in that picture of her in a white dress above the subway grate.
Now I see her beauty in a different way. She's sexy. She's got a great body, pretty hair and flawless make-up...and she inspires me to live, to love, to laugh, and to enjoy what makes me happy without feeling guilty about moving away from whatever or whomever doesn't.
Before reading this book, I only knew Marilyn as the pretty blonde in that picture of her in a white dress above the subway grate.
Now I see her beauty in a different way. She's sexy. She's got a great body, pretty hair and flawless make-up...and she inspires me to live, to love, to laugh, and to enjoy what makes me happy without feeling guilty about moving away from whatever or whomever doesn't.
April 23, 2012
I am obsessed with getting my hands on every book on Marilyn I can find! and this book was a light quick read with plenty of photos of Marilyn. I feel like the author felt a deep connection with Marilyn, so it's always nice to read the point of views from her closest friends.
January 23, 2013
I've always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe, and now that I know so much about her life, I have a deep admiration for her. As I strive to become an actress myself, Marilyn will forever be an inspiration to me. This book fantastically portrayed her in both photographs and words - definitely a worthwhile read for anyone.
March 22, 2013
Marilyn was beautiful and lost. She never quite found her place. She was full of love. Being uncertain of how to express it properly left her awkward and insecure. Mental illness should not be taken lightly. She needed help. REAL help. People manipulated and controlled her, sadly, the only love she knew.
Bless your soul, Beautiful Angel. You are a Legend.
Bless your soul, Beautiful Angel. You are a Legend.
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April 1, 2008How dare Lindsay Lohan try to copy her- I hated Lindsay's pictures!
July 24, 2024
Marilyn--her life in her own words. Her life was so sad. I felt sorry for her from the beginning to the end. Yes, she was beautiful, but under that beauty was a melancholy. I am unsure if people didn’t see it or if they didn’t want to see it.
December 4, 2018
I’ve fallen in love with this sensational woman-- much more than just a ’pretty’ face.
August 15, 2014
This is an interesting but brief look into the inner life of Marilyn Monroe. George Barris knew her only three months, and originally was doing a piece for Cosmopolitan. After her death, Cosmo dumped the story so George put together this book containing Marilyn's insights to her world, and the people around her. This book shows us that she was an intelligent, witty, and caring person, not the typical Hollywood type, although she is glossed somewhat by the author. Great photographs enhance the story, a showpiece for George Barris. As Marilyn said, "I'm only human". And in August she was gone, far too soon.
March 26, 2012
Not my favorite book about/by her. I found the content read like a LONG press release and the pictures; I have been a fan of hers for over 30 years and I thought she looked high or tipsy in them. The sparkling vibrance Ive come to adore in the pictures she takes is gone in these. I didnt care for Mr Barriss' commentary either. Very disappointing!
August 10, 2012
Very intimate and not at all what I expected that she would be. In her own words she seemed like such an ordinary person. Someone that wasn't untouchable and someone that I could be friends with. She was definitely one of a kind.
December 1, 2012
Like all things Marilyn, it showed what a beautiful woman she was and captured the innocent yet extremely sexy aura about her. It was a quick read to learn about Marilyn's life and apparently was one of the last projects she worked on before her death but was not a particularly riveting read.
January 11, 2013
I remember going to visit my grandmother as a kid and getting this book at the library. The photographs were of her on the beach. I loved the photographs and reading Marilyn's life in her own words. I've read this book a few times since then.
July 21, 2008
Includes some of my fave photos of Marilyn.
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/41...
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/41...
July 24, 2008
I also got this one for my birthday and enjoyed it!
December 14, 2008
Gorgeous, raw photos. My favorite photos of her ever are in this.
April 13, 2009
Goes farther into Marilyn life than "My Story" an amazing read for any marilyn fan, also love George Barris commentary on Monroe.
September 17, 2009
this book is very helpful when you need to write an biography on her!!! :)
October 12, 2011
I loved the pictures, they really showed off Marilyn's natural beauty. They are what make this book great!
June 11, 2012
Since he didn't actually record any of these conversations (per Marilyn's request), it's not literally "her own words." Oh, how great would it had been if he DID record her?
January 4, 2013
Awesome pictures, disjointed text. Still leaves you with a certain feeling of who she was.
April 30, 2014
Beautiful book. Real, Genuine and Candid.
One of the better ones.
One of the better ones.
October 6, 2013
the unique photos were interesting, i liked the spontinaty of them. hearing Marilyn speak for herself was interesting. i had no idea she had such a sorted life.
May 31, 2015
It was OK, but not awesome. Lots of nice pics in it though.
July 7, 2009
Whoa, this book was very good.
July 21, 2013
interesting photos
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July 20, 2021Decidi ler este livro porque amo de paixão a atriz Marilyn Monroe, e estou procurando conhecer tudo que diz respeito a ela – o que, aliás, sei que é uma tarefa impossível.
Posso até conseguir ler inúmeras biografias, assistir aos filmes que ela participou, ver alguns documentários... Mas é impossível ler e assistir a tudo que foi feito relacionado a ela.
Enfim, não li este livro com a intenção de conhecer algo realmente novo sobre a diva loira. E não conheci mesmo, não.
Na verdade, as partes mais importantes desse livro já foram relatados em outras biografias. Mas... gostei de conhecer e ler o texto que foi usado em obras posteriores.
Enfim, repito: novidades consistentes, não existem nesta publicação. Nem tampouco é uma biografia. Longe disso. Para quem quer ler sobre a vida de Marilyn, este não é o livro indicado.
Até a seleção de fotos não é tão bonita e não é tão variada quanto o que hoje encontramos pela web (o livro é de 1994). E, olha... são MUITAS as fotos capturadas por George Barris. Fazendo uma busca na Internet, há muitas imagens LINDAS desses dias.
Recomendo o livro somente para os super-fãs, como eu, que querem ler TUDO sobre MM.
Como biografia, em português, recomendo "A Vida Secreta De Marilyn Monroe", escrito por J. Randy Taraborrelli. Para os que leem em inglês (ou se aventuram numa boa com os tradutores), vale a pena ler a investigação realizada sobre sua morte: "The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed", por Jay Margolis. It's incredibly astonishing!
♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎
Posso até conseguir ler inúmeras biografias, assistir aos filmes que ela participou, ver alguns documentários... Mas é impossível ler e assistir a tudo que foi feito relacionado a ela.
Enfim, não li este livro com a intenção de conhecer algo realmente novo sobre a diva loira. E não conheci mesmo, não.
Na verdade, as partes mais importantes desse livro já foram relatados em outras biografias. Mas... gostei de conhecer e ler o texto que foi usado em obras posteriores.
Enfim, repito: novidades consistentes, não existem nesta publicação. Nem tampouco é uma biografia. Longe disso. Para quem quer ler sobre a vida de Marilyn, este não é o livro indicado.
Até a seleção de fotos não é tão bonita e não é tão variada quanto o que hoje encontramos pela web (o livro é de 1994). E, olha... são MUITAS as fotos capturadas por George Barris. Fazendo uma busca na Internet, há muitas imagens LINDAS desses dias.
Recomendo o livro somente para os super-fãs, como eu, que querem ler TUDO sobre MM.
Como biografia, em português, recomendo "A Vida Secreta De Marilyn Monroe", escrito por J. Randy Taraborrelli. Para os que leem em inglês (ou se aventuram numa boa com os tradutores), vale a pena ler a investigação realizada sobre sua morte: "The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed", por Jay Margolis. It's incredibly astonishing!
♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews