This is refreshing from any biographer, but crucial in a writer who has undertaken the story of a star on the scale of Marilyn Monroe, about whom insidious and ridiculous rumors have persisted before and long since her death. One excellent quality of Spoto’s writing is his honest yet sympathetic realism and firm dismissal of conspiracy theories and scandalous gossip. These previous generations, the lack of constancy they faced, and the virtual nonexistence of familial closeness, reliability, or stability in their lives provide crucial insight into the struggles Monroe faced in childhood and adulthood, as well as her dreams of being adored both professionally and personally. Beginning his investigation into her life several generations before it began, Spoto devotes the first chapter of the book to the hardships, misfortunes, and familial tensions that ultimately led to the birth of Norma Jeane Baker (her last name frequently changed even before her whole name did). Donald Spoto’s 1993 biography of the eternally captivating Marilyn Monroe is a well-researched, deeply human look at the actress who was criminally underestimated and continues to be misrepresented.
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