Who knew that Marilyn had approximately 400 books in her personal library that she religiously moved with her to home after home? I certainly didn't know that the perhaps most famous icon of our time was such an avid reader. And her association with writers certainly didn't stop with the written word - not only did she marry Arthur Miller, but through him and independently she met and interacted with numerous other writers of her time. Gail Crowther in this book delves deeply into Marilyn's personal collection and her impressive program to educate and cultivate her mind after dropping out of high school. She was hungry for knowledge and stopped at nothing to read and she read everything that she could get her hands on.
Dr. Crowther did an immaculate, well researched deep dive into this topic. She clearly thoroughly researched her subject and, apparently, had the support of the estate in researching and writing this book. It contains not only information about her books, but tidbits about her life in the hopes of illuminating readers about who Marilyn was beyond the image that the studios forced her to portray. Marilyn Monroe was clearly highly intelligent, intellectually curious and, sadly, particularly troubled. The book itself is a fast and interesting read - it took me 2 to 3 days to read and moved quickly.
I LOVE reading about and learning about what people read because I believe it offers us insight into them and their personality, interests and values. This book gave me insight into the person behind the facade, making the book a well worth read.
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