For today’s post, I have decided to do a countdown of my favorite Marilyn Monroe biographies. It will likely come as little surprise to regular readers of my blog that I read a lot about Old Hollywood. More particularly, Marilyn Monroe is one of my favorite people to read about!
Number 10: Marilyn Monroe: The Unseen Archives by Marie Clayton
~This is a lovely coffee table book that I have owned since high school that serves as a pictorial biography of Marilyn.
Number 9: Marilyn by Gloria Steinem
~This is another book filled with lovely photos that tells Marilyn’s story alongside the last images to be taken of her!
Number 8: Marilyn: A Biography by Norman Mailer
~Norman Mailer was an iconic American author. He did an interesting job of writing about Marilyn, but he did famously include details that have since been found to be incorrect!
Number 7: Marilyn Monroe: A Beautiful Child by Truman Capote
~Truman Capote was a great friend of Marilyn’s and that is reason enough to read his book about her! Fun fact, he originally wanted her to play Holly Golightly, as the Breakfast at Tiffany’s lead was based upon her!
Number 6: The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe by Donald H. Wolfe
~This one is very specifically about her death, but that honestly makes it important for her fans.
Number 5: Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love by C. David Heymann
~This is a dual biography of Marilyn and her second husband by one of the great biographers of Hollywood icons.
Number 4: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli
~This one is by a very experienced biographer of the era in which Marilyn lived. This alone makes it worth the read.
Number 3: Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers
~This one is iconic, it is the book and writer who inspired the Netflix documentary about Marilyn that premiered earlier this year.
Number 2: Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner
~I really adored this recent biography that was written within the last decade. It is a very well-written book that looks at Marilyn as both an iconic actress and a legendary Hollywood figure!
Number 1: My Story by Marilyn Monroe
~What else could be number one other than the actual book written by Marilyn herself. This book tells her story from her own perspective, making it the best book about Marilyn ever!
Special Mention: Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
~This one is a novel, not a biography, which is why it only gets a special mention. It is a well-researched book that is beautifully written. It also is a book that has inspired not one, but two biopics of the star. The second will soon be released on Netflix!
~I hope you have enjoyed this countdown. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
White Rose of Avalon 