The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell

The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell

There are many Marilyns: sex goddess and innocent child, crafty manipulator and dumb blonde, liberated woman and tragic loner. The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe reviews the unreliable and unverifiable--but highly significant--stories that have framed this Hollywood legend, all the while revealing the meanings behind the American myths that have made Marilyn what she is today.

In incisive and passionate prose, cultural critic Sarah Churchwell uncovers the shame, belittlement, and anxiety that we bring to the story of a woman we supposedly adore and, in the process, rescues a Marilyn Monroe who is far more complicated and credible than the one we think we know.

Sarah Churchwell is an American Literature and Humanities Public Understanding Professor at the University of East Anglia. Her literary journalism has been extensively published, and she is the author of The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe and coeditor of Must Read: Rediscovering the Bestseller. She is an American living in London who is a regular BBC broadcaster and contributor.