From Publishers Weekly
Rather than add to the canon of morbid Monroe speculation, Times Literary Supplement contributor Churchwell steps back to examine the examiners and ask: why has so much been written about Monroe, and what does this fixation say about our society? She doesn't provide any answers, but focuses instead on the phenomenon—she's fascinated by the investigation itself. Although Churchwell touches briefly on the few factual areas where biographers and conspiracy theorists agree, such as Monroe's marriages and film stats, she chooses to linger on the numerous crux points for commentators. Even something as mundane as how Monroe developed her characteristic hip-swinging strut has been hotly debated: the head of the star's former modeling agency maintains it was because of weak ankles, but an acting coach claims he invented it, and a gossip columnist insists Monroe shaved off part of one high heel so her walk would be uneven. Instead of trying to find the truth, Churchwell ponders why such seemingly minor aspects of Monroe's image draw such fervid attention in a culture already saturated with image, celebrity and sex. Churchwell culls a wealth of information about Monroe, providing insight on our celebrity culture, with a refreshingly detached perspective. 13 b&w photos. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
Why add to the gargantuan Marilyn Monroe archives? Because that very assemblage of materials, many of them dubious enough to inspire Churchwell to call the lot of it an apocrypha, is exactly what her exhaustive yet searing analysis calls attention to. The "many lives" in her title refers to the Monroe icons created by Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, and Monroe's third husband, Arthur Miller, not to mention dozens of biographers, including Gloria Steinem. Wielding the precision tools of literary criticism, the interrogative skills of a prosecutor, and laser-sharp insights, Churchwell reveals just how permeated the discourse about Monroe is with misogyny, moralizing, speculation, eroticism, resentment, and fear. Mythologized as both innocent and whore, Monroe is seen as a tragic victim of her beauty and a wretched childhood instead of as a remarkably successful artist who possessed an unparalleled rapport with the camera, "comic genius," and true moxie. Churchwell's bold deconstruction of the Monroe myth (which includes theories about the unsolved mystery of her death) ultimately reveals the thin line between adoration and contempt. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
A brilliant investigation into the debates surrounding Marilyn Monroe's life and the cultural attitudes that her legend reveals

There are many Marilyns: sex goddess and innocent child, crafty manipulator and dumb blonde, liberated woman and tragic loner. Indeed, the writing and rewriting of this endlessly intriguing icon's life has produced more than six hundred books, from the long procession of "authoritative" biographies to the memoirs and plays by ex-husband Arthur Miller and the works by Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates. But even as the books have multiplied, myth, reality, fact, fiction, and gossip have become only more intertwined; there is still no agreement about such fundamental questions as Marilyn's given name, the identity of her father, whether she was molested as a child, and how and why she died.

The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe reviews the unreliable and unverifiable-but highly significant-stories that have framed the greatest Hollywood legend. All the while, cultural critic Sarah Churchwell reveals us to ourselves: our conflicted views on women, our tormented sexual attitudes, our ambivalence about success, our fascination with self-destruction.

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



About the Author
Sarah Churchwell was educated at Vassar and Princeton and is now a professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia. The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe is her first book. She lives in London.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"After her death in 1962, Marilyn the star became Marilyn the myth: sex goddess and innocent child, crafty manipulator and dumb blonde, liberated woman and tragic loner. Indeed, the writing and rewriting of this endlessly intriguing icon's life has produced more than six hundred books, from the long procession of "authoritative" biographies to the memoirs and plays by ex-husband Arthur Miller and the works by Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates. But even as the books have multiplied, myth, reality, fact, fiction, and gossip have become only more intertwined; there is still no consensus about such basic facts as the identity of her father or even her given name. Was she was molested as a child? Did she prostitute herself to get ahead? Did she have affairs with one or both of the Kennedy brothers? Was she mentally unstable, and how and why did she die?" In The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, cultural critic Sarah Churchwell gives us a biography of the biographies. She reviews the unreliable and unverifiable - but highly significant - stories that have framed the greatest Hollywood legend, from the circumstances of her birth to the mystery surrounding her death. Peeling back the fantasies, fallacies, and falsehood that have colored the portraits of Monroe, Churchwell uncovers the shame, belittlement, and anxiety that we bring to the story of a woman we supposedly adore. In the process, she reveals us to ourselves: our conflicted views on women, our tormented sexual attitudes, our ambivalence about success, our fascination with self-destruction. And she rescues a Marilyn Monroe who is far more complicated and credible than the one we think we know.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Rather than add to the canon of morbid Monroe speculation, Times Literary Supplement contributor Churchwell steps back to examine the examiners and ask: why has so much been written about Monroe, and what does this fixation say about our society? She doesn't provide any answers, but focuses instead on the phenomenon-she's fascinated by the investigation itself. Although Churchwell touches briefly on the few factual areas where biographers and conspiracy theorists agree, such as Monroe's marriages and film stats, she chooses to linger on the numerous crux points for commentators. Even something as mundane as how Monroe developed her characteristic hip-swinging strut has been hotly debated: the head of the star's former modeling agency maintains it was because of weak ankles, but an acting coach claims he invented it, and a gossip columnist insists Monroe shaved off part of one high heel so her walk would be uneven. Instead of trying to find the truth, Churchwell ponders why such seemingly minor aspects of Monroe's image draw such fervid attention in a culture already saturated with image, celebrity and sex. Churchwell culls a wealth of information about Monroe, providing insight on our celebrity culture, with a refreshingly detached perspective. 13 b&w photos. Agent, Angela Rose at Granta UK. (Jan. 10) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Frequently dissected in an attempt to uncover the person behind the star, Marilyn Monroe now resides as a myth that reflects our culture's complex attitudes, values, and critical judgments of celebrity, success, and life. Taking a fresh approach to the subject, Churchwell (American literature & culture, Univ. of East Anglia) focuses on the stories themselves and the legend they created in an attempt to determine not who Monroe was but who she became as a result. Churchwell studies the writings of various biographers, novelists, journalists, and commentators (notably those of Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, and Monroe's onetime husband Arthur Miller), analyzing the content and nuance of these works and underlining subsequent reactions by the public and the media. The result is a well-researched yet disturbing look at an enigmatic woman and the confusing culture that made her an icon. For circulating libraries.-Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews