The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe explores Marilyn Monroe's life, from the viewpoints of close friends and facts compiled and also touches on the conspiracy theories that abound regarding her dalliances with men, taken or not, and her death and what (or who) may have caused it. Starting before Marilyn was even Norma Jean Baker, Tarraborelli gives insight into the family history of mental illness touching back to her grandmother.

Her mother Gladys was aware of the mental state of her mother, not to mention the dementia of several other family members that led to their deaths, and was terrified of falling prey to it. Despite her awareness, she seems to have slid farther into it's grip than her own mother.

Marilyn too saw the effects of the illness despite spending much of her life not with her family, in and out of foster homes and family friends. Sadly, it seems awareness did nothing to save either of them from their own minds.

Near the end of her altogether short life, Marilyn was diagnosed by two doctors as having borderline paranoid schizophrenia, and as being manic depressive. The drugs were wholly ineffective given her drug use dating back to her early Hollywood years. Given to her by a man who was, by all accounts, in love with her, it was not with malice that he introduced her to them but because they were not known as something bad or addictive at that time.

The narrator, Robert Petkoff, and the author, have woven a spellbinding biography that conveyed well the tragedy of not only Marilyn's death, but also her life. I have always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe which is indeed not a rare occurrence. For someone who has been gone for over 40 years, she is an iconic enigma to this day. Perhaps even while alive, that description could fit her. I am fascinated not by her beauty and sensuality though I find both to be in great supply by her, but by the raw vulnerability that seems to encompass her. There seems such a sadness surrounding her life. All those years searching for just one person to wholly accept and love her, never to be found. This book seems to encapsulate and preserve her memory fantastically. One of the best biographies, both film and literature wise, that I've seen or read on her. Huge thanks to Hachette for the chance to review this!