Marilyn Monroe: The Personal Archives

Devoted Monroe fans will snap to attention when this book hits the stores. Featuring extensive photos, De La Hoz (Marilyn Monroe: A Platinum Fox) begins with Norma Jeane's rocky childhood with mother Gladys, her father's identity unknown. The girl who would become Marilyn remembers growing up as a difficult time, "never quite good enough in her behavior and thoughts." She married at 16, but divorced a year later when she signed with Fox, the studio insisting that they didn't think marriage would improve her image. The rest, as they say, is history. De La Hoz includes highlights that even casual Monroe admirers will recognize: her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller; the filming of The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot; and her memorable rendition of "Happy Birthday" for JFK. Meanwhile, the photos show the star at her pinnacle. To carry out the "scrapbook" theme, De La Hoz includes four pocket sections stuffed with "facsimiles," with documents including Monroe's 1945 model release to her divorce certificate from Joe DiMaggio, the license for her beloved dog Hugo, and a final invoice for psychoanalysis. Readers will find these additions either fascinating or creepy. (Aug.)