Book Review: Marilyn: The Ultimate Look at the Legend

 

Marilyn: The Ultimate Look at the Legend is a book by James Haspiel and published in 1991. It is a cross between a coffee-table book and a biography about Marilyn Monroe. Haspiel was a fan of Monroe living in New York, who ultimately became friends with her during the last eight years of her life, from 1954 to 1962. He was among a group of teenage fans who basically followed Monroe everywhere she went when she was in New York, taking pictures of and interacting with her. She befriended many of them, including Haspiel. The book contains several pictures (many of which had never been seen before the book was published) of Monroe, as well as letters she wrote to Haspiel and memorabilia she signed for him. The first half of the book contains more pictures than text, and the latter half contains more text. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 200 pages long, but because there are so many pictures, it reads very quickly. It is interesting to learn just how close fans could get to the most famous actress in the world at the time, and the fact that the authorities basically allowed them to camp outside her hotels and apartment complex. Haspiel even tells a story about punching a cop who tried to get him to stop loitering. You definitely get the idea that Haspiel, while he may not have been in the closest part of Monroe's inner circle, was very close to her and probably spent more time with her than any fan of any movie star has ever had the opportunity to since then. He did not seem close enough to her to know exactly how many pills she was alleged to have been taking, or see some of the erratic behavior that she was exhibiting toward the end of her life. Either that or just did not feel like including those details. He does mention, however, that Marilyn looked haggard the last few times he saw her. The final chapters discuss her death, and Haspiel absolutely does not believe that Monroe committed suicide. He absolutely believes she was killed, and while he does not name who he believes murdered her, it is clear from the context in the chapter in which he discusses her death who he believes did it. Ultimately, it is a very interesting book with several good pictures. It is a must-read for anyone who is a fan of Monroe's.