Recently, I completed reading the book written by Marilyn's (half) sister, Berniece Baker Miracle, "My Sister Marilyn: A Memoir of Marilyn Monroe." I thought the book was very loving towards Marilyn and showed how close they were. The book includes information about their phone calls, letters, and visits they had over the span of when Marilyn was 12 years old up until her passing in 1962. Although this book was very informative and written with love, I thought it had a few issues. First of all, I disliked how the book was written in third-person by Mona Rae Miracle (Berniece's daughter), with occasional quotes said by Berniece during the writing process of this book. I think that the book would have been more heart-felt and overall better if it was written in first person by Berniece herself. Secondly, I didn't like how in the beginning of the book, Berniece wrote about Marilyn's childhood because a lot of it clashes with what was written in "My Story," which was written based off of interviews with Marilyn. Berniece and Marilyn also weren't aware of each other's existence until Marilyn was 12, so I find it strange she wrote about Marilyn's life before that, unless of course Marilyn extensively talked to Berniece about it. Lastly, I thought it was too bad the book was written in general. I do deeply appreciate the book being written, so us Marilynettes can learn who the girl behind the persona of Marilyn Monroe was, but it states in the book how Marilyn asked Berniece to not speak of her to the press, for Marilyn was a very private person, so Berniece promised she wouldn't. I do realize Berniece felt an obligation to speak of Marilyn in this book to debunk the lies that came out about Marilyn after her death, but in some naive way, a promise is a promise. Furthermore, I'm sure Marilyn was aware of the lies about her that swarmed when she was alive, yet Marilyn herself never outwardly spoke of the lies to the press.
Overall, I do really appreciate the book and how it was lovingly dedicated to Marilyn in such a sweet and wholesome way, with good intensions after all. With this book, Berniece and Mona Rae Miracle gave us a wonderful view of Norma Jeane/Marilyn's life that only such close family members could tell. I'm very happy they allowed us to see that part of Marilyn's life. My Overall Rating of the Book: 9/10 What are your thoughts on the book? Comment down below!
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AuthorHi there! My name is Sophia! Welcome to Mesmerizing Marilyn Monroe! ♡ (To read more about me and this corner of the internet, click here!) Archives
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