Marilyn Monroe Unveiled: A Family History

Firstly I was surprised by the large size and volume of this book. Meticulously written by Genealogists and a cousin of Marilyn Monroe, this is a book of facts, rather than the flowery fiction of many books. Many Copies of news reports show what life what was like in those early days. There is interesting detail of every day life in rural and towns in america. As a English person whose ancestors on both sides went to America I found it fascinating to read about previous life in the west.We did not understand about the trick-cyclist, charlatans and Anne Froyd clinic, but now it is sadly horrifically clear. Thanks to Amazon and Jason for throwing light on Marilyn's untimely death. In England we also thought she was managing her life beautifully.

Forget the Myth of Marilyn Monroe. The orphan. The Kennedys. Here are the facts of who manipulated Marilyn and the reasons why. Her decision to leave Fox studios behind and head for the New York stage lead her to the Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg and his Method. Read what really lay behind her business deal with Milton Greene and dependence on drugs. How Arthur Miller convinced her to name him in her will while still married to his then wife. And who pulled psychiatrist Ralph Greensons strings. Who really needed her dead and their motives. Their methods.After reading this book you will never see Norma Jeane again in the same light.

Superb book, a must for any Marilyn Monroe fan.

Very interesting addition to MM library. The legend continues.

Very disappointing. I bought the book based on the title thinking I might learn something I didn't already know about Marilyn's closest relatives, not ones that lived a hundred years before she was ever born and had no relationship whatsoever with her. There were numerous mistakes made, dates that were wrong, and as far as Marilyn's grandmother Della was concerned, the author named 2 different cemeteries she was buried in and completely overlooked the uniqueness of how she was interred, not to mention she has Marilyn's mother Gladys paying for Della's funeral which is not the case, backed up by supporting documents naming who actually did pay for her burial. The repetition of reading the same thing twice spread over 2 or 3 pages just to fill space was annoying as was her bashing of other authors for their mistakes while making plenty of her own. I did, however, find it amusing how much time she spent on condemning those that spelled Norma Jeane without the 'e' at the end of her name. Had she taken the time to read actual letters, documents etc. she would have found that beside previous authors, many photographers, schools, the orphanage, her husbands as well as numerous family members, spelt her name without the 'e' as well. As for accusing other writers about taking 'creative liberties' this author takes enough of them herself. After all these years and the numerous new documents and photos that have surfaced, I would have hoped for a more well researched book and where is 'next book' (5 years later) that the author continually referred to when unable to provide a source for what she claims? This book is a prime example of what happens when an author relies on magazine articles as the gospel truth. This is a self-published book that no reputable publisher would print. PS: Marion did not just up and disappear one day and Dr. Greenson did NOT admit to having an argument with Marilyn on the day she died.

I love genealogy and Marilyn so, there really is not a more perfect book suited to me than this. One does not have to agree with every single conclusion drawn by the authors in order to appreciate the hard work that went into the research and time that went into this book. Jason Kennedy gets to the point and quickly proves he is Marilyn's 2nd cousin. Then he gets on with th business of the book, using newspaper clippings, family stories, and other genealogical evidence to dispel the myth that Marilyn's maternal relatives were a group of irresponsible, mentally disturbed, and half-wits who either didn't care or were unfit to give a damn about her. To the contrary, this book provides the first real evidence that, for the most part, her maternal relatives were the opposite of the lies and myths told about them for the better part of 60 years.As someone with a deeply held appreciation and respect for Marilyn, I have become ambivalent about every new book that rolls out about her because most are just a regurgitation of what's already been said. I say that with some authority, as the owner of more than 100 books and magazines dedicated solely to the topic of Marilyn (the photo is of just the books about her that are stored in my tv room cabinet). However, this book immediately stood out to me. This isn't Hollywood or New York, it doesn't have the stamp or money behind it from any of the big name publishers. In fact, it is self published. The motive here isn't money, it is to correct Hollywood folklore that his given the world the wrong impression about the Jason Kennedy's, family.I love the book. I am not 100% sold on every conclusion, for instance, I tend to believe that Stanley Gifford is her father, but I have no more proof so the authors' did their best to draw their conclusion that it was probably Mortensen. That said, as a genealogy hobbyist, I love all of the records, photographs, and newspaper clippings included here. Following the genealogy path in the book is like a treasure hunt. It really is fascinating, whether your interest is genealogy, Marilyn or both. As lawyer, I appreciate anyone who provides factual evidence to back up what they say and it is nice to have a book about Marilyn that finally puts away the myths and the legende and addresses the woman.I don't collect Marilyn memorabilia or have posters of her around my house. My collection of books began in 1990 and has grown, mostly through gifts, over the last 26 years and includes biographies of many historical figures, all of the classics, many books of art, history, politics, philosophy, and religion. Marilyn just has more books written about her than most other topics. If anything, I'm just a collector of information and this book is definitely something different and more than worth the read.

I've had this book for a few months and due to the amount of information (and my schedule) I have yet to finish it. I must say that I have enjoyed the book very much this far and it has proven an invaluable tool in my research. I never fell for the orphan story--It was a good story to start a career maybe but it has become gospel. The family has always been denied its place in history, (I'd like to add that many of her family members were upstanding and contributed to society.) Here's why because both Hollywood and individuals that were determined to keep Marilyn isolated and lay claim. Yet, there are those who continue to deny that she had/has extend family? Again, I have not finished the book to its conclusion. I do believe Stanley C. Gifford was Norma Jeane's father and perhaps with the aid of modern science we can someday find out. I do not believe in conspiracy theories--Marilyn's death was an accidental. Were there unanswered questions and a doctor who was too vested in to his clients life and tried to control her? Yes, Dr. Greenson was grossly negligent in his care and in my opinion responsible should have been held accountable for her death. There were others who had claim over Marilyn and didn't want her to change her Will which she had plans to do so--according to her half sister/telegram/letter. In the Last Will & Testament, Marilyn's wishes were not honored by the man who claimed to have been her friend and delivered her eulogy and who's name continues to use Marilyn to this day. This book deserves to be on every bookstore shelf that carries Marilyn Monroe books because there are plenty of books that do not deserve to even be in print. Some are written just to sell books and to profit off of Marilyn. This book is thoughtfully researched and educational with credible sources that far out weights the less than desirable cover design and layout. Jason and Jennifer have been friendly with my encounters and generous with their knowledge and information. We may not see eye to eye on every detail or theory but we are able to maintain an open dialogue that is both professional and respectful. I look forward to the supplement to this book and good luck to your future endeavors. Samantha McLaughlin

There is so much info that it's hard to read in a few sittings. A few printing issues and punctuation errors don't take away anything from this research. I thought it would be a book about her family and genealogy but it's so much more. MM, I always believed was alone with no family and a poor waif who was scrubbing toilets in orphanages. I have a large MM book collection and own a few items from one of the Christie's auctions, and have read everything on her for over 30 years so I thought I knew about everything.While I never liked Arthur Miller and always thought he was using her money to pay his legal bills, I never knew just how much he and others had isolated her from everyone. And agree son was another that I always thought had a most improper relationship with MM. But the fact that secretaries, assistants, doctors etc all had relationships with each other, either professionally or literally by blood was shocking. Her own assistants seemed to conspire with each other to keep MM's own finances from her, yet took expensive gifts. I hadn't known that Greenson's family hurriedly took things from MM's house to resell. Or that Eunice Murray and others had arranged for themselves to be out of town the week after she died, making the arrangements BEFORE she died and getting paid early. I've always thought she died from an enema overdose, explaining why Eunice was hurriedly washing sheets when the police arrived and it appeared MM's body had been placed oddly on the bed. And that Greenson was trying to keep his hide out of jail as he probably should not have left drugs to be mixed by a housekeeper. Newcombe is the only one alive who could tell much of the story but she doesn't seem interested in leaving MM's legacy as anything but as a suicidal orphan. Give this book a chance and see just how isolated this little gang of moochers left her. Some of their families are still getting rich selling her face on underwear, cig lighters, and shower curtains.

This is truly one of the best books about Marilyn Monroe's true family history that I have ever read . The documentation that Jason Kennedy put in this book is truly amazing . I have always wondered about her family . I had always thought that part of her story was a Cinderella story that Hollywood created . Now to know more and more about Norma Jean's background is truly wonderful . Take time to really read the entire book because you will not be disappointed. It is also kind of a lesson of how Hollywood created its mega stars back in the day . Nobody was more of a mega star of 20th Century Fox then Mariyn Monroe . You also learn about what really happened that dreadful night in August 1962. I absolutely believe that Marilyn was murdered and it was covered up . Marilyn deserves justice after all of these years and the lies that have been told . You will truly rediscover Marilyn Monroe throughout this book