It is seldom that a book is recommended as a research tool for scholars and also leisure reading for movie star fans. However, Marilyn Monroe's life was extraordinary. It is appropriate that books on her life would also be unique, and this book is interesting and very useful at the same time. Rollyson has a rich background in producing biographies. . . .In this new book, the author makes his research materials accessible to readers. He includes a brief, well-organized, and very readable biography in which he tries to clarify the cracks and discrepancies that still exist in her life story. Also included is a descriptive listing of the significant people in her life, a detailed time line, sources for quotes, and an annotated filmography. Especially valuable for researchers is the bibliography of selected quality materials. The annotations are extensive, not only describing the contents but evaluating the importance of the resource. The book is an especially useful tool for researchers and for students studying this controversial and enigmatic woman. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic audiences; general readers. * CHOICE *
Rollyson, author of Marilyn Monroe: A Life of the Actress (1986), provides this day-by-day chronology that suggests different aspects of Monroe's life. The book begins with a biography and an annotated listing of principal personages; this is followed by the time line, which moves from her grandparents (1876) to her death (1962). The concise entries flow by months and years to suggest the passages in her life and give insight into her everyday interests, providing another way to view Monroe's short life. Recommended for hard-core fans of this film icon. * Booklist *
Author Carl Rollyson's new book Marilyn Monroe, Day by Day is a carefully researched and consistently fascinating look at the actress's life. . . .And, throughout its over 300-detailed pages, we are offered a very thorough look at Marilyn Monroe's life and career. It is too easy to dismiss books of this sort as mere trivia, but Rollyson's book does not fall under this category. The information he provides not only gives fans of Marilyn Monroe a clear understanding of the events in her life, it also helps us examine her process in choosing roles, her approach to each character, the subsequent publicity she must engage in, and her reaction to various directors and co-stars. . . .While it would seem no more could possibly be said about Marilyn Monroe, Carl Rollyson's book offers a great deal of compact information that will interest and enlighten any of her fans. * Examiner.com *
Providing a year-by-year time-line of Monroe's life, with the events of each month-and day-where known. A useful reference book for the Monroe scholar. * Mad about Marilyn *
Marilyn Monroe Day by Day is a treasure-trove of information related to all manner of Marilyn-related events. Carl Rollyson is a fantastic author and researcher and the work put into this book is nothing short of spectacular. If you want to know what show Marilyn attended on 11th January 1955, or when she did costume tests for 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,' then look no further than this book. I know I will be using it on an everyday basis and it will always have a place on my bookshelf. -- Michelle Morgan, author of Marilyn Monroe: Private and Confidential
Carl Rollyson, the first biographer to focus on Marilyn Monroe as an actress, has created a unique timeline depicting the life of an American icon. An indispensable research tool, Day By Day will clarify events from her troubled childhood onward, while dispelling some of the more pernicious myths. The woman who emerges is witty, sociable and hard-working. Rollyson also chronicles Monroe's omnipresence in the magazines and newspapers of the day, revealing the complex interplay between image and reality. He offers sharp analysis of her cinematic legacy; deft portraits of the people who knew and loved her; and an opinionated guide to the many books published since her death. Far from closing the debate, Marilyn Monroe Day by Day sheds new light on an enduring enigma. -- Tara Hanks, author of The Mmm Girl
An outstanding achievement. Carl Rollyson's A Life of the Actress remains the definitive study of Monroe's career. Now, in Marilyn Monroe Day by Day he presents a fascinating experiment by carefully piecing together the events of her life-day by day-to reveal a portrait of a woman who is strong, in control, and extraordinarily shrewd. The result is a riveting social document that unfolds like an adventure novel. -- David Wills, author of Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis
