Assassination of Marilyn Monroe by Donald H. Wolfe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is a punch in the gut. If I were to find out that my beloved River Phoenix had not died of a drug overdose, but rather somebody had poisoned him, my heart would break a second time. That is how I feel right now about Marilyn Monroe.
Ever since I was a little girl Marilyn Monroe was my favorite. I’ve read dozens of books about her and I’ve even read books about her death, speculations that she didn’t actually commit suicide.
But this book is a horse of a different color: it proves that not only was she murdered but the cover-up went all the way to the highest offices of the American government. The evidence that the then-president JFK and his brother the Attorney General were involved in her murder is mind boggling. I will never feel the same way about their family ever again, which is also upsetting because I’ve always idolized them too.
Not only did the Kennedys murder my beloved Norma Jeane, they were all so incredibly rife with corruption. Much like with George W. Bush, JFK beat Nixon through voter fraud. Not only that, JFK was in the pockets of the Mafia. In this book I learned just to what extent, and I really had no idea that it was so bad. The myth of the Kennedy’s Camelot was brought home to me here.
I found it fascinating how people who were so scared to come forward 40 years ago, like in a Cold Case episode, came forward recently with what they knew and with what they saw in Marilyn’s last moments, which turned out to be a very different story than the official one. I guess the truth always comes out eventually, no matter how many people try to prevent it. I suppose it is the nature of truth to want to be free and known.
This book broke my heart. If Marilyn Monroe were alive today and was having an affair with the president I don’t think that they would have killed for these indiscretions or even for whatever state secrets she might know. But in 1962, it appears that wasn’t the case and Marilyn Monroe’s threats to call a press conference not only about her affair with the president but also to discuss all of the secrets that she had regarding Cuba, the Mafia, fraud, and other indiscretions ultimately led to her murder.
In many ways I’m very glad to know the truth about what happened to one of my favorite people in her last weeks on this planet. I’m also happy to know the truth about the Kennedys; now I can stop idealizing them and I’m in a much better position when conceiving of my third novel which will be about what the world would be like if JFK and RFK had not been assassinated. That story now will be much less of an homage to the Kennedys, but instead will explore the world that would’ve existed if Marilyn Monroe had given her press conference. And lived.
This is such a hard book to read, so tragic, but because it is such a different version of American history than the one we’ve been spoon fed, it should be read by everyone.
