Barely Making a Dent: December 2017 Books

In which our narrator tries to read his way through the endless stacks of books that are slowly overtaking both his bookshelves and his life.

Earlier this year, I noted the preponderance of pictures of Marilyn Monroe reading. They probably have their own subreddit devoted to them. She loved books, and photographers loved to shoot her reading them. And if you're writing a regular column about the books you're reading, then slapping a photo of Marilyn up top certainly can't hurt. In fact, like a carefully curated home library, Marilyn reading will always help class up the joint. True fact.

This got me thinking: what's the best Marilyn book out there? I'd like to read one, but a good one, which means avoiding anything sordid or trashy. I want a thoughtful overview of her life and career. I'm not even that interested in a straight bio, but instead want a book by a writer who can place her within her appropriate cultural context, offering insights into what made her an everlasting icon. So, fellow readers, what would you recommend? Leave me a comment below and maybe one day soon you'll see your suggestion pop up in this very column.

I should add, I do have a Marilyn book, recently acquired, but it's not a biography. More details on that below, with the rest of what I've been reading.

Recently acquired

Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters, by Marilyn Monroe, edited by Bernard Comment. I've come into possession (that sounds so mysterious, doesn't it?) of a used copy of this beautiful book. The poems and letters collected here—including scans of her handwritten journal entries—certainly offer a window into her soul. She seemed to be what we might refer to now as a highly sensitive person (HSP), and its that depth of feeling that really shines through in her writing. Plus, the book has some terrific photos—seriously, did she ever take a bad photo?—including several of her reading and writing. This is a must-own for Marilyn devotees, and also for writers and book lovers everywhere

Currently reading

Carlito's Way / After Hours, by Edwin Torres. About halfway through with this one, loaned to me by a friend who shares my tastes in film and literature. I've wanted to read this book for over two decades now, since seeing the Al Pacino film version in theaters. That night in 1993, Carlito's Way instantly rocketed into the upper reaches of my favorite films list, and I haven't lost any love for it since. The book is fabulous, and Torres writes in a colorfully conversational style. The film, and Pacino, certainly nailed Carlito's voice, that's for sure.

Recently read

Quentin Tarantino: Interviews, Revised and Updated*, edited by Gerald Peary. Another in the University Press of Mississippi's essential Conversations with Filmmakers series. These books always offer valuable insights into the filmmakers' processes and artistic intentions. Sometimes they're also extremely entertaining reads because the filmmaker is such a spectacular interview subject. It should surprise no one that Tarantino is one such filmmaker, and his legendary film geek enthusiasm practically leaps off the pages of this book, in interviews spanning the entirety of his career (or at least up to around 2012 or so). It's like you're hanging out with Tarantino, maybe at a video store—Do they still have those?—and just geeking out out about movies.

People either love or hate Tarantino. I mostly fall into the former category, but that doesn't mean I'm an apologetic fanboy. Some of his films, like Jackie Brown and Kill Bill Vol. and 2 are legitimate masterpieces, in my opinion. I appreciate filmmakers who have a vision, and who clearly put a tremendous amount of thought and care into achieving that vision. Spike Lee is one of those filmmakers. Abel Ferrara is another. Unsurprisingly, all three of those directors are intelligent, thoughtful, and at times wildly eccentric.

Tarantino's collected interviews reveal that behind his boyish enthusiasm for film lies an intellectually sound and carefully crafted approach to the art of movie making. This revised and updated edition is an absolutely essential resource for Tarantino scholars and film nerds alike.

*Update, 2/13/18: This book of interviews was read, and this post written, before the Uma Thurman bombshell story about being her coerced by Tarantino into performing her own stunt driving in Kill Bill—a stunt which then led to her being injured. Obviously, for as much as I love those films and Jackie Brown, recent revelations certainly turned me off Tarantino as a person. Since this post, I wrote a bit about Uma and how, now more than ever, we must champion and celebrate her work in Kill Bill. You can read it here.