"Life Among The Cannibals: The Life and Times of Marilyn Monroe" by David Marshall

‘There are no second acts in American lives,’ F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote – and he should know. Like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, Fitzgerald’s flame burned brightly, but was all too soon extinguished. David Marshall’s first book, The DD Group (2003), confronted one of the mysteries of the twentieth century – why did Marilyn Monroe die alone in her bed on a Saturday night in 1962, at the age of 36? While not claiming to know the answer, Marshall traced all lines of enquiry, adding his own commentary to the diverse findings of his discussion group. Now, in Life Among The Cannibals: The Life and Times of Marilyn Monroe  (August, 2023) Marshall asks another question – if Monroe had survived her overdose, how would her life have progressed? Would she have continued along the road to self-destruction, or found a path to fulfilment? The book’s title evokes the cut-throat atmosphere of Hollywood, where Monroe made her name. Shortly before her death, Marilyn reflected, ‘Everybody is always tugging at you. They’d all like a chunk out of you… but you want to stay intact and on your feet.’ Marshall’s narrative treads a tightrope between past and present, fact and fiction. He places himself, unobtrusively, within the narrative through a chance meeting with Marilyn at Joe DiMaggio’s funeral in 1999. Marshall then acts as her biographer, covering the period from 1962 to 2003. He begins by waking Marilyn from a coma in August 1962. She dismisses her entourage of shrinks and drama coaches, and stops taking so many sleeping pills. 

After completing her next movie, she surprises her bosses by leaving Hollywood for good. Marshall depicts a woman no longer ruled by stardom, finding renewed success on her own terms. Marilyn re-establishes herself as a leading character actress, and takes control behind the scenes. Turning to private affairs, Marshall explores a possible reunion between Marilyn and her former husband, Joe DiMaggio. Sceptics have argued that DiMaggio was too jealous, and staid, to satisfy Marilyn for long. Nonetheless, his enduring love for her has been confirmed by numerous biographers and friends. Some readers may wonder if Marilyn really had the willpower to beat her demons and turn her life around. However, the tragic aspect of Monroe’s life has already been recognised, whereas her capacity for survival has not. Marshall pursues this prospect in depth and writes about Monroe with sensitivity. Life Among The Cannibals is an important addition to the wealth of speculative literature on Monroe, because instead of mourning what was lost, Marshall celebrates what might have been. In this highly entertaining book, Marshall gives Marilyn Monroe the second and third acts she surely deserved.

David Marshall: "There’s her stunning beauty of course – I think that’s always been the starting off point for everyone. It’s very true that it is nearly impossible to notice anything else once she’s on the screen. But the inspiration for me and the continuous hold, that came from forming an idea of the type of person she was, her actual character beyond the physical attraction. Hers is a story of an incredibly strong will overcoming exceptional obstacles–and not only persevering but reaching the very pinnacle of her profession. Add in basic human kindness, compassion and empathy, and quest for self-improvement, and you’ll just start to understand why this woman should be held up for emulation. Of course she was also very human and far from a saint. Her continuing appeal, even for those who know nothing of the real person, I think, comes from the simple fact that she is incredibly fun. You can’t help but smile when seeing her image. Even though you are looking at a movie that is seventy years old, the appeal is timeless and contemporary. Fun, beautiful, and timeless. But that’s just scratching at the very surface of her appeal." Source: themarilynreport.com