Fragments of Marilyn Monroe

Fragments:  Poems, intimate notes, letters by Marilyn Monroe is a new book composed of snippets of the star's writings.  I loved all the photos between chapters which show her reading.  It seems uncharacteristic of the public persona of Marilyn Monroe, but she enjoyed leisure reading and expressing her thoughts on paper.  I was highly impressed by some of the titles that were found in her 400+ volume private collection (I suppose if we believe they were all read by her - I mean, sure, War & Peace may be on my bookshelf, but it doesn't mean I've read it).  A great deal of intelligence and critical thinking is shown by her introspective letters, poems, and organized lists, but like the 'Jekyll & Hyde' personality Monroe herself claimed to possess, these fragments also reveal her delicate emotional state and self-doubts.  The great aspect of the book's format is that the reader can see the documents in their original format, but read their text (typed on the opposing page) without having to decipher Monroe's script and scribbles.  This is a look past outward appearances to the real heart of Marilyn Monroe.