The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
msgabbythelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I like seeing books where friendships are highlighted--friendships where people do NOT look the same. I didn't know Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe were friends but I think that's cool! I also did like that this book did NOT highlight all the negative/sadness that was Marilyn. (But then again might not be exactly appropriate in a children's book ;))
michelle_neuwirth_gray9311's review against another edition
4.0
As a fan of both Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald, this was such a delightful book to read. I had no idea that they were such good friends and how they each influenced and helped the other at a time when whites and blacks were not allowed to be in many of the same hotels, clubs, restaurants, etc.
bethmitcham's review
3.0
This is a neat bit of history I didn't know about -- Monroe loved Fitzgerald's voice; Fitzgerald loved Monroe's movies; they met and bonded. Monroe used her influence to get Fitzgerald into a bit club in California, and they stayed friends.
The author draws links between them because they were shy and poor as kids, and because both were smarter than they were given credit for and had to fight to make their own decisions. Even more so for Fitzgerald, who was Black, a woman, and not conventionally pretty. Monroe was too beautiful -- men refused to believe she was also smart. They both had to to overcome a lot to get control of their lives.
Although I enjoyed learning the history, the prose was rather plodding and I wasn't enthusiastic about the illustrations. The backmatter was interesting -- a more detailed description of their relationship and smarts, and a good bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources; the primary sources were mostly online videos of the the performers.
The author draws links between them because they were shy and poor as kids, and because both were smarter than they were given credit for and had to fight to make their own decisions. Even more so for Fitzgerald, who was Black, a woman, and not conventionally pretty. Monroe was too beautiful -- men refused to believe she was also smart. They both had to to overcome a lot to get control of their lives.
Although I enjoyed learning the history, the prose was rather plodding and I wasn't enthusiastic about the illustrations. The backmatter was interesting -- a more detailed description of their relationship and smarts, and a good bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources; the primary sources were mostly online videos of the the performers.
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