My mom and Marylyn were close friends in the 70's when I was in my little girl years. I will always remember her as a posh, sophisticated, wry, intellectual who happened to be a stunner as well. But there is an even more important reason I idolized her when I was a girl.
As a child, I struggled with learning and now I'm quite sure I had an undiagnosed learning disability. I hated reading. One afternoon, Marylyn was visiting and quite unlike some other family friends, she treated me as an important individual, worthy and capable of discussing world events, adult concerns, politics, literature any having ideas of my own. So eventually I began to "pretend" I was the person she thought I could be, until I actualized that feeling, and began to view my self in an entirely new way, that of a contributor, an independant, a person that held her own weight.
As I had mentioned earlier. I hated to read and would become paralyzed when confronted with a page filled with words to the point that I couldn't absorb what was put before me. That afternoon Marylyn suggested a book to me and I shall never forget it. The title was "White Lotus". When I opened it up and had begun to try and read it, it was a swirl of letters and words, but because I knew Marylyn thought I would enjoy it, I stuck to it and before I knew it I was no longer fake reading, I was swept away to another time and place, transported to that place that was completely different to my life. She introduced the joy of reading to me in a way a parent or teacher ever could. To this day I credit her with my being able to actually enjoy reading rather than being paralyzed by it. Thanks Marylyn for being the movie star I always knew you were. You were a queen and you always will be. Thanks for giving me the joy of reading, it has taken far. I love you and will miss you always.
Dawn