In a powerful novel in verse, an award-winning author offers an

eye-opening look at the life of Marilyn Monroe.

BEAUTY MARK:
A VERSE NOVEL OF MARILYN MONROE
From the day she was born into a troubled home to her reigning days
as a Hollywood icon, Marilyn Monroe (née Norma Jeane Mortenson)
lived a life that was often defined by others. Here, in a luminous
poetic narrative, acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford tells
Marilyn’s story in a way that restores her voice to its rightful place:
center stage. Revisiting Marilyn’s often traumatic early life—foster
homes, loneliness, sexual abuse, teen marriage—through a hard-
won, meteoric rise to stardom that brought with it exploitation, pill
dependency, and depression, the lyrical narrative continues through
Marilyn’s famous performance at JFK’s birthday party, three months
before her death. In a story at once riveting, moving, and unflinching,
Carole Boston Weatherford tells a tale of extraordinary pain and
moments of unexpected grace, gumption, and perseverance, as well
as the inexorable power of pursuing one’s dreams.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times best-selling author
and poet, was selected as the Children’s Book
Guild 2019 Nonfiction Award Winner. Her
numerous books for children include the
Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor ON SALE SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
Book Becoming Billie Holiday, illustrated by HC: 978-1-5362-0629-6 • $19.99 ($24.99 CAN)

Floyd Cooper; the Caldecott Honor Books Also available as an e-book • Age 14 and up • 192 pages

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to #marilynsbeautymark

Freedom, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou
Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, illustrated by Ekua Holmes;
and the critically acclaimed Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library,
illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Carole Boston Weatherford lives in
Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Learn more about the author at her website:
https://cbweatherford.com.

MARKETING PLAN
• Trade, school, and • Blogger outreach • Promotional item • Featured title in
library advertising Candlewick CIRC
• YA galley offering • Discussion guide
e-newsletter
• Targeted publicity • Teen Buzz title • Online giveaways
campaign • Select author
• Postcard • Social media campaign appearances
 From Beauty Mark: A Verse Novel of Marilyn Monroe

Title Title

Stand Still
1
2
I am nude — 3
about to be sewn into the dress 4
that I paid Oscar winner Jean Louis 5
twelve thousand dollars to design. 6
The sequined second skin I will wear 7
to sing “Happy Birthday” 8
to Jack Kennedy, the president. 9
0 I was coiffed by the same beautician This is no accident, though. 10
1 who does First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s hair. I rehearsed this song 11
2 Nothing in my Norma Jeane beginnings until it became my breath. 12
3 pointed toward this moment. I exhale memory after memory 13
4 while a stylist stitches me into history. 14
5 For hours, I stand perfectly still 15
6 as my shimmery silhouette takes shape. 16
7 I am silvery as a movie screen. 17
8 Hollywood insiders scoffed 18
9 that I could not act my way 19
0 out of a paper bag. 20
1 21
2 What did they know? 22
3 23
4 24
5 25
6 26
2• •3

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2nd Pages 2nd Pages

More from Award-Winning Author Carole Boston Weatherford

illustrated by Michele Wood illustrated by Eric Velasquez illustrated by Ekua Holmes

HC: 978-0-7636-9156-1 • $17.99 ($23.99 CAN)
Age 10 and up • 56 pages
 Four starred reviews
 “Brown’s story never gets old, and this
illustrated biography is rich in context and detail
that make it heavier on history and better for
slightly older readers. . . . Heartbreaking and
legendary.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
HC: 978-0-7636-8046-6 • $16.99 ($22.99 CAN)
PB: 978-1-5362-0897-9 • $9.99 ($12.99 CAN)
Also available in Spanish • PB: 978-1-5362-0898-6
Ages 8–12 • 48 pages
 Five starred reviews
A Walter Dean Myers Award Winner
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
HC: 978-0-7636-6531-9 • $17.99 ($24.00 CAN)
PB: 978-1-5362-0325-7 • $10.99 ($14.99 CAN)
Age 10 and up • 56 pages
 Four starred reviews
A Caldecott Honor Book
A Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Winner
A John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book