New Books In Popular Culture

In The American Way: A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman, and Marilyn Monroe (Simon & Schuster, 2023) Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler tell how the publisher of DC Comics comes to the rescue of a family trying to flee 1930s Berlin, their lives linking up with a dazzling cast of 20th century icons, all eagerly pursing the American dream. Family lore had it that Siegler’s grandfather crossed paths in Midtown Manhattan late one night in 1954 with Marilyn Monroe, her white dress flying up around her as she filmed a scene for The Seven Year Itch. An amateur filmmaker, Jules Schulback had his camera with him, capturing what would become the only surviving footage of that legendary night. Bonnie wasn’t sure she quite believed her grandfather’s story…until, cleaning out his apartment, she found the film reel. That discovery would prompt her to reconsider all of her grandfather’s seemingly tall tales—and lead her in pursuit of a rema rkable, poignant piece of forgotten history bridging old Hollywood, the birth of