Natalie Wood

November 1, 2016
Less a birth-to-death chronology than an impressive, appealing scrapbook, this heavily illustrated volume from Bowman (Fellini: The Sixties, 2015) is indebted to its subject, an avid collector of her own legacy, and her family. Born Natasha Zakharenko to Russian immigrant parents in 1938, Wood was a rare creature, a child actor who transitioned gracefully into a full-fledged Hollywood star. Among the multiform personal effects included here are snapshots of Wood from all stages of her life, images of painstakingly saved newspaper clippings and telegrams from Bette Davis and Herman Wouk, glamorously blase wardrobe shots (cigarette in hand), contact-printed film stills, and stunning publicity shoot proof sheets. Many of Wood's films have their own, photo-heavy sections of the book. A piece Wood wrote in 1966 for Ladies' Home Journal, where it never ran, is reason for her fans to pick this up (Wood writes, You earn what you get or else it is counterfeit ). Contributions from Robert J. Wagner and Wood's daughters show a wife and mother whose talent and memory they hope will long live on.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)