Books like Lulu in Hollywood

A razor-sharp, unsentimental tour through the golden age of cinema, guided by one of its most fiercely intelligent and uncompromising stars. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Lulu in Hollywood.

glamorous
shadowed
intimate
nostalgic

01
Clara Bow
David Stenn
A glittering but tragic portrait of Hollywood's first 'It' girl, capturing both the dizzying heights of Roaring Twenties fame and the devastating cost of studio exploitation.
Shares:
- glamorous
- candid
02
Love, Lucy
Lucille Ball · 1996
An intimate, bittersweet backstage pass to the life of a comedy legend, told with the warmth and grit of a woman who built her own empire.
Shares:
- glamorous
- intimate
- nostalgic
- candid
03
Where Am I Now?
Mara Wilson
A witty, warmhearted memoir-in-essays about surviving childhood fame and navigating the awkward, anxious journey to becoming a regular person.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- wry
- candid
04
Hollywood Babylon
Kenneth Anger
A lurid, gleefully wicked tour through the rotting foundations of the world's most glamorous company town.
Shares:
- glamorous
05
Harpo speaks!
Harpo Marx and Rowland Barber · 1961
A legendary silent comedian finally finds his voice to reflect on the chaotic, glittering reality of a life in show business.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- candid
06
My story
Marilyn Monroe · 1974
An intimate, haunting glimpse behind the most famous smile in the world, revealing a sharp mind and a deeply bruised heart.
Shares:
- glamorous
- intimate
- sharp
- candid
07
Chuck Amuck
Chuck Jones · 1989
A lively, reflective journey through the kinetic mind and career of an iconic American animator.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- candid
08
Ava
Ava Gardner
A smoky, late-night conversation with a screen legend who has nothing left to hide and a lifetime of stories to tell.
Shares:
- glamorous
- intimate
- nostalgic
- wry
09
Role Models
John Waters
A gleefully subversive self-portrait painted through intimate, amusing, and happily horrifying profiles of eccentric inspirations.
Shares:
- intimate
10
The Groucho letters
Groucho Marx
A sharp, humorous, and intimate glimpse into the private mind of a twentieth-century comedic legend through his personal correspondence.
Shares:
- intimate
- nostalgic
- candid
11
Confessions of a video vixen
Karrine Steffans
A raw, unapologetic plunge into the glitz and grit of the hip-hop industry's golden era.
Shares:
- candid
12
Conversations with Wilder
Cameron Crowe
Pull up a chair and listen to a sharp, funny Hollywood legend spill decades of behind-the-scenes secrets to an eager fellow filmmaker.
Shares:
- glamorous
- intimate
- nostalgic
- sharp

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