Vamp, diva, legend: These are the terms that are always associated with Marlene Dietrich, often obscuring the true essence of her character. This exceptional individual was more contradictory, modern, and uncompromising than any other Hollywood star. However, what made this woman so extraordinary only becomes apparent when viewed in the context of her time. Marlene Dietrich wore pants at a time when women faced violence for doing so in public. She brought her child to Hollywood at a time when motherhood meant the end for an erotic film star. She resisted the temptations of Hitler when many of her colleagues succumbed. And she began a second stage career at an age when others retired for good. Eva Gesine Baur has embarked on the trail of a personality that systematically eluded capture and continues to pose questions: How could a woman whose lovers included Erich Maria Remarque and Gary Cooper...