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debz57a52's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good introduction to middle grade readers about women in history who are known for the kinds of crimes that make them infamous. Each little biography is told in an engaging way, without too much fluff to slow down the pace or muddy the waters of engaging reading, and they vary from two to four pages. What I really appreciated, but not really until about mid-way through the book, is that each chapter is followed by a one-page comic strip showing Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple talking about the women in question. They intentionally show discussions about context - how and why a woman might commit a crime in an era before our own - and conflicts in equality, shed light on possible parenting and mental health shifts, and debate the relative guilt or innocence of women as their crimes come to light. It's an interesting repetend, and I found myself looking forward to seeing how they framed each piece as I finished it. Overall, a fun little book.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
4.0
I think maybe I wanted a little more from this... but then I studied women's history in college and this is a book for tweens, so maybe that's unreasonable. I think it's a great little intro to some famous (and not-so-famous) women of history, as well as to the concept that there are multiple perspectives on historical figures. And that people, especially women, maybe have been operating within a limited framework when they made their options.
I also liked the comic versions of Jane Yolen and her daughter/co-author talking about each "bad girl" and making their own judgement. It feels cute and behind-the-scenes-y, and shows healthy disagreements.
I also liked the comic versions of Jane Yolen and her daughter/co-author talking about each "bad girl" and making their own judgement. It feels cute and behind-the-scenes-y, and shows healthy disagreements.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
Short biographical sketches, in chronological order, of women who did bad things or were accused thereof, from Delilah and Jezebel to Typhoid Mary and Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde fame. In between the straight text detailing each woman's life, the excellent illustrations are graphic novel/comic book-style strips of conversations between the two authors, mother Jane Yolen and daughter Heidi Stemple, as they do sometimes amusing "research" (shoe shopping, throwing a party like the spy Rebel Rose, visiting the exotic settings of various crimes), and they debate which of these historical women were really bad and which just were given a bad reputation through history. Why did they commit their crimes? What was their real motivation? Some of the panels are really funny! Also has nice one-page illustrations for each woman, with their name cleverly incorporated into the art, like within part of Salome's veil, or engraved in the castle wall behind Anne Boleyn, or Moll Cutpurse carving her name into the wooden tavern table with her dagger! Includes cute biographies of the authors written as if they are also "bad girls." Lots of bibliography and websites for research on each Bad Girl, although I was disappointed to see Wikipedia cited often. Fun approach to history from a feminist point of view, and maybe the illustrations will draw in a guy or two.
rray_'s review against another edition
3.0
Disappointing - I was expecting basically a feminist/women's study history course in the form of a hybrid graphic novel (or "light novel" if you will) but instead I got a bunch of snippets of middle school grade readers with a lot of information taken from Wikipedia interspersed by what might as well be FOX News in graphic novel form.
amyjoy's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great introductory overview of some of history's villainesses, but I was expecting it to be more stories about these women than really brief summaries of their misdeeds. It was a quick read, and the authors provide a bibliography for readers interested in doing further reading on any particular woman. This could be a really great book for getting teenagers interested in reading other biographies about these women.
fairislemeadow's review against another edition
4.0
Like most collective biographies, this book does not delve too deeply into the subjects' lives, but it is a great introduction to history's famous bad girls. The writing is simple, almost at a middle grade level, but the subject matter is more young adult. I really enjoyed Guay's illustrations and the short comics at the ends of the chapters, although I wish there had been even more debate over the badness of the women featured. Still, the seed is planted, and hopefully this will inspire teens to draw their own conclusions about these famous females.
_pearl_'s review against another edition
4.0
Interesting concept, dont know if it resonated with me though
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Infidelity, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Sexual content, Pregnancy, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Incest, and Death