Scan barcode
maidmarianlib's review
5.0
Approachable comprehensive look at their lives. Enjoyed how balanced it was and that it recognized the difference between fact and myth and tried to tease out each.
fudgeelizabeth9's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.75
becsmc's review
5.0
I've always been an avid researcher of Bonnie and Clyde, I always got frustrated with films/tv shows getting the facts wrong. Reading this book was such a thrilling ride, I discovered things that I wasn't even aware of before, the facts of the people around the pair as well as the ones themselves is so detailed and well done.
If anyone is a fan of historical outlaw stories, this one is a perfect read.
If anyone is a fan of historical outlaw stories, this one is a perfect read.
hailstorm9's review
4.0
More like 3.5. I appreciate the author trying to give us the "most true" version of Bonnie and Clyde. I thought it would be told in a more literary nonfiction fashion, but the audiobook wasn't bad and was presented in a way that was mostly easy to understand. There were so many names and I was getting a little confused who was who.
amaliabalash's review
4.0
This was a good refresher, as I’ve read a lot about Bonnie and Clyde before. Not super in depth, but still well detailed. I especially appreciated the little bits on the victims, and the follow up on what happened to the family members and associates later.
amdame1's review
4.0
Desperate criminals or just young people who made bad choices? The story of outlaw legends Bonnie and Clyde. Very engaging. Well researched, seems to have done a very good job distinguishing between the legends and the facts. Made me sad to think about if they had been born at a different time if he would have become something else - her too, really. Interesting how the book refers to them always as Clyde and Bonnie; it is her poem that has turned them into the legend that we know as Bonnie and Clyde. Primary source photos that were taken by them and left behind as they were being pursued. Some of the deaths that could have been avoided...
library_kb's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Before this book, I didn't know much about Bonnie and Clyde beyond that they were outlaws that are referenced a lot in songs and other literature. I did learn a lot about the actual history of the couple and the reasons that their story has grown past their deaths. I did appreciate how the author clarified when she was working off of hearsay and when she was working off documented information since some pieces of the story are unknown. I did feel like the middle of the book did kind of feel very repetitive (which seems a weird critique of a history book which is following a timeline--and I understand that it is probably exactly how their lives did play out) which left me wondering why society cared about these two individuals so much. The ending chapters did answer that question for me, but I think it would have worked better for me if the "why do I care?" question was answered piece by piece throughout the book rather than in the final chapter.
I'm not sure how many teenagers are aware of Bonnie and Clyde, so it might be a hard sell, but because it is very action packed, kids who are interested in the Great Depression era or enjoy fast moving nonfiction might enjoy this one.
I'm not sure how many teenagers are aware of Bonnie and Clyde, so it might be a hard sell, but because it is very action packed, kids who are interested in the Great Depression era or enjoy fast moving nonfiction might enjoy this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Police brutality
ashurq's review
4.0
I didn’t know very much about Bonnie and Clyde before reading this book. The author does a really good job throughout helping the reader to see what parts of their story is known as fact, what is believed to be true, and what is complete myth. Newspapers at the time weren’t super concerned with reporting that absolute truth and were more interested in the drama that was inherent with Bonnie and Clyde. A lot of times if something went down and the cops couldn’t figure out who it was, the newspapers would blame Bonnie and Clyde. Another thing I found interesting was that the cops at the time seemed to be SUPER incompetent. There wasn’t really any training. A lot of people just joined the force because they needed a little extra money and their regular work wasn’t cutting it. That’s part of the reason why Bonnie and Clyde were able to evade capture for so long. The last thing I really liked about this book was that the author had panels on each person that Bonnie and Clyde killed. Over time, Bonnie and Clyde have become wildly glamorized, but it’s important to remember that they killed A LOT of people. 4/5
bethmitcham's review against another edition
3.0
Through no fault of its own, this book was hijacked for me by my previous read, [b:We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide|38232346|We Are Not Yet Equal Understanding Our Racial Divide|Carol Anderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534233686l/38232346._SY75_.jpg|61846759]. After reading up on how horrifically racist almost all police forces were (are?), it was hard to accept the police as the unquestioned good guys. Even though the author is careful to disapprove of the murders, necessary because a lot of the examined legend treats the outlaws as Robin Hoods or other good-spirited scoff-laws, it's still clear that the police are also villains.
The cops in this book tend to come in shooting, even when they have no idea who they are arresting (and then fare particularly badly when met by Bonnie and Clyde, who have a habit of raiding federal armories and being very well armed). Prisons and jails are inhumane, and that's for the white characters. It doesn't make B&C into heroes, but it does place their murders in perspective. Law enforcement itself wasn't bound by law or decency; why should society expect the hungry to follow the law? Don't corrupt cops make the same kind of choice to follow a dark path as these outlaws, except that cops usually get a salary in addition to the bonuses for often dubious practices. There is a lot of villainy in these pages, and very little decency. I guess that's just history.
The cops in this book tend to come in shooting, even when they have no idea who they are arresting (and then fare particularly badly when met by Bonnie and Clyde, who have a habit of raiding federal armories and being very well armed). Prisons and jails are inhumane, and that's for the white characters. It doesn't make B&C into heroes, but it does place their murders in perspective. Law enforcement itself wasn't bound by law or decency; why should society expect the hungry to follow the law? Don't corrupt cops make the same kind of choice to follow a dark path as these outlaws, except that cops usually get a salary in addition to the bonuses for often dubious practices. There is a lot of villainy in these pages, and very little decency. I guess that's just history.