sawood 's review for:

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

5.0

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I didn’t know much about Jack the Ripper except that he was an early serial killer that targeted prostitutes. Rubenhold takes that common knowledge and flips it on its head. She humanizes the 5 canonical victims of Jack the Ripper. She challenges the perception that these women were sex workers. She illustrates what life would have looked like for each of those women. In doing so, she makes the story of a serial killer into the story of his victims. Jack the Ripper is barely mentioned and the women’s deaths are not described in any detail. But their lives are given attention and acknowledgment. I’m so impressed with the respect shown to these women and I’m so grateful that authors like Rubenhold exist and do this work.