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A review by labunnywtf
Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn
5.0
I was worried when I started this book that I was going to be bored. All of the GR reviews seemed really positive, so I had hope, but I just have bad lucks with biographies.
This book is pretty much AWESOME.
The backstory on the two families is just right. There's not long drawn out discussion about how the parents grew up and met. You get the gist of what they went through to get to the poverty they were at when Clyde and Bonnie were born, what their lives were like growing up, and how they met. This book is only a little under 400 pages long, and even then, a large chunk is dedicated to source notes (love those). This author managed to explain a hell of a lot in pretty much 350 pages, and I love him for it.
The research this author did is so in depth. He addresses what is "known" about B&C, and explains why he's sure it didn't happen that way, and what sources tell him what. Even before the insane source notes, he lets you know that he knows his stuff. And it's so refreshing. I would read a biography by him any day.
The ineptitude of Bonnie and Clyde is utterly bizarre. The only thing I knew of them when I was little was based on the Looney Tunes version of "Bunny and Clyde", which I loved (of course). I never watched the Faye Dunaway/Warren Beatty movie, but I did see a TV movie at some point. I remember practically nothing about it, but I'd always liked their story. This version blows anything I really knew about them (which was practically nothing) out of the water.
This is another one I enjoyed giving people facts out of, as well. That's always my favorite part of a book.
The pictures in the book are absolutely horrifying. I couldn't believe the picture of the shot-up car with Clyde still inside. They actually published that picture in a newspaper. And the bodies laid out, still bloody, with their eyes open? My god. According to the book, there was even a picture posted after their clothing was removed, to show off "Bonnie's dead breasts." WTF? Even more WTF, when crowds swarmed the car, they tried to take souvenirs. Such as Clyde's trigger finger, or ear. What is wrong with humans?
They were kids. My sympathy for them is so ridiculously strong. They were just kids in a bad situation. And they loved each other. So sad. So very sad.
This book is pretty much AWESOME.
The backstory on the two families is just right. There's not long drawn out discussion about how the parents grew up and met. You get the gist of what they went through to get to the poverty they were at when Clyde and Bonnie were born, what their lives were like growing up, and how they met. This book is only a little under 400 pages long, and even then, a large chunk is dedicated to source notes (love those). This author managed to explain a hell of a lot in pretty much 350 pages, and I love him for it.
The research this author did is so in depth. He addresses what is "known" about B&C, and explains why he's sure it didn't happen that way, and what sources tell him what. Even before the insane source notes, he lets you know that he knows his stuff. And it's so refreshing. I would read a biography by him any day.
The ineptitude of Bonnie and Clyde is utterly bizarre. The only thing I knew of them when I was little was based on the Looney Tunes version of "Bunny and Clyde", which I loved (of course). I never watched the Faye Dunaway/Warren Beatty movie, but I did see a TV movie at some point. I remember practically nothing about it, but I'd always liked their story. This version blows anything I really knew about them (which was practically nothing) out of the water.
This is another one I enjoyed giving people facts out of, as well. That's always my favorite part of a book.
The pictures in the book are absolutely horrifying. I couldn't believe the picture of the shot-up car with Clyde still inside. They actually published that picture in a newspaper. And the bodies laid out, still bloody, with their eyes open? My god. According to the book, there was even a picture posted after their clothing was removed, to show off "Bonnie's dead breasts." WTF? Even more WTF, when crowds swarmed the car, they tried to take souvenirs. Such as Clyde's trigger finger, or ear. What is wrong with humans?
They were kids. My sympathy for them is so ridiculously strong. They were just kids in a bad situation. And they loved each other. So sad. So very sad.