nerdyrev's review
4.0
In the 70s Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan began telling a story about a welfare queen out of Chicago who drove Cadillacs and scammed the system. The story he told was true, her name was Linda Taylor who could look white, African American, or Hispanic with a change of a wig.
The issue was Reagan kept enhancing this story and began painting a whole race (using dog whistles) as welfare recipients who were lazy and scamming the system.
This great book shares two stories- Linda Taylor we had several aliases and did indeed scam a system even to the point of murder.
The other story is Reagan’s story as he moved from governor to President by criticizing the welfare system while using and popularizing the idea of the welfare queen to encourage systemic racism.
I really loved this as Linda’s story is fascinating, but it was the first real negative picture of the Reagan Presidency in a long time. Some how he has become a sainted President, but he had some whammies.
The issue was Reagan kept enhancing this story and began painting a whole race (using dog whistles) as welfare recipients who were lazy and scamming the system.
This great book shares two stories- Linda Taylor we had several aliases and did indeed scam a system even to the point of murder.
The other story is Reagan’s story as he moved from governor to President by criticizing the welfare system while using and popularizing the idea of the welfare queen to encourage systemic racism.
I really loved this as Linda’s story is fascinating, but it was the first real negative picture of the Reagan Presidency in a long time. Some how he has become a sainted President, but he had some whammies.
thegeekybibliophile's review
4.0
The Queen is a fascinating book revealing the life and crimes of Linda Taylor, a Chicago woman who spawned the myth of the infamous welfare queen. While Taylor was undoubtedly a welfare cheat, she was also a kidnapper and perhaps even a murderer... but the welfare fraud was the only thing anyone seemed to care about.
I think it's safe to say it's unlikely to live in America without ever hearing the phrase "welfare queen". As soon as the topic of welfare programs is raised online, dozens of angry people rush in to talk about people who are cheating the system, and sooner or later, someone will throw out the derogatory term. Having seen it hundreds of times over the years, I often wondered if there was any truth behind the phrase or not.... which is why it was important to me to read this book.
It's impossible to briefly touch on all the crimes committed by Linda Taylor (one of her many aliases) in this review. Suffice to say it was shocking to see how the least of her crimes garnered the most attention, and disheartening to know how the mythos of the welfare queen lingers on, engendering distrust of the poor and, particularly, poor people of color.
The Queen is well-researched and written in an easy-to-read style. Simultaneously intriguing and disturbing, the life and crimes of Linda Taylor will linger in your memory for quite some time.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Little, Brown and Company.
I think it's safe to say it's unlikely to live in America without ever hearing the phrase "welfare queen". As soon as the topic of welfare programs is raised online, dozens of angry people rush in to talk about people who are cheating the system, and sooner or later, someone will throw out the derogatory term. Having seen it hundreds of times over the years, I often wondered if there was any truth behind the phrase or not.... which is why it was important to me to read this book.
It's impossible to briefly touch on all the crimes committed by Linda Taylor (one of her many aliases) in this review. Suffice to say it was shocking to see how the least of her crimes garnered the most attention, and disheartening to know how the mythos of the welfare queen lingers on, engendering distrust of the poor and, particularly, poor people of color.
The Queen is well-researched and written in an easy-to-read style. Simultaneously intriguing and disturbing, the life and crimes of Linda Taylor will linger in your memory for quite some time.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Little, Brown and Company.
sarful's review
4.0
An interesting narrative about the walking myth known as The Welfare Queen. This book into her crimes, the least of which was welfare fraud. She stole, manipulated people, kidnapped children, abused children, possibly murdered someone and of course stole from the welfare system.
The book also gets into the myth that she represented. The black woman welfare cheat who have too many children and drives a new Cadillac. The myth that Reagan perpetuated through codes language to anger white working class. He used this welfare queen epithet from 1976 against Ford and again through 1984 with his re-election.
We also get a narrative about welfare itself. How she was able manipulate the system. About black America, racism, and segregation from 1940s to the 1980s. Ending with Clinton’s welfare reform. The anti welfare sentiment was so pervasive that eventually a Democrat was formed to “reform” it.
The book also gets into the myth that she represented. The black woman welfare cheat who have too many children and drives a new Cadillac. The myth that Reagan perpetuated through codes language to anger white working class. He used this welfare queen epithet from 1976 against Ford and again through 1984 with his re-election.
We also get a narrative about welfare itself. How she was able manipulate the system. About black America, racism, and segregation from 1940s to the 1980s. Ending with Clinton’s welfare reform. The anti welfare sentiment was so pervasive that eventually a Democrat was formed to “reform” it.
colin_cox's review
4.0
Linda Taylor is an easy figure to vilify. For large swaths of her adult life, Taylor was a pathological criminal. Her criminal reputation reached its zenith in 1976 when presidential candidate Ronald Reagan made this "woman from Chicago with 80 names," a significant piece of his stump speeches. While Reagan both inflated and mischaracterized Taylor's crimes, once he claimed "There's a woman in Chicago [who] received welfare benefit[s] under 127 different names," these quasi-truths about Taylor complement Levin's overarching thesis (278). Taylor was and remains an enigma, more character than person, and the sort of person, in fact, that craven political figures like Reagan used because "the only thing that mattered to him was that she was a specific type of criminal, one whos criminality was politically useful" (285).
Levin does not, however, exonerate Taylor. He dispassionately describes her many scandals, violations, and arrests. But he goes to great lengths to contextualize her behavior (and reactions to her behavior) on racial grounds. Her mixed-race heritage, quite literally a crime in many southern states in the early 20th century, encouraged her to see the truth as dangerous; therefore, Taylor existed in that nebulous space between reality and fantasy. While Taylor rarely, if ever, embraced the truth about who she was, neither did she embody the fantasy she and political figures like Reagan attempted to construct. She sat in that lonely, ambiguous space, ever defined by what she was not.
Levin does not, however, exonerate Taylor. He dispassionately describes her many scandals, violations, and arrests. But he goes to great lengths to contextualize her behavior (and reactions to her behavior) on racial grounds. Her mixed-race heritage, quite literally a crime in many southern states in the early 20th century, encouraged her to see the truth as dangerous; therefore, Taylor existed in that nebulous space between reality and fantasy. While Taylor rarely, if ever, embraced the truth about who she was, neither did she embody the fantasy she and political figures like Reagan attempted to construct. She sat in that lonely, ambiguous space, ever defined by what she was not.
skiracechick's review
4.0
Interesting read! The book first gives the tales of the “welfare queen”, follows her around and digs into her stories. It then goes into her truths, not what she told people, but what she truly lived. And it’s a hard life. A sad life. Of course it was, what else would you expect!?! The author pokes into some of the political antics that squirreled sounds at the same time, the crusades that Ronald Reagan pursued to destroy the programs because of “all the welfare queens”, and grossly misstating the antics of the subject of the book. It makes me angry that this all happened then, but it makes me angrier that the same thing is still happening, by a new president who also should know better. There is so much similarity between the garbage that Ronald Reagan spewed and the garbage that Donald Trump is now spewing.
I listened to this book on audio, and it gets four stars because the direction the book was going wasn’t always clear, leaving the reader/listener (or at least this one) a bit lost. I may read it as a book to see if it flows better, because the material and book were good, important, and relevant. I also wish the author had dived even further into the political aspects, repercussions, and fallout that occurred as a result of this. But perhaps it has already been written.
I listened to this book on audio, and it gets four stars because the direction the book was going wasn’t always clear, leaving the reader/listener (or at least this one) a bit lost. I may read it as a book to see if it flows better, because the material and book were good, important, and relevant. I also wish the author had dived even further into the political aspects, repercussions, and fallout that occurred as a result of this. But perhaps it has already been written.
book_cwtch's review against another edition
Reagan’s plan to use one woman as a scapegoat for welfare failure is just such crap. While one woman managed to rip off the government repeatedly she became the way politicians alienated working poor and nonwhite people.
While the story of Linda Taylor is fascinating, this book is incredibly long and repetitive.
While the story of Linda Taylor is fascinating, this book is incredibly long and repetitive.