mondovertigo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Medical trauma, Blood, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Classism, Gun violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Car accident
Moderate: Police brutality and Rape
Minor: Infidelity, Infertility, and Child death
leeve_me_alone3217's review against another edition
4.0
history: 10/10
storytelling: 10/10
i loved every second of this book
storytelling: 10/10
i loved every second of this book
srash's review against another edition
5.0
The popular image of Bonnie Clyde is that they were either glamorous outlaws or psychopathic killers, but the real story behind the myth is a lot more complex and interesting.
In the span of less than a year, Jeff Guinn has become my favorite nonfiction writer. I enjoyed his book on the OK Corral and his Jim Jones book still haunts me months after reading it. Not only is he a great writer with a knack for presenting famous people fairly, flaws and all, but he is a formidable researcher, uncovering sources and witnesses that other people don't bother with, and an insightful thinker who comes to well-reasoned, well-supported conclusions.
He brings that sensibility to some of the most infamous of the Depression-era outlaws, and the result is a fascinating blend of biography and social history.
The story of the two is very much rooted in rural Texas poverty, the crime-ridden Dallas slum they moved to as children, and the bleakness of the Great Depression, and Guinn does a wonderful job of bringing that environment to life. One of the most insightful remarks in a book full of them is Guinn's note that at the time respectable women did not go to banks alone, so their decision to send Bonnie to case a bank solo just indicates how little experience any of them had with banks before they started robbing them.
He also vividly depicts the two outlaws' personalities, including their good points (their fierce loyalty to each other and their family, their generosity, their preference for kidnapping people and driving around with them for awhile before releasing them unharmed rather than murdering them) and not-so-good points (their impulsiveness, their enabling of each other, their decided lack of problem with shooting someone who got in the way though that wasn't their first instincts). By the end, I felt like I knew them well.
Guinn refers to their criminal career as a reign of error. They were not criminal masterminds. (Though, to their credit, they did seem to learn from their mistakes. Even then, they didn't have the connections or savvy that other Depression-era robbers did, and for the most part, their preferred targets were not banks but rather small businesses and cars.) Truthfully, between all the miscalculations, bad timing, and worse luck, this would be a stellar black comedy if so many people didn't end up dead. But overall the book is just sad. Their life on the run was not one of glamour, and indeed, I got the impression that their 2 years on the lam was essentially one protracted suicide.
In the span of less than a year, Jeff Guinn has become my favorite nonfiction writer. I enjoyed his book on the OK Corral and his Jim Jones book still haunts me months after reading it. Not only is he a great writer with a knack for presenting famous people fairly, flaws and all, but he is a formidable researcher, uncovering sources and witnesses that other people don't bother with, and an insightful thinker who comes to well-reasoned, well-supported conclusions.
He brings that sensibility to some of the most infamous of the Depression-era outlaws, and the result is a fascinating blend of biography and social history.
The story of the two is very much rooted in rural Texas poverty, the crime-ridden Dallas slum they moved to as children, and the bleakness of the Great Depression, and Guinn does a wonderful job of bringing that environment to life. One of the most insightful remarks in a book full of them is Guinn's note that at the time respectable women did not go to banks alone, so their decision to send Bonnie to case a bank solo just indicates how little experience any of them had with banks before they started robbing them.
He also vividly depicts the two outlaws' personalities, including their good points (their fierce loyalty to each other and their family, their generosity, their preference for kidnapping people and driving around with them for awhile before releasing them unharmed rather than murdering them) and not-so-good points (their impulsiveness, their enabling of each other, their decided lack of problem with shooting someone who got in the way though that wasn't their first instincts). By the end, I felt like I knew them well.
Guinn refers to their criminal career as a reign of error. They were not criminal masterminds. (Though, to their credit, they did seem to learn from their mistakes. Even then, they didn't have the connections or savvy that other Depression-era robbers did, and for the most part, their preferred targets were not banks but rather small businesses and cars.) Truthfully, between all the miscalculations, bad timing, and worse luck, this would be a stellar black comedy if so many people didn't end up dead. But overall the book is just sad. Their life on the run was not one of glamour, and indeed, I got the impression that their 2 years on the lam was essentially one protracted suicide.
itcamefromthepage's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely outstanding retelling of Bonnie and Clyde. Everything you could want from this tale is delivered in spades.
ursularee's review against another edition
5.0
Concluded the book with a profound understanding of bonnie and clyde. Well researched and written piece! Felt like I was tagging along behind them the whole time! Highly recommended!
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
In this book, author Jeff Guinn, looks at the truth behind the headlines & the folk-myths about the notorious couple. Bonnie & Clyde - as usual the reality fails to live up to the 'glamorous' hype. They were certainly not master criminals, nearly everything they tried was either bungled or foiled due to bad luck & timing. Alongside a jail break (that Clyde got the credit for but didn't actually plan) & several bank hold-ups, most of their crimes were small-time robberies of stores & gas stations. Money hauls were usually small-time allowing them to live day to day, but no massive paydays.
The author does a good job of humanising the two without glamorising what they actually did. Lest we forget, the Barrow gang killed their fair share of people, but we can also see that Bonnie & Clyde did love each other & their families. I found this an informative & interesting read, & the author obviously did a lot of research judging by the copious notes & bibliography, but I was a little disappointed that apart from the cover, none of the photographs of the two found following a botched raid on the apartment they were staying in were reproduced. They are available online but it felt like an odd omission for a work that covered everything else in detail. Overall, great research & well-written.
The author does a good job of humanising the two without glamorising what they actually did. Lest we forget, the Barrow gang killed their fair share of people, but we can also see that Bonnie & Clyde did love each other & their families. I found this an informative & interesting read, & the author obviously did a lot of research judging by the copious notes & bibliography, but I was a little disappointed that apart from the cover, none of the photographs of the two found following a botched raid on the apartment they were staying in were reproduced. They are available online but it felt like an odd omission for a work that covered everything else in detail. Overall, great research & well-written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault