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Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend

 

(Picture from Goodreads.com)

1.       

Bibliography

Blumenthal, Karen. 2018. BONNIE AND CLYDE: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND. New York, NY:
              Penguin Random House LLC. ISBN 978-0-451-47122-2

2.       Plot Summary


Bonnie and Clyde are a famous American couple that are notorious for their behavior that led them to be outlaws. Many movies, songs and references are made about this celebrated couple. Their story has been romanticized, mainly due to their tragic deaths. This book details what life was really like for the fugitives.

 

Blumenthal begins her book detailing Clyde Barrow’s early life. She goes into his childhood, his family, and his siblings. Clyde was a troublemaker even before he met Bonnie Parker. Clyde was arrested many times, and also escaped his strong hold several times. He did end up doing a longer stint in prison, and upon his release, met back up with Bonnie and began their career as outlaws. Blumenthal details their romance, how they met and fell in love, and how they fell in so deep of love, neither wanted to live without the other.

 

With the chapters being separated by dates and places, the reader can follow the path of the crooks, their heists, and shoot outs. Clyde was involved in many murders, while there is still speculation about if Bonnie ever even shot a gun.

 

There are pictures of the couple and victims of their actions scattered throughout the book, giving a visual of the people mentioned.
 

3.       Critical Analysis

In a detailed biography, Blumenthal tackles the task of creating a time line of events and history that was the journey of Bonnie and Clyde’s life.

A combination of eyewitness accounts (that conflicted), police reports (many being inaccurate), and statements from relatives and friends of Bonnie and Clyde, Blumenthal pieces together what drove these two people to become the iconic, famous fugitives.

Blumenthal includes pictures of the duo and places they went, their friends, and their victims. By including these pictures, the reader has visuals in their mind as they read about the events that unfolded during the tirades of the rebels.

The chapters are split into dates and places, making it easier for the reader to follow the events that unraveled. There are also clips from newspapers and images of primary documents that are interesting to look at and show the phenomenon that circled around the two hoodlums. Despite having accomplices, it was the picture of Bonnie holding a gun and smoking a cigar that really got the American people captivated (or appalled) by the two in particular.

My favorite part that Blumenthal chose to add was excepts from Bonnie’s poems at the beginning of each chapter. Quotes like, “The road was so dimly lighted; / There were no highway signs to guide; / But hey made up their minds / If all roads were blind, / They wouldn’t give up till they died” taken from “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” by Bonnie Parker (Blumenthal 110). This adds in Bonnie’s voice to the tale, showing how she felt about their relationship and wrong doings.

4.       Awards/ Reviews

"Blumenthal has written more than a crime narrative or a biography of the famous outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. The book presents a social and cultural snapshot of the duo’s times"
--School Library Journal

"Through her use of narrative nonfiction, Blumenthal builds a gripping story for readers of all ages. . .Blumenthal weaves her detailed account of history into a suspenseful tale that reads very much like a novel." –Voya

5.       Connections

For students interested in biographies and that would like to read more from Karen Blumenthal she also wrote:

·       Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

·       Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History

·       Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition.

            Other books about Bonnie and Clyde:

·       Fugitives; The Story of Clyde Barrow & Bonnie Parker by Jan Fortune, Emma Parker and Barrow Cowan (this story is told by the family members who often met them in secret locations)

·       The Family Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Marie Barrow Scoma, Phillip W. Steele, Marie and Scoma.

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