Lawbreaking Ladies

I might have missed something, but I believe this author is onto a topic that doesn't get written about much. Women can be criminals too. If you want equality, you have to take the good with the bad.

Erika Owen's theory is that Women sometimes got off lightly because they were considered a “fairer sex” and incapable of the crimes they are accused of and it would be blamed on a male partner. They were given a lot of breaks based on their looks. Or sometimes because no one wanted to believe mothers and caregivers and makers of apple pie could be killers, bootleggers, madams, and so on.

This book hits a sweet spot for me. I have a thing for reading about people doing bad things, doubly interesting to me if they're women.

This is an easy read, set up in short 1-2 page bios of women, divided into different categories of criminal. We've got pirates, gamblers, bootleggers, madams, serial killers, bandits, and fraudsters.

I suppose the madams and fraudsters are no surprise but stories like 1890's serial killer Jane Toppan, a nurse who experimented on patients with opium, were much scarier.

I also especially enjoyed the story of Caribbean pirate Jacquotte Delahay who ran her own crew with a female partner in the early 1600s.

Another favorite was Maggie Bailey, an old grandmotherly-type who sold booze out of her home. You'd come to her house for booze and a friendly chat. I guess a life of crime can occasionally be invigorating as she lived to be 101.

The Outlaws, Gunslingers, and Bandit section contained the women who had previously received the most press: Belle Starr, Ma Barker, and Bonnie Parker.

Owens nails it with this line from the intro to the section on Outlaws.
“If there's one thing I want you to remember from this section, it's that women can be just as intimidating, terrifying, and feared as men.”

A light and easy taste for fans of feminist history and true crime.