Bonnie And Clyde: The Making of A Legend by Karen Blumenthal
Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal
Reviewed by Ayah Alsayed, Daniel Alvarez, Dave Barton, Kathryn Becerra, & Katherine Berg
Book Cover
Review:
Bonnie & Clyde (Image 1)
Guns, money, fast cars, and fame. In the world of crime,
you gotta have game. Or so something like this code is what Karen Blumenthal
asserts American public enemies and gangsters of the early twentieth century
lived by. Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend is Blumenthal’s
investigation into the environment that produced the legend of these two
criminals. Unfolding at times like a Who’s Who of Depression-era criminals and
crime-fighters, this true crime book for young adults traces the couple’s
tracks from cradle to grave across multiple state lines with the heat on their
heels. The human toll of their violence shows up in the form of victims’ faces
throughout the pages, destroying any romanticized notions of their legend. Despite Blumenthal’s well-researched and objective assessment of a story rife
with corruption, sensationalism, and heartbreak, she shows a degree of
protectiveness for the couple, Bonnie Parker in particular. Thus, Bonnie and
Clyde: The Making of a Legend gives a candid account of these two young
people’s crimes and shines a light on the unstable living conditions of early
twentieth-century American culture.
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| Bonnie & Clyde (Image 2) |
However, in her acknowledgments, she suggests that writing about criminals makes demonizing them too easy, which may explain an unconscious desire to protect them in some parts of her writing. In fact, Blumenthal admits to being guided by the insight: “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done” (221). And while she humanizes the couple and their victims, there are moments when she also makes their family and law enforcement look bad for their benefit. For example, Blumenthal presents countless ways that Clyde was defended, protected, and excused by his mother, and includes quotations of people calling her the ringleader of the Barrow Gang. She likewise shows how Clyde squandered the leniency he was shown by judges, lawyers, and even the governor. However, Blumenthal neither romanticizes nor denies Clyde’s criminality, but she recounts how he went out of his way to furnish his little sister’s bedroom (112-113). What’s more, she includes Clyde’s falling victim to prison rape with the guards’ knowledge, an experience presented as a possible motive for Clyde’s “profession” (Blumenthal 41).
Blumenthal’s humanization also extends to Bonnie by
presenting facts that make Bonnie seem scapegoated, manipulated, or
misunderstood, and in at least one instance, she expresses sentiments bordering
on anti-police. For example, after making a convincing case for corruption among
detectives, and that some without experience were hired, she draws extra
attention to Frank Hamer’s repetition of the myth about Bonnie’s scandalous
cigar-smoking (Blumenthal 186). Blumenthal refutes rumors that Bonnie was a “moll”
by characterizing Hamer’s words as hearsay and asserts that Bonnie was found
with cigarettes in her lap in the death car (186). In addition, Blumenthal
finds it entertaining that Bonnie was horrified “that her reputation would be
besmirched that way when she was a criminal” (“Chasing Down Bonnie and Clyde”
23:02). She says Bonnie “worried about her public” because people’s distrust of
government and banks led them to side with outlaws (“Chasing Down Bonnie and
Clyde” 23:45). In a sense, Blumenthal’s efforts to set the record straight here
suggests whose side she’s on. She even hints at Hamer’s misogyny by mentioning
that he refused to work under a female governor (155).
All in all, the book is worth a read simply because
Blumenthal sticks to the facts, as horrible as they may be in such a violent
tale, while managing to preserve a small portion of the lover’s humanity. At
most, young adult readers will walk away with the capacity to empathize, much
like Blumenthal does, with those who seem undeserving.
About the Author:
Karen Blumenthal
Journalist,
educator, writer, and mother of two, Karen Blumenthal, wrote eleven popular
works of non-fiction for young readers before her unexpected death in May of
2020. Blumenthal had been a journalist for over twenty-five years, working
mostly for the Wall Street Journal,
before she decided to focus on writing non-fiction young adult books such as Bonnie
and Clyde in an attempt to educate and entertain young readers (Bradham P2).
Blumenthal said in an interview that she began writing non-fiction books
because of her daughter who had been interested in non-fiction from a young
age, but was often unable to find historical books that fit her age group (“Special
Guest Interview with Karen Blumenthal”).
Blumenthal’s approach to history in her works is as unbiased as they
are entertaining. She often attempted to
represent many different perspectives of events rather than establishing a
clear stance in her writing. Blumenthal
was passionate about how important educational books are to a young audience
and because of her impartial attitude towards non-fiction, she was able to
present a young audience with an accurate account of historical events. In the
past decade, Blumenthal has received multiple awards for her work such as a YALSA
Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist, a Robert F. Sibert Award Honor
Book, and Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year (Evans P4). Blumenthal and her husband were avid
supporters of public libraries, particularly the Dallas Municipal Library on
which Blumenthal was a board member (Evans P7).
Blumenthal also taught journalism at Texas Christian University along
with her husband for many years while she continued to write non-fiction. Overall, Blumenthal’s influence on YA
literature has encouraged young readers to invest in their understanding of history
and take the same pleasure in non-fiction stories as they might already in
popular fiction books.
Instructional Resources:
1.) Bonnie & Clyde | FBI
This link supplies information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation briefly describing Bonnie and Clyde’s background, when their crime spree began and ended, and the FBI’s involvement. It provides background information to give students a basic understanding of who the criminal couple was and the various crimes they committed over their four year crime spree.
2.) "Most EVIL Crime Couple in American History - Bonnie and Clyde"
This fifteen-minute video outlines the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow including the various members of the Barrow Gang, several crimes they committed, and the police officers tasked with taking the criminals down. This animated infographic video can be used to provide background knowledge before students begin reading the novel and dive deep into the lesson plan their teacher has created.
3.) Bonnie & Clyde Death Scene
This two-minute video clip was made by Ted Hinton, one of the police officers involved, just five minutes after the police ambushed Bonnie and Clyde near Gibsland, Louisiana. It follows along with the ending of the book and gives students a visual demonstration of how the police showed no mercy on the criminals, riddling their vehicle, and their bodies, with bullets.
4.) Newspapers About Bonnie & Clyde
Several newspapers that show how the country documented most, if not all, of the wrongdoings Bonnie and Clyde committed. These primary source materials provide students with a clear insight into the past, exhibiting articles and newspaper clippings from April 1933 until their deaths in May 1934.
5.) Frank Hamer vs Bonnie & Clyde
This article talks about Frank Hamer, the law enforcement officer in charge of leading a task force that would eventually track down and kill Bonnie and Clyde. While the novel is centered around Bonnie and Clyde, it is important for students to learn about the man who put a stop to their crime spree.
This timeline lists all the events from 1930, when Bonnie & Clyde met, to 1934, when the couple met their fate, in a simple and easy to follow order. It lists each event of the couple’s criminal history and includes a short description under each event to give students a visual outlook of the events that occurred in Bonnie and Clyde’s lives.
This interactive tool is designed to help students memorize key information about Bonnie and Clyde. This tool includes a fast-paced game and can help students memorize information about the couple in a fun and effective way.
This site contains several poems Bonnie Parker wrote in her lifetime, describing her life with Clyde Barrow, including her most famous poem, “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde.” Not only can these poems be located at the beginning of each chapter in the book, but, each poem also contains an audio clip that reads the poems out loud.
9.) FAQ: Bonnie & Clyde & the Barrow Gang
The Texas Hall of Fame and Museum lists and answers several questions about one of the most famous crime duo's in the United States of America. This can be helpful for students as they read the book and learn more about how the families reacted to their deaths, how the police obtained the weapons Bonnie and Clyde carried with them, why the duo was so hard to capture, etc.
10.) Why The Public Was Fascinated by Bonnie & Clyde
This article composed by the National Post describes what made the public mesmerized and, later on, fearful of Bonnie and Clyde. Students can develop a better understanding of what the public’s thoughts and feelings were as Bonnie and Clyde traveled through various states in the country, stealing guns from National Guard armories, robbing gas stations and grocery stores, and running into the law on numerous occasions.
Instructional Activity:
Bonnie and Clyde: Truth or Hype?In Bonnie Parker’s poem, is she telling the truth or embellishing her own mythology?
Through group analysis and interpretation of the poem The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, students are encouraged to use critical thinking skills, especially when dealing with unreliable narrators and celebrity stories.
California Common Core Standards:
Literacy Standard(s):
CA-CCS-ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims in an
analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
Content Area Standard(s):
CA-CCS-ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6.
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an
author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
English Language Development (ELD) Standard(s):
ELD.PIa.3. 9-10. Offering and justifying opinions, negotiating with and persuading others in communicative exchanges.
Resources and Preparation:
1.) Handout of Bonnie Parker's poem The Story of Bonnie and Clyde.
2.) Archival photograph of Bonnie and Clyde.
3.) Poetry-reading scene from Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty version of Bonnie and Clyde.
4.) Newsreel footage of actual Bonnie and Clyde death scene.
Instructional Plan:
~ Split the classroom into groups. Teacher hands out the primary source of the full Parker
poem. [2 minutes]
~ Students read the poem aloud to each other. [5 minutes]
~ Teacher identifies and defines any key terms or words
students may need clarified. [5 minutes]
~ Show an archival picture of the real Bonnie & Clyde. [2 minutes]
~ Play scene of Faye Dunaway reading the poem to Warren
Beatty in the film version of “Bonnie &
Clyde.” [3 minutes]
~ Ask students to compare and contrast the characters in the photo and the
film version, as teacher writes those impressions on the board. [4 minutes]
~ Play video of
newsreel footage of the Bonnie & Clyde death scene. [3 minutes]
~ Ask students to
share their impressions of the footage, as the teacher writes those impressions
on the board. [4 minutes]
~ One student is chosen from each group to read the stanzas and offer their group’s position. [20 minutes]
Work Cited
Blumenthal, Karen. Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend. Viking, an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018.
Bonnie and Clyde Book Cover Image: "Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend." Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend| Dallas Public Library, 2019, https://dallaslibrary.librarymarket.com/events/bonnie-and-clyde-making-legend-0.
“Bonnie and Clyde Death Scene (1934).” Main Page, texasarchive.org/2014_03976.
Bonnie & Clyde Images 1 & 2:"Bonnie and Clyde." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde#/.
Bradham, Bre. “Author, Journalist and Former Chronicle Leader Karen Blumenthal Remembered for Passion, Warmth.” The Chronicle, 21 May 2020, www.dukechronicle.com/article/2020/05/author-journalist-chronicle-leader-karen-blumenthal-remembered-passion-warmth.
"Chasing Down Bonnie and Clyde - Karen Blumenthal." YouTube, uploaded by The Rotary Club of Dallas, 29 March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhGb60NYzTM.
Evans, Terri. “Discussion
and Activity Guide Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend.” Karen
Blumenthal, 2018, https://www.karenblumenthal.com/books/yngppl/bk_bonnieclyde.html.
“Karen Blumenthal.” Wikipedia,
Wikimedia Foundation, 2 July 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Blumenthal.
Karen Blumenthal Image: Karen Blumenthal, Winding Oak, https://www.karenblumenthal.com/about/about.html.
Lowry, Jen. “Special Guest Interview with Karen Blumenthal, Award-Winning Journalist, and YA Author.” Youtube, uploaded by Jen Lowry on 26 Feb. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN2XlA5GVYI.
Movieclips. “Bonnie and Clyde (1967) - The Story of Bonnie & Clyde Scene (9/9) | Movieclips.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Feb. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjdKPS6-8XU.
