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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher |
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Original language | |
English | |
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THE QUEEN
A Villain, Her Victims, and the Power of a Lie
The Queen is the bizarre, true tale of a psychopath who changed American history, an in-depth account of how one beguilingly complex woman, raised in the Jim Crow South and molded by gangland Chicago, transformed the way we think about race and poverty to this day.
A true crime classic in the vein of The Devil in the White City, The Queen brings to stunning life of Linda Taylor, the real con artist, kidnapper, and likely murderer behind the renowned but little known - "welfare queen". This is the bizarre, true tale of a psychopath who changed history. This in-depth account of how one beguilingly complex woman, raised in the segregated South and molded by gangland Chicago, pulled off outrageous and largely unprosecuted crimes will transform the way we think about race and poverty today.
Linda Taylor was one of the most gifted and most deranged criminals of modern times: a con artist, a thief, a kidnapper, and possibly a murderer. She was also the original "welfare queen." Thanks to Ronald Reagan, who continuously cited Taylor's larcenous behavior during his 1976 presidential campaign, she became the template for an insidious stereotype: the lazy, conniving, Cadillac-driving black woman who gets rich by grabbing public aid checks with both fists. The truth was worse, and more shocking.
A rich and inventively reported work of true crime, THE QUEEN takes readers back to a place and time when a criminal like Linda Taylor could bafflingly remain free.
Josh Levin is the executive editor of Slate, where he has worked since 2003. He edits the site's crime and sports coverage and writes about sports, media, and technology among other subjects. He is also the host of Slate's sports podcast "Hang Up and Listen."
Linda Taylor was one of the most gifted and most deranged criminals of modern times: a con artist, a thief, a kidnapper, and possibly a murderer. She was also the original "welfare queen." Thanks to Ronald Reagan, who continuously cited Taylor's larcenous behavior during his 1976 presidential campaign, she became the template for an insidious stereotype: the lazy, conniving, Cadillac-driving black woman who gets rich by grabbing public aid checks with both fists. The truth was worse, and more shocking.
A rich and inventively reported work of true crime, THE QUEEN takes readers back to a place and time when a criminal like Linda Taylor could bafflingly remain free.
Josh Levin is the executive editor of Slate, where he has worked since 2003. He edits the site's crime and sports coverage and writes about sports, media, and technology among other subjects. He is also the host of Slate's sports podcast "Hang Up and Listen."
Available products |
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Book
Published 2019-05-21 by Little, Brown |
Book
Published 2019-05-21 by Little, Brown |