The Queen : the forgotten life behind an American myth / Josh Levin.
"On the South Side of Chicago in 1974, Linda Taylor reported a phony burglary, concocting a lie about stolen furs and jewelry. The detective who checked it out soon discovered she was a welfare cheat who drove a Cadillac to collect ill-gotten government checks. And that was just the beginning: Taylor, it turned out, was also a kidnapper, and possibly a murderer. A desperately ill teacher, a combat-traumatized Marine, an elderly woman hungry for companionship -- after Taylor came into their lives, all three ended up dead under suspicious circumstances. But nobody -- not the journalists who touted her story, not the police, and not presidential candidate Ronald Reagan -- seemed to care about anything but her welfare thievery. Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Taylor was made an outcast because of the color of her skin. As she rose to infamy, the press and politicians manipulated her image to demonize poor black women. Part social history, part true-crime investigation, Josh Levin's mesmerizing book, the product of six years of reporting and research, is a fascinating account of American racism, and an expose of the "welfare queen" myth, one that fueled political debates that reverberate to this day. THE QUEEN tells, for the first time, the fascinating story of what was done to Linda Taylor, what she did to others, and what was done in her name." -- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780316513302
- ISBN: 031651330X
- Physical Description: xi, 418 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates ; 24 cm
- Publisher: [New York, NY] : Little, Brown & Co, 2019.
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Taylor, Linda, 1926-2002. Swindlers and swindling > United States > Biography. Welfare fraud > United States > Case studies. United States. |
Genre: | Biographies. Case studies. |
Available copies
- 6 of 6 copies available at Missouri Evergreen.
- 1 of 1 copy available at Trails Regional. (Show)
- 0 of 0 copies available at Trails Regional-Technical Services.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 6 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cape Girardeau Public Library | TAY (Text) | 33042004619881 | Adult Biography | Available | - |
Little Dixie - Main Library - Moberly | 364.16 LEVIN (Text) | 2004396180 | Non-Fiction Shelves | Available | - |
Polk County Library-Bolivar | 921 TAY (Text) | 34531000303273 | Biographies | Available | - |
Scenic Regional-St. Clair | 364.163 LEV (Text) | 3006925475 | NonFiction | Available | - |
St. Joseph - East Hills Library | 364.163 LEV (Text) | 32002005458508 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Trails Regional-Warrensburg | B TAY (Text) | 2204859745 | Adult Non-Fiction | Available | - |