The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth

Author:   Josh Levin ,  January Lavoy
Publisher:   Little Brown and Company
Edition:   Library ed.
ISBN:  

9781549180699


Publication Date:   21 May 2019
Format:   Audio  Audio Format
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
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The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth


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Overview

Slate editor Josh Levin's masterful account of the life and crimes of America's original welfare queen 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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Josh Levin ,  January Lavoy
Publisher:   Little Brown and Company
Imprint:   Little Brown and Company
Edition:   Library ed.
ISBN:  

9781549180699


ISBN 10:   154918069
Publication Date:   21 May 2019
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Audio
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

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Reviews

It's tempting to describe Levin's masterful book as alternate history of 1980s Chicago. But no--again, it's this Chicago, on this planet, not twisted on its head, only righted. -- Chicago Tribune It's a wild book. -- NPR An invaluable work of nonfiction. -- David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author Levin tells this story with a forceful combination of empathy and rigor...The Queen is a powerful reminder to ask what stories lie behind the ones that catch the public eye. -- Washington City Paper


It's a wild book. -- NPR It's tempting to describe Levin's masterful book as alternate history of 1980s Chicago. But no--again, it's this Chicago, on this planet, not twisted on its head, only righted. -- Chicago Tribune Levin tells this story with a forceful combination of empathy and rigor...The Queen is a powerful reminder to ask what stories lie behind the ones that catch the public eye. -- Washington City Paper An invaluable work of nonfiction. -- David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author


Author Information

Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slate and the host of the sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He previously worked at the Washington City Paper and has written for Sports Illustrated, the Atlantic, GQ, and Play: The New York Times Sports Magazine. He was born and raised in New Orleans and is a graduate of Brown University. He lives in Washington, D.C. January LaVoy, winner of numerous awards for narration, was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She is an American actress best known for her character Noelle Ortiz on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. In addition to working extensively in narration and television, including roles on Law & Order and All My Children, she has worked on and off Broadway as well as in regional theater.

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