{"product_id":"the-queen-9781472266088","title":"The Queen","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e*** WINNER OF THE NATIONAL CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e*** LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN\/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''\u003ci\u003eThe Queen\u003c\/i\u003e is an invaluable work of non-fiction'' - David Grann, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eKillers of the Flower Moon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the gripping true tale of a villain who changed American history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1970s, Linda Taylor became a fur-wearing, Cadillac-driving symbol of the undeserving poor - the original ''welfare queen''. In the press she was the ultimate template for this insidious stereotype; Ronald Reagan himself cited her criminal behaviour in his presidential campaign, turning public opinion firmly against state benefits and those who used them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Taylor was demonized for the least of her crimes. She was a con artist, a thief, a kidnapper, maybe even a murderer - and certainly one of the most gifted and deranged criminals of \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the \u003cb\u003efinest tradition of investigative reporting\u003c\/b\u003e, Josh Levin exposes how a story that once shaped the nation's conscience was clouded by racism and lies. As he \u003cb\u003estunningly reveals\u003c\/b\u003e, the deeper truth, the messy truth, tells us something much larger about who we are. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Queen\u003c\/i\u003e is an invaluable work of nonfiction\u003c\/b\u003e * David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon *\u003cbr\u003eAnother author would have used the 'welfare queen' as a jumping-off point to explore stereotypes, welfare politics and political rhetoric. Levin addresses all that, but \u003cb\u003ehis real goal is to put a face to Reagan's bogeywoman\u003c\/b\u003e, tracking every alias, every scam, every duped husband and every dodged arrest. He presents Linda Taylor not as a parable for anything grand, but as a singular American scoundrel who represented nothing but herself... \u003cb\u003ePart of the fun of Levin's book is burrowing inside his obsessive quest\u003c\/b\u003e * The New York Times Book Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevin's brilliant exploration\u003c\/b\u003e of the politics of welfare reform teaches \u003cb\u003ean essential lesson\u003c\/b\u003e. When myths and stereotypes predominate, facts, logic and evidence lose out . . . \u003cb\u003eLevin's story calls upon us to think harder. Gripping.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Lisbeth B. Schorr * Washington Post *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Queen\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea wild, only-in-America story that helped me understand my country better\u003c\/b\u003e. It's a \u003cb\u003efascinating portrait\u003c\/b\u003e of a con artist and a nation . . . and the ways the United States continually relies on oversimplified narratives about race and class to shape public policy, almost always at the expense of brown people and poor people * Attica Locke, author of Black Water Rising *\u003cbr\u003eIt is impossible to read \u003ci\u003eThe Queen\u003c\/i\u003e without pausing every few pages to marvel at either the \u003cb\u003ebrilliance\u003c\/b\u003e of Josh Levin's research or the \u003cb\u003esheer wildness\u003c\/b\u003e of the tale. By pouring years of devotion into piecing together Linda Taylor's bizarre criminal odyssey, Levin has created \u003cb\u003ea work of American history like no other - \u003c\/b\u003ean enthralling portrait of a nation whose splendid promise has too often been distorted by prejudice and political cynicism * Brendan I. Koerner, author of The Skies Belong to Us *\u003cbr\u003eFor decades, Linda Taylor has been demagogued by politicians and the press, reduced to a cruel stereotype: the welfare queen shamelessly leeching from government coffers. Through \u003cb\u003emeticulous reporting\u003c\/b\u003e, Josh Levin's \u003ci\u003eThe Queen\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003eilluminates in full\u003c\/b\u003e the story of a life far more complicated, cunning, criminal, \u003cb\u003etragic and fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e than the historical stereotype would have ever allowed us to see * Wesley Lowery, author of They Can't Kill Us All *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stunning account ... His powerful work of narrative nonfiction\u003c\/b\u003e shows how Taylor victimized a slew of vulnerable people, was a victim herself, and was the cause of Black welfare recipients being stereotyped as \"welfare cheats.\" ... \u003cb\u003eLevin does a terrific job\u003c\/b\u003e of balancing his portrait of a criminal, of the racism of police ... and of the widespread stereotyping of Blacks that grew out of her crimes and a president's distortions. -- Connie Fletcher * Booklist *\u003cbr\u003eLevin nimbly explores Taylor's life in\u003cb\u003e a story that becomes more complex the more it's revealed\u003c\/b\u003e. The tale encompasses an astonishingly prolific criminal career as well as issues of race ... mental illness. amd self-invention, to say nothing of politics and the essentialism that Regan commonly practised ... \u003cb\u003eA top-notch study of an exceedingly odd moment in history.\u003c\/b\u003e * Kirkus *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Headline Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739444785495,"sku":"9781472266088","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781472266088.jpg?v=1720052263","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-queen-9781472266088","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}