Customer Reviews

My Life with Bonnie and Clyde

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At one time I thought the last thing the world needed was one more book on Bonnie and Clyde. The sixty years following their deaths saw hundreds of articles, a dozen or more books, millions of words printed about the infamous duo and the Barrow gang, all adding varying degrees of old, new, and contradictory information. Then came John Neal Phillips, whose "Running With Bonnie and Clyde" brought the story into new focus through his own extensive interviews with many of the leading participants. It was, it seemed, an historical breakthrough we weren't likely to see again as they're all dead. But Phillips has surpassed himself now by uncovering the first true inside account of the Barrow gang in the form of the prison memoirs of Blanche Barrow. It's a tragic, harrowing, haunting story of family life on the run, full of surprises and rounded out with a superb collection of Blanche's own photos (most seen here for the first time) and Phillips' own research and extensive endnotes. You just can't get any closer to the real Barrow gang than this.

I just finished my advanced copy of "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde." It has been 36 hours since I got it from the mail box. Sorry I took so long. Why the rush, you might ask. One reason. In the small world of serious researchers and writers who deal with the famous Texas Depression Era outlaw lovers, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, there are only two groups - John Neal Phillips, and all the rest of us. On this subject, anything with John's name on it automatically becomes "required reading." Nobody has studied them longer. Nobody knows them better.
In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say up front that I consider John Phillips a friend, and I hope he considers me a colleague. Many Emails have passed between us, beginning during the time I was preparing my own book "Bonnie and Clyde: A 21st Century Update," for which his first book, "Running With Bonnie and Clyde" was a absolutely essential source, and later as John was trying to unravel Blanche Barrow's manuscript and answer some of the questions that arose from it. We share a love of the process of research and a desire to solve more of the little mysteries that may help make some sense out of a story that seems like a senseless tragedy. John has taught me to be tenacious in research, meticulous in documentation, and generous in sharing the results. But enough of this personal testimonial! Is the book any good?
Those who know and appreciate the level of scholarship of John's first book will not be disappointed. The voice is that of Blanche Barrow, writing from her prison room, and trying to come to terms with her life - particularly the 107 days she spent running for her life with Bonnie and Clyde which ended with four men dead - three lawmen and finally her own husband - and herself in prison. Editor Phillips doesn't interfere with Blanche's occasional bouts of self pity and rationalization that run through her account, but he does add a substantial layer of commentary, both at the beginning of chapters and in the end notes, to keep the reader from getting lost. This is vital with a story as convoluted this one.
Bonnie and Clyde's life bordered on the chaotic. They planned little and moved almost constantly. Many times, they themselves couldn't remember where they were or what they had done a few weeks before. In explaining how Clyde managed to drag his brother Buck, and with him Blanche as well, into he and Bonnie's life as hunted criminals, Phillips quotes another gang member as saying "He [Clyde] didn't mean to do Buck no harm. He just couldn't see no further ahead." Well, neither could the law. That's how Clyde and Bonnie managed to live as long as they did. Nobody knew where they would turn up from one day to the next. Many times not even themselves.
Blanche's story is fascinating, since it is one of the few accounts we have of the people of the "Barrow Gang" from the inside, but following it is hard work. It takes someone with Phillips' skill and encyclopedic knowledge of the subject to guide us through. Thanks to Phillips' efforts as editor, Blanches' heart and soul are in the text, but much of the story is in his notes. Whether you are new to the subject, or an old Bonnie and Clyde hand, you MUST read the notes as you go. That's where everything is tied together. To give you some idea of what you'll miss if you neglect them, Phillips' appendices, notes and bibliography make up fully one third of the entire work.
Many people have waited for this book for a long time, and I, for one, think it was worth it. It is a look at the lives of the famous outlaw lovers and their families we've never had before. If you haven't read "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde," you don't know the whole story.

Jim Knight
Certified "Gangster Geek"
and author of "Bonnie and Clyde: A 21st Century Update"

I highly recommend this historical autobiography deftly completed by one of the finest writers and experts on Bonnie & Clyde: John Neal Philips. His previous work is a definite must-read as well: Running With Bonnie and Clyde. It was through his first book that I learned whatever became of Blanche Barrow. I had often wondered and he has now completed her story and what a fine job he has done in completing an autobiography which Blanche Barrow wrote while in prison. He had only a handwritten first draft but Mr. Philips cites Blanche Barrow as the author and gives himself the title of "Editor". If you want an academic tome of the only member of the Barrow Gang who went on to live a life away from crime, this book is the one. It is thorougly researched with endnotes to read while reading the book itself (and it is more enjoyable to read it in that manner) then this book is the one. I do agree that it is also well worthwhile to also read "Running With Bonnie And Clyde" which provides a first hand account by a former gang member named Ralph Fults. John Neal Philips did a superb job in finding those still alive who knew Bonnie and Clyde and Blanche is also interviewed and quoted in his first book. Mr. Philips is thorough in his research and never relies on tabloid style rumours which others who have written about these Depression Era Outlaws have published as fact. He treats Blanche Barrow with dignity and respect and had she lived to see this book go to press, I believe she'd have been very grateful.

I often wondered what had become of Blanch Barrow as the movie did not tell us much of anything. At the end of the book I found myself with tears in my eyes. I am not saying she was totally innocent in everything that transpired, but she paid dearly for the mistake of loving her husband and I being a woman can synpathize with her greatly. I can just picture her sitting in a chair, an old woman, forgotten, left with nothing but her cats and memories of days gone by...nothing is sadder than what might have been. What really made me realize how human these characters were was when Blanche tells us about bringing her dog Snowball on the run when she and Buck took off with Bonnie and Clyde and then loosing her dog during the shootout in Platte City, as the dog was spooked by the gun battle, he ran out of the house and this was the last she ever saw of her beloved pet. These were very much people like us that I firmly believe were victims of the times they lived and the desolation that surrounded them. I often wonder what would have became of those four people if they would have grown up in New England perhaps or New York where even though the depression was going on, there were more opportunities for work or perhaps they were born at the wrong time in history. Maybe if Bonnie and Clyde would have been born and came of age in the 80's or 90's, they would have been different people....but we will never know. This book is a must read for anyone, not just fans of Bonnie and Clyde, but its just a damned good book to read.

If you find this tragic story fascinating, then this is one that you must add to your collection.
I once held & looked through Blanche's very own scrapbook that she put together while on the road with Clyde & Bonnie, & after she completed her prison term.
I was shocked a bit that she had composed it in the very same way I have my own.
I now believe that Blanche would have attended "The Bonnie & Clyde Festival" in Gibsland , La. if she had lived.
To see a picture of Blanche late in life is a dream come true.
While I & every historian on this subject must tip our hats to John Neal Phillips,I think he has possibly even out done his first book, which was excellent.
Ralph Fults was kind enough to share with John his story and made us understand why Clyde snapped "from a schoolboy to a Rattlesnake".
But this book will possibly bring tears to your eyes.
Blanche Barrow should be considered "Bonnie & Clyde's last victim".
I would like to thank Rhea Leen, Buddy , "Boots", Lorraine , Marie &
so many others, & you know who I'm talking about!

To have been around all these family's & made such friends still
makes me feel that we are living this story still.

Bitter & Sweet , a oxymoron that defies Logic.

This book was GREAT! I am a huge Bonnie and Clyde fan (and an historian) and this is the best thing I've read on them in years. Blanche's memoirs are easy to read and very descriptive. The endnotes fill in details and what Blanche didn't quite remember (which is very little considering her circumstances). Highly recommended reading for the die-hard Bonnie and Clyde fan, or if you are just interested in the 1930's or the Great Depression.

Incredible book! Great fun to read. I enjoyed the historical facts. Such as constant references to the time period. A vivid insight into the early days. The characters were real. If you enjoy anylizing a good read this is for you. This book really gave me a sense of the times. These people will illicit a range of emotions from pity, loathing, revulsion, sadness, grief. I strongly recommend. Especially if you have an interest in history with a personal touch.

I really enjoyed reading this book. However, you must keep in mind that it was told by one of the participants and that self image and self preservation were apparent in telling her side of the story. I would advise doing what I did. I read the Knight book, "Bonnie & Clyde, a Twenty-First Century Update" and the John Neal Phillips book "Running with Bonnie and Clyde" at the same time as this one. I think by combining and sifting through the information in all three, you can come away with a pretty clear picture of these peoples lives.

For anyone looking for new surprises and a new angle on the story of Bonnie and Clyde, this book is a must. Blanche Barrow bears the facts of her life with the Barrow Gang right down to the bone. You can almost smell, see and hear this story as it plays out before your eyes.
It was also great to see what happened to those who survived past 1934, following Blanche through her prison sentence and into her later years, with Billie Moon (Bonnie Parker's sister)beside her. A must for all Bonnie and Clyde researchers.

Yes, many readers probably thought; "Oh no! Not another Bonnie & Clyde book!" But I say; "Oh yes!" This is a historically accurate and well researched work on the saga of Bonnie & Clyde. Author John Neal Phillips has out done his previous venture into the life & crimes of the Barrow gang, by writing from Blanche Barrow's own prison memoirs. This detailed new look into the gangs activites is truly interesting and Blanche Barrow's collection of photo's, included in the book, added a new richnest to the sage of "Bonnie and Clyde!" Phillips exhaustive endnotes tells all that he is a remarkable researcher. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the Barrow gangs saga.

Mike Koch, author of "The Kimes Gang."