Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang [Paperback]

Ellen Poulsen (Author), William J. Helmer (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

Buried under decades of stereotype and parody, the true history of the female companions of the Great Depression's bank-robbing gang is uncovered. Don't Call Us Molls carefully examines the legacy of the Dillinger women using eyewitness and descendants' accounts as well as courtroom and prison records. This book explores the collective experience of these fugitives and offers a thoughtful, well-informed commentary on past attitudes toward the marginalized women of the day-the lawbreakers, the informers, and a lone female sheriff. FBI memos, court transcripts, and never-before-published photos reveal the events experienced by women under siege, resurrecting historical figures and their private behavior. This history lays bare the personal lives of the wives and girlfriends of the public enemies of the 1930s and examines how their conflicting loyalties were challenged and exploited by unrelenting pressure of the United States government to betray their men.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Dillinger case from a unique perspective, the gang's women, whose stories are fascinating. Refreshingly different, crammed with new facts." --Rick Mattix, author of Public Enemies: America's Criminal Past 1919-1940

About the Author

Ellen Poulsen has worked as a staff writer for the Queens Chronicle, and she is the recipient of the Sandra Schor Nonfiction Award. She lives in Queens, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Clinton Cook Publishing Corp. (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971720002
• ISBN-13: 978-0971720008
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Crime & Criminals  > Gangs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Call Us Molls-Women Of The John Dillinger Gang, March 7, 2003

By 

David G. Trautmiller (New Richmond, Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang (Paperback)

I have to say this is one of the best books on the "30's Outlaw ERA" I've read. I found more photos I haven't seen before and learned a ton of new facts. It was very refreshing to read about the women who loved these bad guys. This is a book that was way overdue. Ellen Poulsen did her homework and then some. I highly recomend this book. It is in important addition to any crime library. I know it is for mine.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Behind the Headlines, November 5, 2007

By 

Michael A. Coluccio (New York, N.Y.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang (Paperback)

I believe that anyone who is interested in the Middle Western crime wave during the Great Depression is sure to enjoy this book. Ellen Poulsen leaves no stone unturned in this meticulously researched chronicle of the women behind the public enemies who shot their way into the headlines during the Thirties. The author provides us with a wealth of little known facts about Evelyn Frechette, Marie Conforti (real name Comforti), the Delaney sisters, Bess Green, Opal Long, Helen Gillis (Mrs. Baby Face Nelson), and scores of others who, through a combination of sheer misfortune and tough times, shared the beds of some of the most notorious outlaws in the annals of U.S. crime. An informative book which furnishes insight into the sad lives led by the "gun molls" glamorized by the press.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top 10 Crime Book of the 21st Century, September 7, 2005

By 

M. Koch "Mike" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang (Paperback)

I must say that in all the recent books about gangsters and their molls from the 1930s, this book is one of the best ever, period! Full of new information on the Dillinger gang and Ma Barker and her brood of killers. Also, many photographs, which have never before been published. If you don't purchase this one, you are missing out on an important part of researching any gangster from this time period, which will include the woman who ran with these bandits.