Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth [Paperback]

Kristen Iversen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2011

When Margaret Tobin Brown arrived in New York City shortly after her perilous night in Titanic’s Lifeboat Six, a legend was born. Through magazines, books, a Broadway musical, and a Hollywood movie, she became "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," but in the process her life story was distorted beyond recognition. Even her name was changed—she was never known as Molly during her lifetime. Kristen Iversen’s "Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth" is the first full-length biography of this American icon, and the story it tells is of a passionate and outspoken crusader for the rights of women, children, mine workers, and others struggling for their voice in the early twentieth century. In the end, the real "Molly" Brown was far more fascinating than her myth, and Kristen Iversen has captured her in all her brilliance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Molly BrownAthe gun toting, vulgar saloon-girl-made-goodAhas become a staple of American myth through the Broadway and Hollywood musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown and the hit film Titanic. In this extensively researched biographyAthe first serious work on BrownAIversen, an editor at Westcliffe Publishers and an independent scholar, reveals that Brown was a far more fascinating and important figure than her stage or screen portrayals suggest. True to her legend, Margaret Tobin Brown was born in 1867 to poor Irish immigrants in Hannibal, Mo., became the grande dame of Denver society after her husband hit pay dirt in his silver mine and survived the sinking of the Titanic. She was also, however, a prominent philanthropist and social reformer focusing on the rights of children; an ardent suffragist who contemplated several runs for Congress; a frequent liberal spokesperson for women's, labor and race issues; and, late in life, an actress of some note. A devout Catholic, Brown publicly challenged her church's stand on women's suffrage; invited Jewish women to work on her high-society fund-raising events; and, although she was a mine owner, defended the unionization of miners. Iversen is particularly adept at placing Brown in the context of her times, making the most of this opportunity to reexamine the Gilded Age and early 20th century through the lens of feminism and economic and social change. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

paper 1-55566-237-4 The real Margaret (she was never called Molly) Brown revealed in a biography long on both dramatic reconstructions of the Titanic disaster and mundane family scrapbooks As Iversen, an editor at Westcliffe Publishers, has it, Margaret (she was sometimes called Maggie) Brown was never the high-kicking vulgarian with a heart of gold portrayed by Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown or even the flamboyant dowager queen of the West (with a heart of gold) portrayed by Kathy Bates in the film Titanic. She was educated, culturally aware, multilingual, and comfortable in Paris, Newport, New York, Denver, and Leadville, Colo., society. She did have a heart of gold, and it was often dedicated to such sophisticated activities as organizing successful fund-raising events for building Denver's Roman Catholic cathedral, adding a wing to a Denver hospital, aiding families of miners left destitute by disaster, and, with her friend ``Kids Judge'' Benjamin Lindsey, organizing and subsidizing programs for indigent children. Her courage and organizational abilities were evident in the Titanic disaster, when she not only helped row Lifeboat #6 to safety but also went on to raise money and social support for the surviving immigrants, who had lost everything when the ship went down. Margaret was also a feminist, putting herself forth as a candidate for Congress. Her marriage to miner J.J. Brown had collapsed by then, due probably to both his womanizing and her activism. Margaret and her two children vied in court over J.J.'s will but eventually reconciled. Before she died in 1932 at age 65, Margaret was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her work in France during WWI. A pastiche of reminiscences and newspaper clippings that tries to set the record straight and certainly suggests that, as important as the myth of the golden-hearted Western girl may be, the real Margaret was far more interesting than the cinematic versions. (b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Johnson Books; Tenth Printing, March 2010 edition (September 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555662374
• ISBN-13: 978-1555662370
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Members' Review, March 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth (Paperback)

Ok folks, let's get down to it. I've not left a review before because I thought it might sound as though I was being overly supportive with a bias. Well,I am overly supportive and I do have a bias. I am one of Margaret Browns great granddaughters.
I can't tell you how thrilled we were when Kristen got in touch with us and asked if we would speak with her. It was so exciting to know that someone was going to tell the truth about Margaret! I must tell you that the other material that was out there before Kristen wrote her book was astonishing. There was Timberline. Although it was entertaining, Mr. Fowler had my great grandmother
being raised on the milk of a nanny goat by a drunken Irishman named Shamus. This was due to the "fact" that Molly's mother had died from a broken heart when Molly was but six months old because she had birthed such an unnatural child!
We then have an incredible book by Carolyn Bancroft. She painted Margaret as a crude, brash, foul mouthed, illiterate, baffoon.
I must say however, in defense of Mrs. Bancroft, she grew up hearing simply terrible tales about my family. It is my understanding that her father and my great grandfather were bitter enimies ( family stories have J.J. Brown physically kicking Mr. Bancroft down his office steps...ouch!).
What I would like to tell you is this. From a member of the family, if you want to read a book that had the truth about Margaret Brown ... this is it! It also has some amazing pictures that had never been seen by the public prior to the release of this book. My favorite is Margaret and my grandmother atop camels just before Margaret left to sail on Titanic. Perfectly horrid hats but what a hoot!
I really hope that you enjoy this book. Margaret would have loved it!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL!, June 13, 2001

By 

K. Lordan-Morris "MORRIS" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth (Paperback)

It was refreshing to finally read a book that contains the FACTS of Margaret Brown. Kristen Iversen does a wonderful job in her research with the Brown family and the forward is written by Muffet Brown (Margaret's great grand daughter). This book is a true celebration of women. It covers so much of her life and the important role she played in womens sufferage. Margaret was truly a remarkable, kind, and generous woman, far beyond her time. Talk about a MODERN woman! She traveled ALONE around the world without her husband, something that was UNHEARD of in the early 20th century. I coulnd't put this book down! If you are interested in the Titanic, the history of remarkable women and Newport, New York and Denver society - read this book. Margaret was a well respected and well regarded woman who WAS Denver society. Forget any of the trash you have read about this woman being a foul mouthed, tacky, Denver soceity wannabe....this books contains only the facts of what Margeret was, is and why all the myths of her live on...... Truly a fascinating woman!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Formidable Research, Page-turning Prose, June 14, 2006

By 

poem2poes - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth (Paperback)

This book reads like a good novel, but is footnoted at every turn. It has an astonishingly large bibliography for a character in history who was relatively unknown -- even by her own family -- before this book was written. I loved the structure of the book, and the way she placed the body of it between two creatively written accounts of Margaret's adventures on the Titanic and after. I literally could not put it down and became engrossed in the story of this courageous and astounding woman. Anyone interested in the lives of women at the turn of the century, and/or in the history of the Denver region should take the time to read this book.

Mrs. J.J. Brown in no way resembles the myths that sprung up around her, and Iversen does a good job of replacing those myths with a real human being. However, I did find myself reading certain parts of the book and asking if she didn't take her debunking a bit too far in the opposite direction. Would a conventional Edwardian society woman jokingly invite her butcher into her bathroom while in the tub? Read carefully, and you will find that Mrs. Brown thoroughly enjoyed mythologizing herself. She was a tale-spinner and public actress as much as she was an altruist and heroine. That is my only caveat about this book. Although accurate, it de-emphasizes her idiosyncrasies and therefore doesn't seem to give a full characterization.

It's a fantastically GOOD book! Well-written and exhaustingly researched! I can't imagine anyone complaining that there's filler in it. Meatloaf? It's unusual to see so much proof for information even in a biography. I am not surprised that her descendants love it.