Customer Reviews

When She Was Bad...: Violent Women and the Myth of Innocence

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The author Patricia Pearson is an independent-minded feminist who critiques foibles in the philosophy of her other sisters; namely, that women are morally superior to men and don't do as much violence against others. Or if they do, they only do it because they are oppressed by the patriarchy. They are victims.

Pearson wants women to be treated like adults, not children, being held to full account for their wrong doings in the justice system. She believes that women are equal or capable of being equal to men in all spheres, including combat. (This argument about equality in combat I think is erroneous). If the sexes are equal, she implies, then they should have equal punishment for their crimes. People and women should stop making excuses for women's crimes such as pleading temporary insanity, being a battered wife, being abused,or having PMS. Chivalry in the justice system should not mete out lighter sentences for women who commit similar crimes that their male counterparts do.

Pearson mixes her work with juicy stories about womens' crimes for the delight of your tabloid mind along with a scholarly analysis of what it all means. She talks about the nature of female aggression can also include things overlooked by society such as vicious slander against enemies, and "...an acid bath of words, the children used as pawns, the destruction of property, (and) enlistment of community as a means of control..."

She speculates that children dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may have been purposely neglected by their mothers who were having crazy thoughts about wanting their children dead. She thinks that women are not as naturally nurturant in motherhood as society says they are. Society has a hard time seeing the true nature of the female and therefore has problems dealing with women gone bad.

Pearson even hints around that child are citizens with a right to life, are not possessions of their mothers, and that women should be responsible for their birth control--these statements have controversial implications for abortion and parents' rights issues.

She states that women are just as abusive and violent as men are in their relationships and there is such as thing as a battered husband. However, society refuses to help battered husbands because they don't think women are that violent. She deplores the power imbalance in the marital relationship in which women can falsely accuse a man of abuse and send him to prison with one phone call to the police.

Pearson's most fascinating topic is female serial killers or "nurturant monsters" as she calls them. She describes one who drugs her victims to death, but before she does, she has the facade of grandmotherly warmth that deceives people into thinking that she is harmless. She describes women in history who have killed as many as 600 victims, but people tend to forget women killers and focus in on male killers who lurk in the shadows and are more directly violent.

Because people see violent women as victims of abuse, they often glamourize or approve of their violence, such as in case of Lorena Bobbit emasculating her husband or the murdering wife who was replaced by a younger model.

To sum up, Pearson says, "...to separate one sex from the other as virtuous or blameworthy is to follow a false trail in understanding the causes of violence."

I consider myself an feminist and admit to it... I am not sure I agreed with Ms. Pearson on all her points, but in a long line of books on women's topics this was the first one since Out of the Garden to really make me sit back and think. Well researched, it is much more than just opinions and politics (for once). This book literally had me up nights reading, and has caused me to relook at many of the assumptions about what women do and don't do.. and why. Particularly compelling in comparison with the other books in this field. This is an incredible book and I reccommend it without reservation to anyone interested in women's issues or crime. Like me, you may disagree with Ms. Pearson's interpretation of some things, but the research and the points she makes will open your eyes.

Ms. Pearson does an excellent job at both describing the issue of female violence and arguing about how it is publicly debated. She pushes mainstream feminism to expand its analysis about violent and abusive behavior to fully examine female violence. Much of theoretical discussion about female violence is usually set in a debate about "battered women's syndrome" or a childhood history of sexual abuse. Ms. Pearson documents several cases where childhood sexual abuse may have been a factor in a women's adult violent behavior, but is not a cause. Ms. Pearson does us all a great favor by pushing us to come up with a more complex understanding of why women commit violent crimes. If you are interested in crime and issues of gender, I would strongly recommend it.

Ms Pearson has given us a carefully researched and written vision into a problem that has historically been unrecognized. It is clear that the misassignment of feminine characteristics to an entire gender has left us blank faced when we encounter the extreme violent crimes committed by women. It has done woman and our society a great disservice and prevented much needed work in solving the problems. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the changing roles and characters in society as well as those interested in criminology in general.

This excellent book does a lot to explode myths about female violence. It is particularly timely in its discussion of female juvenile violence, and has an excellent update relating to school shootings, etc. Her finding seem to match those of the more insightful researchers in the field (see the website "violentkids," for a summary of research). A very helpful, and very well-written, book.

I am currently at work on a book about women and was a little concerned when I bought this one that it might be more emotive than evidentiary, but, luckily, my premonition was completely inaccurate. I am pleased to report that When She Was Bad surpassed all of my expectations. In fact, I'm going to hard to limit myself to a set number of citations for use in my own narrative because the material here is so exquisite. Patricia Pearson is a very brave person [notice I didn't say woman] because female aggression, especially back in 1997, is the kind of subject which can result in one being professionally ostracized; although, it obviously hasn't hurt Ms. Pearson's career as she publishes voluminously. What I appreciated most about these pages was just how much which was new to me. Particularly of value, is her idea of "chivalry justice," wherein males within the legal system are predisposed to judge and handle women more favorably than they do men. Radical feminists, of course, tell us the complete opposite which is in keeping with their attitude in general towards the truth. What really interested me about this work is that Pearson manages to find a perfect mix of case study, statistics, and narrative interpretation across these 250 or so pages. It's a lively book, filled with illuminating stories along with the author's common sense. I highly recommend it. I finished mine quickly and now it's barely readable from all the underlining I've done.

Patricia Pearson's account of female aggression is a welcome antidote for the myth of female purity and pacivity. With case studies from recent history, she shows the simularities and the differences between male and female aggression. I don't mind admitting that some of the women in this book sent shivers up my spine!

Perhaps the most telling proof of our culture's refusal to acknowledge female aggression is the startling and worrying refusal of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to acknowledge the existance of female serial killers. Perhaps the best example of this is Jack the Ripper, infamous throughout the world for murdering five women, and yet his contemporary Jane Toppan, cold blooded poisoner of almost 100 people, is consigned to a footnote in the history books.

An excellent book blending anecdote and evidence into a strong argument. An attempt by a feminist to tinject responsibility and morality into a movement that has often turned its back on both.

This book challenges preconceptions at every level, but with copious research and eminent logic to back its conclusions up. In short: it is demeaning to both women and men to behave as if women are victims by nature and that abuse starts and ends with men. It's also a wakeup call for those who excuse domestic violence when it's committed by women.

I have learned a great deal after reading WHEN SHE WAS BAD... Ms. Pearson writes eruditely and directly, with an appropriate sense of humour given the grave subject matter. Each section explores an aspect of violent and lethal behaviour of women, primarily white, middle-class, women of Canada, the author's home, the USA, and Britain. In these chapters, Ms Pearson presents a compelling volume of statistical information, complete with an analyisis of the methods of data gathering where such procedures may influence the results. Beyond these dry statitistics, a human face is given as a specific case study is interwined with the discussion of the general issues which the case exemplifies. Some readers with a penchant for violence may find these cases titilating -- an unfortunate by-product of the subject matter.
Ms Pearson presents many tertiary themes beyond the overriding theses of examining the nature of female agression and exposing a gender-bias in the criminal justice system. These include a palpable frustration with the media for its short-attention span and oversimplification. Also, Ms Pearson calls upon feminist scholarship to reexamine "standpoint epistemology" (p55), its blind acceptance of a "battered wife syndrome" (119), and its pre-disposition against "battered husband syndrome". Her statistics indicate that violence and aggressive behaviour are practised with remarkable equality irregardless of gender. (This should suprise no one who has spent enough time with people; but alas, if that were the case, Ms Pearson's book would not need to have been written). The story of this book, according to Ms Pearson, is "the story of consequence and accountablitiy" (p248). Ms Pearson concludes by presenting the "consequense of our refusal to concede female contributions to violence" that she believes are "manifold" (243). To summarize succinctly: (1) undermine autonomous and responsible behaviour; (2) amputate human emotion and experience from literature; (3) demeans the value of the victims; (4) inhibits recognition and development of new dimensions of power outside the existing structures; and (5) undemines attempts to understand violence, to trace its causes and to quell them. I highly recommend Ms Pearson's WHEN SHE WAS BAD... to anyone interested in social issues or criminology.
My particular interest is in spiritual matters. Ms Pearson's social examination has at its core an examination of the nature of evil and attempts to formulate an appropriate response. Consideration of the victims' experiences presents an opportunity for me to evaluate the place of the LORD, my GOD, in whose presence I am. The road to agnosticism is littered with images of god that accomodate no reality of evil. If my spiritual relationship is to be meaningful in my life, I must accept the disappointment of evil and work through that crisis. I have found that truth can withstand, and that false conceptions crumble. I have often had to rise above what Ms Pearson identifies as an "excuse of motive", feelings of victimization and instead, to faith on a spiritual connection. Reading this book has inspired me to renew my spiritual commitment. I greatly appreciate the hard work and discipline Ms Pearson has applied to this difficult and important topic.
I return to complete my comments. It has taken many months to organize my thoughts on this painful topic. I often hear people say that they cannot believe in a good god when evil people such as those in this book get away with murder. I cannot explain adequately why the victims, some of them mere children, and their families had to endure the horror and pain caused by these psychopathic individuals. At the same time, reading this book has helped me to realize the importantance of fighting evil on an personal level. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that the pain inflicted by our enemies is forgotten long before the disappointment experienced when our friends turn away. Reading Ms Pearson's book has inspired me to ask questions of myself. What am I doing to diminish pain in my life? How do I prevent my own agenda from harming others? I have become more sensitive to my acts of indirect aggression. If I am to be accountable as a human being, I must accept my contribution to evil. Ms Pearson insists that, "it is increasingly urgent that our culture acknowledge violence as a human, rather than gendered, phenomenom." For me, it is a faith in the LORD, my GOD, in whose presence I am, that provides the strength to face this unattractive side of my humanity. Admittedly, not everyone will read WHEN SHE WAS BAD for its spiritual implications. Nonetheless, Ms Pearson has written a thought provoking book that explores the nature of violent aggression as it effects all humans.