Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief - Softcover

Payne, Doris; Lockhart, Zelda

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9781472270535: Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1472270533 ISBN 13: 9781472270535

Publisher: Headline, 2019

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"Doris Payne is an unapologetic badass." - Tessa Thompson, Actress

This is the sensational and compelling memoir of the world's most notorious jewel thief - a woman who defied society's prejudices and norms to carve her own path, and live out her dreams.

She stole diamonds from the people who underestimated her, she exploited the men who tried to domesticate her, and she consistently defied society's assumptions and prejudices to create a new life for herself. For fans of Catch Me If You Can, The Wolf of Wall Street and Molly's Game, this is the newest must-read crime autobiography.

Growing up during the Depression in the segregated coal town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, Doris Payne was told her dreams were unattainable for poor black girls like her. Surrounded by people who sought to limit her potential, Doris vowed to turn the tables and neither racism nor poverty would hold her back.

Using her southern charm, quick wit, and light fingers as her tools, Payne began shoplifting small pieces of jewellery from local stores. Over the course of six decades, her talents grew with each heist. Becoming an expert world-class jewel thief, she daringly pulled off numerous diamond robberies whilst her boyfriend fenced the stolen gems to Hollywood celebrities.

A rip-roaringly fun and exciting story as captivating and audacious as Ocean's 8 and as honest and compelling as Hidden Figures - Diamond Doris is the portrait of a captivating anti-hero who refused to be defined by the prejudices and mores of a hypocritical society.

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Book Description:

The incredible memoir of the world's most notorious jewel thief, Doris Payne; shocking, entertaining, hilarious and affecting, this is the true crime autobiography you cannot miss.

From the Back Cover:

"Doris Payne is an unapologetic badass." - Tessa Thompson, Actress

Growing up during the Depression in the segregated coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, the bright and willful Doris Payne dreamed big. Fascinated by the ?ne clothes, jewels, and lifestyles shown in magazines, she imagined a new world for herself, one in which she was not limited by the expectations that others imposed on her and where her beloved mother was free from her father's abuse.

After the owner of a local store threw her out when a white customer arrived, Doris vowed that neither her race nor gender would hold her back. She was going to control her own life and make her own money.

Using her Southern charm and quick wit, she began shoplifting small pieces of jewellery from local stores, and over the course of six decades, grew her talents with each heist. As a world-class expert jewel thief, she daringly pulled off numerous diamond robberies, using nuns and various ruses to help her avoid arrest while her Jewish boyfriend fenced the stolen gems. A rip-roaringly fun and exciting tale, Diamond Doris is the portrait of a captivating antihero who experienced life to the fullest-on her own terms.

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