Bonnie & Clyde & Marie: A Sister's Perspective on the Notorious Barrow Gang

Jonathan Davis

ISBN 10: 1936205122 / ISBN 13: 9781936205127

Published by Stephen F. Austin University Press, Nacogdoches, Texas, 2014

About this Item

AZ2 - A first edition (stated) hardcover book SIGNED by Jeff Guinn on the preface ppage in very good condition in very good dust jacket that is mylar protected. Dust jacket and book have some bumped corners, light discoloration and shelf wear. Preface by Jeff Guinn. 9.5"x6.5", 281 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Whether we like to admit it or not, most recorded history is a matter of best guess. Books about people and events decades or more in the past are generally written by someone who wasn't there: the participants are long gone, and what's left to sort through it s a jumble of third-hand recollections and exaggerated or even entirely made-up articles from period newspapers and magazines. It's frustrating for writers, and even more so for readers. That makes the rare exception - fresh material coming directly from participants to the printed page - both welcome and precious. And that is why Bonnie & Clyde & Marie: A Sister's Perspective on the Notorious Barrow Gang should be greeted with all possible fanfare. You hold historic treasure in your hands. Many years after her beloved brother Clyde's bloody demise on a back road in northwestern Louisiana, Marie Barrow set out with close friend Jonathan Davis to tell the real story of the Barrow gang. Previous books, magazine articles and films - even Warren Beatty's much lauded Bonnie and Clyde - didn't, to Marie's way of thinking, even remotely capture the sweetness of the love between Clyde and Bonnie, nor the desperation with their lots in life that drove them into crime. So over a period of time, Marie told Jonathan the Barrow Gang story from her perspective. She had plenty to tell about. Even as they tried to stay one step ahead of the "laws," Clyde and Bonnie made frequent visits to their families in the fetid slums known as West Dallas, and Marie even joined them on the road a few times to provide Bonnie with female companionship and an opportunity to engage in the "girl talk" she enjoyed so much. Jonathan, a gifted historian and relentless researcher, wrote down everything Marie had to say and doubled-checked it wherever possible. The result was a riveting, insightful manuscript that throbbed with energy. No dry-as-dust, best-guess history here! Now, finally, it's Jonathan's turn to tell the Bonnie and Clyde story, and he does so with the original Marie Barrow manuscript bolstered by his own diligent research. The voice you'll encounter is authentically Marie's, and it's unfiltered in the matter of her expressing opinions. For instance, the Barrow family's dislike of Bonnie's snooty mother Emma comes through loud and clear, as does Marie's unrelenting enmity toward Henry Methvin, the chunky Louisiana con who, with his family, betrayed Clyde and Bonnie to hulking ex-Ranger Frank Hamer. History simply doesn't get any more immediate or more powerful than this. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # ec49398

Bibliographic Details

Title: Bonnie & Clyde & Marie: A Sister's ...

Publisher: Stephen F. Austin University Press, Nacogdoches, Texas

Publication Date: 2014

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Signed: Signed

Edition: First Edition.

About this title

Synopsis:

I had known Marie since autumn, 1993, after both of us had worked on a documentary titled Remembering Bonnie and Clyde. She brought in the “death shirt” and other items to be photographed for this program. I watched her being interviewed and was impressed by the story she had to tell. A few days afterward, I sent Marie a small thank-you card with a note telling her how much I enjoyed meeting her and that if I could ever be of assistance, she should call. I didn’t expect a response, but shortly thereafter, Marie called and asked to meet with me, and thus began one of the richest and most interesting times of my life. --Jonathan Davis""It’s probably too late to change the overall perception that the American public has of my brothers Clyde and Buck, as well as Clyde’s sweetheart Bonnie Parker and Buck’s wife Blanche Caldwell Barrow. The public’s perspective on my family members and friends has been reinforced by over 60 years of caricature and exaggeration through the output of the publishing houses and the Hollywood studios. It began during the days of the old newsreels in the movie houses and has continued unchanged up through today’s modern cable television networks and satellite communications. No matter which medium carries the message, the message itself is typically 100% pure baloney.The proper place to begin to tell the story of my brothers, Clyde and Buck, is with our parents, since my father and my mother played such a big part in all of our lives. Henry B. Barrow, my father, was born in Pensacola, Florida, on January 10, 1873 . . . Back in those days, mandatory school attendance was taken pretty lightly. In fact, my father only went to school one-half-day in his life. The day he attempted to go, he was brought back home in a buggy after getting sick at school. Early in his life, he was afflicted with chills and this condition stayed with him throughout his childhood years. I’ve always felt that my father was a victim of a malaria attack back in his Florida days, to which he developed a severe reaction. He was extremely sickly as a child in Florida, and this condition carried over to his early adolescent years in Texas. However, he was able to assist on his father’s farm as his health improved in his later teen years. Apparently getting away from the mosquito-infested Pensacola region of the 1880’s eventually improved my father’s health."" --Marie Barrow Scoma

About the Author:

JONATHAN DAVIS was born in Evansville, Indiana. In the early autumn of 1993, he made the acquaintance of Marie Barrow when they both worked on a documentary concerning the Barrow Gang. From that time until her passing in early 1999, Marie and Jonathan worked on several Barrow-related projects, such as the manuscript and the nationally-publicized auction of Clyde's death shirt and other family items. Jonathan has also appeared on several national programs concerning Bonnie and Clyde. He currently resides in Dallas, TX.