Rebecca Guay

The mother-daughter duo of Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple has released a fun compendium of "bad" women in history. From Delilah, the stealthy hairstylist of the Bible (circa 110BC), to gangsters' gal, Virginia Hill (1916-1966), Yolen and Stemple highlight history's most rebellious, racy, raucous, reprehensible, and sometimes resourceful women.

The choice of subjects, twenty-six in all, isn't the only thing that makes Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, and other Female show more Villains a unique addition to the collection of books on women in history. Illustrations are provided by Rebecca Guay. In addition to a comic portrait of each notorious woman,

included after each chapter is a graphic novel-style panel featuring Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple. Each panel is set in a new location (these ladies took their "research" to the ends of the earth - shopping, eating and sightseeing, in Egypt, London, Massachusetts, wherever this gallery of rogues led them!), where Yolen and Stemple debate history's treatment of each woman. Clever and humorous, these panels remind readers that societal and personal circumstances often dictate behaviors. With the exception of the truly bad, Elizabeth Báthory, Yolen makes a case for each woman. No, they may not have all been innocent, but given their particular circumstances, some of these women may have been given a bad historical rap. Stemple provides the counterpoint - bad is bad, regardless of circumstance. Readers will be left to decide for themselves, but regardless of conclusion, they will understand that the role of women throughout history has not been an easy one.

Despite the subject matter, Yolen and Stemple maintain a light-hearted tone in Bad Girls, as evidenced by the chapter titles: "Lizzie Borden (1860-1927): One Whacky Woman," "Anne Boleyn (1500-1536): She Lost Her Head for Love."

Resources are included, offering interested older readers a jump start on where to find further information. There is more than just fun to be had with Bad Girls; resources for download are available on the publisher's site.

images, links and more @ http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2013/03/bad-girls-good-review.html show less

The Last Dragon could have been drawn from the pages of Grimm's Fairy Tales. To focus first on the illustrations, Rebecca Guay has earned her rightful place in my hall of amazing fantasy artists. Her illustrations are delicate, intricate, and flowing. It is impossible not to notice them as you read. I loved how they seemed to move and writhe on the page, and I can't deny that I fell in love from the very first panel. If I had to choose my favorite part of this graphic novel, it would show more absolutely be the illustrations.

As far as the story goes, it is simplistic in the best way possible. Paired with illustrations that bring it to life, Jane Yolen shares the story of a witty young girl and a deceptive hero. I adored Tansy and her story! A dragon hatches and begins to torment her home. Of course the men believe they need a hero, and set off to find one in another city. What they get, well....he isn't quite a hero. However Tansy brings out the best in him, and they save the day. Sound like your typical fairy tale? You are correct. It's absolute perfection. For me, the one thing that was missing was just length. I really wanted to know more.

I think the humor in this book is well placed, albeit a little bit more geared toward young readers. I giggled at the anachronistic way a young boy yelled "Cool!" in one the panels. I think this is a perfect graphic novel for middle grade students who are trying to branch out. There is very mild fantasy violence, and it is such a positive story. show less

I've been intrigued by this book ever since I laid eyes on it's gorgeous cover. Who doesn't want to be seen reading a book with this bad girl on the cover? I felt instantly cool, just by association. Prolific and popular Jane Yolen teams up with her daughter to enlighten and inform a new generation of readers about the escapades and lives of some of history's most notorious bad girls, from Cleopatra to Bonnie (of Clyde fame). I like the range of characters they explore and the two or three show more pages of lively writing that accompany these femme fatales: enough to inform readers and to whet appetites for more, should you choose. Interspersed between chapters is an interesting twist: a dialogue between Jane and her daughter, in graphic novel format, discussing the merits of each of the bad girls, always going back to context. They are also portrayed as hard-at-work researchers, whether at a musical, restaurant, or shoe-store (all for the sake of research, right?) Were these women victims of circumstances or knowing vixens of evil? Are they misunderstood or simply misanthropic? While some reviews found these little narrative vignettes self-indulgent or frivolous, I didn't mind them at all. I'm not sure how younger readers will find them: they may simply gloss over them, but given the tantalizing pull of a graphic novel template, I doubt they will. This book may cause a stir, as well, given the glamorizing treatment these murderesses and thieves receive, but Yolen certainly does not gloss over the untimely and often gruesome ends most of these women endured. show less

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, & Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple is a hybrid nonfiction / graphic novel survey of women who have for one reason or another been deemed bad by history or culture.

The book opens with short summaries of Bible stories, presenting each one as a drawn portrait, a one or two page mini-biography, and a one page, multi-panel comic where the mother (Yolen) and daughter (Stemple) discuss the woman, questioning her show more portrayal. They also bring up any modern day lessons that might be drawn from her "crime."

The book then moves on to historical figures like Cleopatra, "Typhoid" Mary, and Mae West, for example. Between each of these essays the two authors travel the globe in search of some feminist truth, even if they rarely agree on whatever they've learned most recently.

As both a Jane Yolen aficionado, and a graphic novel reader, I loved this unusual hybrid. I think it will be a good place to start my own dialog on gender roles and feminism with my children. show less