Bad Girls

Now in paperback, Plt;IPgt;Bad GirlsPlt;/IPgt; presents twenty-six of historyP#39;s most notorious women together in one volume, begging readers to answer the question if these notable females are really bad, or did history just give them a bad rap?From Jezebel to Catherine the Great, from Cleopatra to Mae West, from Mata Hari to Bonnie Parker, strong women have been a problem for historians, storytellers, and readers. Strong females smack of the unfeminine. They have been called wicked, wanton, and willful. Sometimes that is a just designation, but just as often it is not. Pquot;Well-behaved women seldom make history,Pquot; is the frequently quoted statement by historian and feminist Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. But what makes these misbehaving women Pquot;badPquot;? Are we idolizing the wicked or salvaging the strong?Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;In BAD GIRLS, readers meet twenty-six of historyP#8217;s most notorious women, each with a rotten reputation. But authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple remind us that there are two sides to every story. Was Delilah a harlot or hero? Was Catherine the Great a great ruler, or just plain ruthless? At the end of each chapter, Yolen and Stemple appear as themselves in comic panels as they debate each girlP#8217;s badnessP#8212;Heidi as the prosecution, Jane for context.Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;This unique and sassy examination of famed, female historical figures will engage readers with its unusual presentation of the subject matter. Heidi and JaneP#8217;s strong arguments for the innocence and guilt of each bad girl promotes the practice of critical thinking as well as the idea that history is subjective. Rebecca GuayP#8217;s detailed illustrations provide a rich, stylized portrait of each woman, while the inclusion of comic panels will resonate with fans of graphic novels.