Bad Girls
The Rebels and Renegades of Holloway Prison
Format:Paperback
Publisher:John Murray Press
Published:21st Feb '19
Should be back in stock very soon
Caitlin Davies presents a compelling history of women in HM Prison Holloway, exploring their stories of crime, punishment, and resilience in Bad Girls.
In Bad Girls, Caitlin Davies delves into a century-long history of women, crime, and punishment at HM Prison Holloway. This exploration highlights the societal perceptions of rebellious women, who have often been deemed dangerous and unnatural. From the Victorian era onwards, these women were marginalized and imprisoned for defying norms, with many finding themselves in Holloway, which was the largest women's prison in Western Europe until its closure in 2016.
The narrative weaves together the stories of women from diverse backgrounds, including suffragettes, refugees, and socialites, each imprisoned for a range of offenses, from treason to seemingly trivial acts. Davies examines how the justice system has treated women who challenged societal expectations and how these women sought to resist and reclaim their narratives. Their stories are not just tales of victimization but also of bravery and resilience, illustrating the complexities of their lives and the injustices they faced.
Bad Girls serves as a poignant reminder of how disobedient women have shaped the prison system and, more broadly, the course of history. Davies's work is both insightful and thought-provoking, shedding light on the struggles of those who refused to be silenced. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, the book invites readers to reflect on the treatment of women in society and the enduring impact of their defiance.
Readable, compelling and illuminating * The Bookseller *
Caitlin Davies writes with warmth, empathy and humour about the women - some brave and rebellious - who spent time in Holloway Prison. Assiduously researched, Bad Girls documents interweaving struggles against prejudice, injustice, ignorance and poverty . . . the real history of Holloway is written in this insightful and thought-provoking book - which makes for a ripping good read * Jeremy Corbyn *
Davies's absorbing study serves up just enough sensationalism - and eccentricity - along with its serious inquiry . . . Davies captures the sense of camaraderie that blossomed inside Holloway, occasionally between warder and inmate . . . Davies uses the prison as a prism through which to chart changing attitudes to women over the past 164 years - beginning with the Victorian notion of "double deviance", which suggested that female criminals had broken not only the law of the land, but that of nature by committing "unwomanly" acts -- Helen Davies * SUNDAY TIMES *
It's such a great read . . . fascinating * Jo Good, BBC Radio London *
A rich, superbly researched, definitive history of Holloway Prison . . . There are so many heartbreaking stories within stories in the book' * The Herald *
Meticulously records a much-needed and balanced history of this home to "royalty and socialites, spies and prostitutes . . . Nazis and aliens, terrorists and freedom fighters" and thousands of very ordinary desperate women -- Yvonne Roberts * Observer *
Fascinating both for its portrait of larger-than-life women and the ways in which they were regarded by wide society during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries * History Revealed *
Offers many great tales of those who called the now-closed Holloway prison their home for either long or short stretches of time . . . comprehensive and much-needed . . . A hefty section of the book examines the place of the prison in the suffragette movement, a welcome addition to this year's centenary celebration of the women's right to vote . . . a must-read * Camden New Journal *
An enjoyable and enlightening read, which has much to recommend it * BBC History Magazine *
ISBN: 9781473647763
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 23mm
Weight: 277g
384 pages