My Life with Bonnie and Clyde

Blanche Caldwell Barrow

Oct 2012 · University of Oklahoma Press

About this eBook

Bonnie and Clyde were responsible for multiple murders and countless robberies. But they did not act alone. In 1933, during their infamous run from the law, Bonnie and Clyde were joined by Clyde’s brother Buck Barrow and his wife Blanche. Of these four accomplices, only one—Blanche Caldwell Barrow—lived beyond early adulthood and only Blanche left behind a written account of their escapades. Edited by outlaw expert John Neal Phillips, Blanche’s previously unknown memoir is here available for the first time.

Blanche wrote her memoir between 1933 and 1939, while serving time at the Missouri State Penitentiary. Following her death, Blanche’s good friend and the executor of her will, Esther L. Weiser, found the memoir wrapped in a large unused Christmas card. Later she entrusted it to Phillips, who had interviewed Blanche several times before her death. Drawing from these interviews, and from extensive research into Depression-era outlaw history, Phillips supplements the memoir with helpful notes and with biographical information about Blanche and her accomplices.

Ratings and reviews

A sad but equally fascinating account of the lives of Blanche, Buck, Bonnie, and Clyde. A very harsh era, reinforced by the apparent ease with which a trigger was pulled and lives were lost. I felt heavy-hearted for the innocent people who were going about their everyday lives until they encountered the gang. Blanche's book reveals the utter misery and loss of a life on the run. Shattered dreams and aspirations were stolen away by the Great Depression and a family who took matters into their own hands, regardless of who was hurt along the way. No winners, just a sad tale. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

About the author

Blanche Caldwell Barrow was the wife of Marvin "Buck" Barrow and the sister-in-law of Clyde Barrow. Buck and Blanche were part of the Barrow Gang from late March 1933 until their capture on July 24, 1933.

John Neal Phillips is a writer-photographer living in Dallas, Texas.