Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story Of Bonnie And Clyde (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
This is the real story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker that effectively dispels the glamorous depictions of them in the famous Beatty/Dunaway film. In fact, after reading this book, the liberties that the filmmakers took become quite glaring. Just about every fact is documented here - what they drove, where they slept, what they ate, etc. Their routes are traced as they hopped from one Midwestern state to another, stealing cars, grocery stores, service stations and an occasional bank. Their accomplices come and go as Clyde and Bonnie always made their way back home to Dallas to visit their beloved family. Very detailed and exhaustive - sometimes the details are repetitive (Bonnie did NOT smoke cigars, a fact that is repeated too many times), but all the details are worth it and this will probably go down as the definitive account of Bonnie and Clyde. Kudos to the author for great research and for so many details. At times, these details bog the story down and made it feel a little tedious following Bonnie and Clyde's every step. However, the book gave a great sense of what Bonnie and Clyde willingly sacrificed by choosing a life of crime and the accompanying fame. It got a little depressing reading about people with no moral compass whatsoever, no peace, no joy from doing what is right, no love or respect for fellow man and his property. But, the author does manage to show the redeeming qualities in the main characters. I particularly like the story about one bank robbery where Clyde initially took money from a customer who had just cashed a check but then gave it to the man on their way out telling him they didn't want his hard earned money, just the banks. In some respects Bonnie and Clyde were very generous with their families and even with law enforcement agents they held captive for a time. Clyde didn't want to or have an insatiable violent need to pull the trigger if it wasn't necessary. I feel like I have a solid sense of who Bonnie and Clyde were as individuals and their motives for their two+ year crime spree. Such tragic lives during a difficult time in history.
What do You think about Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story Of Bonnie And Clyde (2009)?
This was such a fantastic book! Very insightful, extremely well researched and so well written!
—Areeba
I loved this history of Bonnie and Clyde.
—getimran99
