My Life with Bonnie and Clyde

By: Blanche Caldwell Barrow

Narrated by: Valerie Gilbert

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.

©2004 Esther L. Weiser and John Neal Phillips (P)2014 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Highly recommended.” ( Library Journal)

WOW! Amazing

To hear the words & events of how Blanche Barrow lived with the gang is unbelievable. How she survived was an act of God. This book is a must if you're fascinated by depression era gangsters, no Hollywood spin just raw & vivid.

A Few Stumbling Blocks, but a Worthwhile Listen

I was surprised to learn that Blanche Barrow didn't spend the remainder of her life in prison. This read fills in the gaps that the Hollywood film "Bonnie and Clyde" left out, and it rounded out the characters, especially that of Blanche who, in my opinion, was portrayed as one-dimensional and silly by the Hollywood movie. The fact that Blanche was consulted for the film paints her in a different light. As I listened, I felt tension and frustration that Blanche found herself unable to leave Buck Barrow, even when she found herself caught in the downward spiral of his involvement in Clyde Barrow's criminal schemes. It is a cautionary tale for women who love bad men.
On the negative side, the author took lengthy breaks from the story to describe newspaper headlines and period history. I often felt as if she should just get on with the story. Then, there is the narrator, who sounded as if she was reading to a class of kindergarten students; she read without much passion, e-nun-ci-a-ting e-ver-y word. I don't know the origin of the narrator, but as someone who has lived in the region where the Barrows lived, her Texas accent didn't sound credible. Once you can get past these two stumbling blocks, the story is very good

Great story

This book holds so much information I did not know about. You will enjoy it.

great book

Very interesting book to hear by someone who was actually there. Glad she kept a record of the events.

Sorta boring - horrible narrator

The story is only so - so in my opinion. I think it might have been better if the narrator was not so annoying with how she mispronounced words- even common everyday words
When she would say penitentiary I would have to grit my teeth - I have never heard it pronounced the way this narrator says in the book.
Overall the story was interesting only in the fact that this was a first hand account of the Barrow gang. But there are other excellent books out there about Bonnie and Clyde and their gang that is well written and researched and I would recommend if you are interested to listen to one of those and save your money on this one