Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
"Barbara Graham might have been a diabolical dame in a hard-boiled detective story--beautiful, sexy, and deadly. Charged alongside two male friends in the murder of an elderly widow during a botched robbery attempt, "Bloody Babs" became the third woman executed in California--after a 1953 trial that played out before standing-room-only crowds and captured the imaginations of journalists, filmmakers, and death penalty opponents. Why, Kathleen A. Cairns asks, of all the capital cases in the twentieth century, did Graham's have such political resonance and staying power? Leaving aside the question of guilt or innocence -- debated to this day -- the author examines how Graham's case became a touchstone in the ongoing debate over capital punishment. While prosecutors positioned accused women as femme fatales, the media came to offer a counternarrative for Graham's life highlighting her abusive and lonely beginnings. Cairns shows how Graham's case became crucial to the abolitionists of the time, who used instances of questionable guilt to raise awareness of the arbitrary and capricious nature of death penalty prosecutions. Critical in keeping capital punishment in the forefront of public consciousness until abolitionists homed in on a winning strategy, her case illustrates the power of individual stories to shape wider perceptions and ultimately public policies"--Provided by publisher.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Previews available in: English
Showing 1 featured edition. View all 1 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Proof of guilt: Barbara Graham and the politics of executing women in America
2013, University of Nebraska Press
in English
0803230095 9780803230095
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Table of Contents
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-204).
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?History
- Created July 18, 2019
- 8 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
September 10, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
July 27, 2023 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
March 8, 2023 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
December 21, 2022 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
July 18, 2019 | Created by MARC Bot | Imported from marc_openlibraries_sanfranciscopubliclibrary MARC record |