The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
'The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper' by author Hallie Rubenhold delves into the forgotten stories of the five victims of Jack the Ripper. It challenges the common narrative that these women were all prostitutes, revealing their diverse backgrounds and the societal circumstances that led them to their tragic fates. Through meticulous research, the author humanizes these women, portraying them as daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, and lovers, rather than mere victims of a notorious killer. Rubenhold's narrative skillfully reconstructs the lives of these women, shedding light on the harsh realities faced by working-class women in Victorian England.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include descriptions of poverty, alcoholism, domestic abuse, and violence against women.
From The Publisher:
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and of the Goodreads Choice Award for History & Biography
The award-winning, best-selling book that changes the narrative of the "Ripper" murders forever
Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine, and Mary Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from some of London's wealthiest and poorest neighborhoods, from the factory towns of middle England, and from Wales and Sweden. They wrote ballads, ran coffeehouses, lived on country estates; they breathed ink dust from printing presses and escaped human traffickers.
What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. The person responsible was never identified, but the character created by the press to fill that gap has become far more famous than any of these five women. Now, in this gripping narrative of five lives, Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight and gives these women back their stories.
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1 comment(s)
I have been interested in the Jack the ripdr case for many many years and I have been so excited to read this book since I've first heard about it. I got so happy when I accidentally stumbled across it when I worked at the library one day. This book was definitely needed. So much have been written and talked about the case and while I have read books where they do talk about the victims in a more sensitive and good way, this book was the best I've read yet in talking about the victims. It was very informative and always highly intruging and interesting to read and I would love to read another non fiction book by Hallie Rubenhold if she does!
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About the Author:
HALLIE RUBENHOLD is a social historian whose expertise lies in rediscovering the stories of previously unknown women and episodes in history. The Five is the first full-length biography of the victims of Jack the Ripper to be published since 1888. By drawing upon a wealth of previously unseen archival material and adding a much-needed historical context to the victims' lives, The Five promises to change the narrative of these murders forever.
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