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Pistols and Petticoats
Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction | Erika Janik
11 posts | 3 read | 1 reading | 37 to read
A lively exploration of the struggles faced by women in law enforcement and mystery fiction for the past 175 years In 1910, Alice Wells took the oath to join the all-male Los Angeles Police Department. She wore no uniform, carried no weapon, and kept her badge stuffed in her pocketbook. She wasnt the first or only policewoman, but she became the movements most visible voice. Police work from its very beginning was considered a male domain, far too dangerous and rough for a respectable woman to even contemplate doing, much less take on as a profession. A policewoman worked outside the home, walking dangerous city streets late at night to confront burglars, drunks, scam artists, and prostitutes. To solve crimes, she observed, collected evidence, and used reason and logictraits typically associated with men. And most controversially of all, she had a purpose separate from her husband, children, and home. Women who donned the badge faced harassment and discrimination. It would take more than seventy years for women to enter the force as full-fledged officers. Yet within the covers of popular fiction, women not only wrote mysteries but also created female characters that handily solved crimes. Smart, independent, and courageous, these nineteenth- and early twentieth-century female sleuths (including a healthy number created by male writers) set the stage for Agatha Christies Miss Marple, Sara Paretskys V. I. Warshawski, Patricia Cornwells Kay Scarpetta, and Sue Graftons Kinsey Millhone, as well as TV detectives such as Prime Suspects Jane Tennison and Law and Orders Olivia Benson. The authors were not amateurs dabbling in detection but professional writers who helped define the genre and competed with men, often to greater success. Pistols and Petticoats tells the story of womens very early place in crime fiction and their public crusade to transform policing. Whether real or fictional, investigating women were nearly always at odds with society. Most women refused to let that stop them, paving the way to a modern professional life for women on the force and in popular culture.
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2BR02B
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Another Saturday, another #librarysale. See anything good?

Sophoclessweetheart The Sparrow and Star Touched Queen are supposed to be great x 6y
TheLibrarian I enjoyed Legend and have heard great things about The Essex Serpent. 6y
Erinsuereads I‘ve been looking for pistols and petticoats for forever!! 6y
See All 13 Comments
silentrequiem Oooh nice haul! 6y
ErikasMindfulShelf Rules of Civility is excellent 6y
AmyG What @irre said 6y
Soubhiville The Sparrow!!! One of my very favorites! 6y
Rachellynnwright I just started The Essex Serpent and I‘m liking it so far! 6y
2BR02B @Sorceryandswords @Soubhiville The Sparrow is one of two in the stack I've already read. Loved it, and had to own my own copy. ❤ 6y
2BR02B @TheLibrarian I really liked Warcross, so I'm happy to have another Lu book on hand the next time I'm in a YA sci fi mood. 6y
2BR02B @ErinSueG I picked that one up for my mom. She adores historical mysteries, especially when there's a female sleuth involved. 6y
2BR02B @irre @AmyG I also own A Gentleman in Moscow, and I'm not sue which I want to tackle first. 6y
2BR02B @Rachellynnwright it sounds like a great summer read! 6y
64 likes1 stack add13 comments
review
Kangaj1
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Pickpick

I finally finished this, after months of reading little bits at a time. So much research included. I finally dove in today and read the last few chapters. I met Erika at a local release party for this book.
Also finished this weekend: I See You, Jane Eyre, and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1.

55 likes6 stack adds
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emilyesears
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This year I'm doing 5 reading challenges (including #LitsyAtoZ). Today, while procrastinating on homework, I counted up all the prompts I have left to do. I determined that if I read a book for each prompt, I'd need to read 46 books. That'd be 73 books for the year with the ones I've already read. So I upped my GR goal to 75 books and now pretty much have a TBR for the rest of 2017. But I still need to do my homework! (This book is my #LetterP.)

tpixie Good luck!!🍀 8y
DrexEdit I was just totaling up what I've read for my challenges already and it's going to be down to the wire to finish them all by the end of the year. I must love a challenge! 😊 😨 8y
emilyesears @DrexEdit Hope you managed to make good progress!!! 7y
See All 7 Comments
emilyesears @tpixie Thank you! I ended up bumping my goal to 90 books and I only need to read 2 more books for all my challenges so I ended up doing ok! 😃 7y
DrexEdit @emilyesears thanks! I did manage to finish all my challenges and early! The challenge now is finding time to post about it! ⏰ 7y
tpixie @emilyesears amazing!!! 7y
tpixie @DrexEdit WOot!! 7y
22 likes1 stack add7 comments
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Kangaj1
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#readjanuary #page24ofcurrentread

I actually just finished this chapter and realized p. 24 was part of it! So fascinating to look at the history of female detectives IRL up against what was happening in literature at the time.

23 likes1 stack add
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LibraryLydia
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I feel like I've been preparing my whole life to read this book

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Carol
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🔫Girl Waits with Gun🔫was stellar and jumping into this book directly after finishing GWWG was seamless. However I think I'm going to catch up on some comics this weekend before the first wave of fall publishing hits on Tuesday. This will be my pick up book in between.

66 likes14 stack adds
review
KarenaFagan
Pickpick

Mostly a well researched book would have liked to see more examples of WoC in detective roles, both in real life and on the page. Also would have liked to see examples from comics. Jessica Jones? Peggy Carter?

17 likes3 stack adds
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KarenaFagan
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Well thank goodness someone was there to protect those naïve women. Maybe stop the dudes instead? ?

JSW Woman = mother. Apparently. 8y
KarenaFagan Yeah they go on about that. Smh 8y
12 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KarenaFagan
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A woman (Anna Katherine Green) created the first serial detective! Amazing.

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AmyStewart
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I am so wildly excited about this book!

BookishFeminist This looks like such a fascinating read! Looking forward to seeing your thoughts. 8y
Paperbackprincess1 My great grandmother Bernice wrote pulp mysteries. She wrote under her maiden name, Bernice Carey, because she was blacklisted in the 50's! If she's in there, raise a glass to her for me! 8y
AmyStewart She's not in the index, sadly... 8y
9 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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Kangaj1
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Got to see Erika speak tonight at our local bookstore. So excited to read this!