The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie RubenholdMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A hugely important book. The Jack the Ripper legend has become such a part of British culture, specifically London culture, that we have forgotten the five women he murdered were actual people. In this book, their stories are finally heard. Rubenhold argues that for too long they have been dismissed as "just prostitutes" and somehow were partly to blame for how their lives ended. In fact, according to Rubenhold, only Mary Kelly (the last canonical victim) was known to be working as a prostitute at the time of her death.
But, whether or not they were "ladies of the night", all of them had limited options from the moment they were born. If you were born poor and female, a life of drudgery and constant child bearing was the best you could hope for. As Rubenhold suggests, it's no wonder that all five women had some sort of drink problem. Furthermore, while they all made mistakes and could be seen as own worst enemies, they would have been judged much less harshly had they been men.
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