The Queen - Josh Levin

An investigation into the life of Linda Taylor, the Chicago woman who became infamous in 1970s America as the so-called “welfare queen”. In 1974, Taylor reported a burglary involving stolen furs and jewellery, but police uncovered a much larger history of welfare fraud, deception and criminal allegations. Her story was subsequently seized upon by politicians and the media, becoming a powerful symbol in debates about welfare dependency and public spending. Josh Levin's extensively researched account examines Taylor's criminal history, the media frenzy surrounding her case and the racial politics behind the creation of the welfare queen stereotype. Combining true crime, social history and political journalism, the book explores how one woman's story became a lasting piece of American political mythology.