Women Out of Control: How the Girls Next Door Became Some of the World's Most Notorious Criminals

by Linda G. Stunell

Lorena Bobbitt, Karla Homolka, Pamela Smart, Mary Letourneau, and Karla Faye Tucker — their names are recognized internationally and their stories continue to grab the headlines. How could these attractive, feminine, girl-next-door stereotypes be capable of such crimes as rape, torture and sexual assault? Women Out of Control details the continuing story of these convicted women — their sex crimes, their excuses, their dramatic lives, and their twisted notions of love. Supported by court transcripts, research studies, psychiatric reports and expert opinions, Linda Stunell's extraordinary book dares to tell the truth about female sex crimes and female sexuality. It exposes the myths about love, power, and gender differences, and reveals how the media hype results in making celebrity superstars out of attractive women criminals. Stunell, a certified clinical hypnotherapist and sex counselor, takes the reader on a fascinating journey inside the minds of women who lost control and committed sexual crimes that seem completely at odds with their nature and appearance — and who became some of the world's most notorious female criminals.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2006

Reviews

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, for a crime book I expect to be lied to the pages this was well written but too easy to put down and forget about. Although it is the perfect book to read if ou want to stop and start

[biblioceraptor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tampa x American Psycho (feat. incest and BDSM) #RvBrown
So it's a bit awkward that I read this on someone's recommendation. *makes wrist-slitting motion*
'Ooh but Eunice, you're usually SO GOOD at finding sicko books like this on your own accord,' I hear you say. 'But this sounds like it's right up your alley.'
yeahhh ... Shut it. haha

This was definitely an interesting read. In the first couple of case examples, I felt like the defendant wasn't really a female sex offender. Her behaviour could be rationalised, like, y'know, it was self-defence (battered woman syndrome), or it was consensual and not manipulative (like in Tampa - consent is present, but it's still statutory rape. Except unlike Tampa, there didn't seem to be that element of being predatory or manipulative). But as the case examples continued, they got progressively worse. Like, yes she is a psycho. Yes she got what she deserved. And sometimes, no, she didn't get what she deserved. She got away with it, on a lighter conviction! BECAUSE SHE IS FEMALE and therefore the media and everyone else rationalised her 'UNFEMININE BEHAVIOUR' by blaming it on the 'coercion' of a man etc. - so, similar themes and issues as those explored in Tampa. And this is where the book becomes interesting. It's not just about documenting the crazy shit some psychopath got up to - it's also a commentary on gender bias and feminism. There's some fascinating stuff near the end about how the (American) definition of rape doesn't seem to acknowledge that a female could be a rapist, or that it is possible for a husband to rape his wife, or that sexual assault can be anything other than vaginal penetration by a penis (thank fuck the WA Criminal Code is past that!). It also talks about how by thinking of females as the weaker sex, who are the ones that are always the victim, we as a society:
1. are shocked when a female either
1.1 defends herself and injures her attacker, or
1.2 is the attacker;
and
2. Make it harder for men who are the victims to come forward, which results in female sex offenders going unpunished;
and
3. Make it sound like it's 'the norm' when a male sexually assaults a female, instead of condemning his disgusting behaviour, yet when a female is the sex offender, there is so much media hype and sensationalism over her actions.

The writing in this book felt a bit essay-ish and amateurish (in fact it felt a bit like my own writing - like when I'm all-nighting an assignment or smashing out an article for the Pelican the day it is due).
Some of the ideas/explanations/reasons the author gave for the motives of the sex offenders weren't very well substantiated and I felt like I had to take it with a pinch of salt. Like the way the author sometimes uses 'feminism' to mean hyper-feminism or misandry.

So read this if: you're interested in criminal law and criminology, feminism, and have a reasonably- strong stomach
Read this with: Tampa and disinfectant

[Meghan Portillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book four stars instead of five because I wish the chapters had been longer and because I almost didn't read the book after trying to get through the introduction, which struck me as a bit feminazi; so if you can get through the first 17 pages of why men react the way they do to the empowerment of women, it's great reading (although, she did offer a couple of interesting insights into why "Thelma and Louise" made so many people nervous).

I am a fan of true crime and I am especially interested in women who commit violent crimes, but I have somehow managed to avoid reading up on the women profiled in this book (Lorena Bobbitt, Karla Homolka, Pamela Smart, Mary Letourneau and Karla Faye Tucker), so I grabbed the book.

Linda Stunell does not hold back. I love her no-holds-barred writing style that is almost tongue in cheek at times, but for the fact that her choice of words is flippantly confrontational (that's the only way I can think of describe it, so hopefully I'm providing some reasoning as to why I loved her writing). She doesn't try to make excuses for these women or rationalize or try to decrease culpability. The way she portrays these women leaves no room for questionable accountability. She sticks with the facts and is unbiased.

I know that all one has to do to get information these days is type something into a Google search, but another thing I really liked about this book was the updates on the women, which you won't get by reading a lot of the trade paperbacks that came out shortly after the sensationalism died down. A couple of them are quite entertaining (like Mr. Bobbitt's life after his penis was reattached; or how Pamela Smart survived her first few years in prison) and surprising (like Mary Letourneau actually living happily every after with the boy she was convicted of raping; and when Karla Homolka was released from prison).

This is a quick read and great for someone who can't seem to sit down long enough to finish a chapter because all of the profiles are broken up into numerous sections.

[Ditshego Madopi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The female equivalent of having an erection is being vaginally lubricated but a man can't use the female equivalent excuse against a rape charge by saying, 'Yes your Honour, she did say no, but she was lubricated, so obviously she wanted it and therefore it isn't rape.'" (pg 198)

I was intrigued by the title of this book because one seldom pictures women when thinking about molesters, rapists and sex offenders. When I initially started reading, I was a little disappointed in the writing style - it seemed flimsy and almost too casual for the subject matter. As I progressed through the book though, I encountered less of this and I felt content when psychology, criminology and gender role issues where better discussed. This is saved for the end after reading about the cases Stunell presents so that the ideas are better understood and related to.

An easy but though provoking read that includes the suggestion that as modern women progresses in the ranks of the world, so will the crimes being committed by them.

[Bettina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely ridiculous book - one of the few I've ever put down to stop reading. The narration of the cases is completely biased and sentimental, mixes fact and fiction without distinguishing between them clearly and superimposes a faux feminist narrative that is pretty offensive, without bothering to look at the actual women's motives.
Probably because the book was too preoccupied with trying to explain how physically attractive women can commit criminal offences, which really seems mind-blowing to the author.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How could these attractive, feminine, girl-next-door stereotypes be capable of such crimes as rape, torture and sexual assault?"

good old fashioned exploitation. and she includes a picture of john bobbitt's severed penis. eww.

[Tamina Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

very good factually but very biased with feminine hate