Support us and More Banana Podcasts!Ride or die listeners will remember Marm Mandelbaum, the godmother of American scammers from our very first episode. But Marm wasn’t the only boss lady at her school for aspiring thieves. She couldn’t have done it without her second-in-command Sophie Lyons and, well, Sophie lived a wild one. She went from hardcore con artist to radically progressive do-gooder over the course of a truly unique life. One day she was snagging pocket watches, and the next she was building supportive housing for disadvantaged youth. (Ok it wasn’t really that quick, but it was still a huge change.) We’re joined by Barbara Gray, former director of news research at the New York Times (!!!), and Chief Librarian/ Associate Professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. She just happens to be writing a biography of our dear Sophie. Prick someone with a pin, grab a cup of tea, and cosy up as Barbara reveals the complexity and contradiction inside this criminal-turned-philanthropist life’s story. https://twitter.com/barbgray https://www.journalism.cuny.edu/faculty/barbara-gray/ DISCLAIMER: We are comedians and this is satire. C’mon. This episode was recorded at More Banana’s Kill Room Studios in New York City and Sue’s House in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices