Joe the Pirate

Marion Barbara Carstairs—"Joe" to her friends—began a life of adventure soon after her birth in 1900, when a camel accident gave her the spark of inspiration to change her name to Tuffy. Joe was an adrenaline junkie who drove an ambulance in the First World War, piloted speedboats into history as "the fastest woman on water," flew an airplane through a hurricane, and battled crocodiles. Her love life was no less whirlwind. "I came out of the womb queer," she said, preferring suits and ties over dresses, and enjoying affairs with Gwen Farrar, Dolly Wilde, Marlene Dietrich, and Tallulah Bankhead among countless other women. Her longest acquaintance was Tod Wadley, a doll who was her muse, companion, and reflection. With him, she governed the Caribbean island of Big Whale Cay for forty years, living her extraordinary windswept life of romance and speed through every twist and turn of the 20th century. Joe the Pirate brings these thrilling episodes of history to life with vivid artwork and a wryly subversive critique of the jet set; a tale of adventure, danger, and passion for our time.