The Bag Lady Papers, Part I Last Thursday at around 5 p.m., I had just checked on a rising cheese soufflé in my oven when my best friend called. "Heard Madoff's been arrested,” she said.

Archive The Bag Lady's Papers, Part III Alexandra Penney—who lost her life savings in the Madoff scandal—takes a road trip to Florida to scrape together some cash.

“The Bag Lady Papers” came from those fears. Didn’t anybody warn you about the title? To me it was always about my bag lady fears. It’s a fear that men don’t have, by the way.

In her book "The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All," Penney recounts the horror she felt when her live savings slipped away and her struggle to pull out of the dive.

THE BAG LADY PAPERS: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All, by Alexandra Penney. Voice; 240 pages; $23.99. In a strange twist of sympathy, the collapse of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme provided… ...

Ms. ALEXANDRA PENNEY (Author, "Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing it All"): I'm delighted to be here, Neal. CONAN: And do you still wake up every morning at 4:00? Ms. PENNEY: I do.

The Bag Lady Papers By Alexandra Penney Hardcover, 240 pages Voice List price: $23.99 Read An Excerpt ...

The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All Alexandra Penney. Voice, $23.99 (220pp) ISBN 978-1-4013-4118-3 ...

On Dec. 10, 2008, Alexandra Penney, the former editor of Self and Glamour magazines, was enjoying a second career as a professional photographer and artist. She had financial security, the apartment ...

Alexandra Penney got burned by Bernie Madoff, losing her life's savings to the Pope of Ponzi. The loss triggered a fear in her that she might become a bag lady. At least she was in good company ...

BAG LADY PAPERS: THE PRICELESS EXPERIENCE OF LOSING IT ALL By Alexandra Penney Voice, $23.99, 240 pages REVIEWED BY CLAIRE HOPLEY As financial institutions cascaded into scandal and collapse at ...