Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford

(Hardback)

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This biography of Jessica Mitford, fifth of the six famous Mitford Girls, tells the wild and unlikely story of a British aristocrat who became an American Communist, bringing her astonishing self-transformation to life with a riveting, often hilarious, account of trading wealth and status for a life of radical activism.

Who could predict that a British aristocrat would so energize American antiwar and civil rights struggles thatTimemagazine would crown her Queen of the MuckrakersJessica Mitford, fifth of the six famous Mitford Girls, was brought up by an eccentric English family to marry well and reproduce her wealth and privilege, not to advocate for the less advantaged. Her five beautiful sisters have been subjects of books and movies dedicated to their naughty, glamorous lives.Jessicaknown as Deccaran away to America to forge a wilder rebels life. As this richly researched book details, Decca broke the Mitford moldfighting fascism in the Spanish Civil War, becoming an American Communist and pioneering witty, wildly popular journalism, including her blockbusterThe American Way of Death, placing her at the heart of social justice battles. Decca relentlessly injected laughter into her politics, encouraging the activists she influenced to do likewise.From famed baby doctor Benjamin Spock to best friend Maya Angelou, her anti-authoritarian irreverence had a profound impact on American culture. Mining extensive, untapped sources, Kaplans passionate biography of an unlikely life demonstrates that Deccas social empathy was hard-won and self-taught, a model with particular relevance today and a powerful, modern example of female adventure and freedom.

Reviews

Packed with amazing life stories . . . . [A] fascinating book. NPR's "Fresh Air" Kaplan always writes from inside her characters, and with a novelists sense of scopeand compassion. Hilton Als, The New Yorker [A] remarkable work of historical recovery . . . full of fresh discoveries. New York Times Book Review An empathetic and skillful writer, Kaplan . . . shares the previously untold story of a group of notable white women who embraced black cultureand lifein Harlem in the 1920s and 30s. . . . Captivating. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Kaplans meticulously documented and intrepid history of Miss Anne encompasses a unique vantage on the complexities of race and gender and a dramatic study in paradox. Booklist (starred review) Richly researched . . . thoughtful. Boston Globe [A] clear-sighted, empathetic assessment. [Kaplan] delivers a wonderfully complex series of portraits. Daily Beast An intriguing slice of long-overlooked American history. Christian Science Monitor

Author Bio

Carla Kaplan is an award-winning professor and writer who holds the Stanton W. and Elisabeth K. Davis Distinguished Professorship in American Literature at Northeastern University. She is the author of The Erotics of Talk and Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters. A recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, Kaplan has been a fellow in residence at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the W. E. B. DuBois Institute and is a fellow of the Society of American Historians.