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SUMMARY:Concord Festival of Authors: Carla Kaplan\, Author of Troublemaker
DESCRIPTION:Join Carla Kaplan for a discussion of her newest book Troublemaker: the Fierce\, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford. \nTroublemaker tells the wild and unlikely story of Jessica Mitford\, fifth of the six famous Mitford Girls\, a British aristocrat-turned-American Communist\, famous for exposés like The American Way of Death; this biography brings her astonishing self-transformation to life with a riveting\, often hilarious account of trading wealth and status for a life of radical activism. \nWho could predict that a British aristocrat would so energize American antifascist and civil rights struggles that Time magazine would crown her “Queen of the Muckrakers”? Jessica Mitford\, always known as Decca\, was brought up by an eccentric English family to marry well and reproduce her wealth and privilege\, not to advocate for the rights of others. Her beautiful sisters have been subjects of books and movies dedicated to their naughty\, glamorous lives. Decca ran away to America to forge a rebel’s life. \nAs this richly researched book details\, Decca broke the Mitford mold. Instead of settling for life as a professional Beauty\, she fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War\, became an American Communist and pioneered witty\, hugely popular journalism\, including her 1963 blockbuster The American Way of Death. \nDecca dedicated her life to social justice and proved herself an immensely effective ally\, but she also injected laughter into all her political work\, annoying some activists with her relentless antics but encouraging many others to find joy in the struggle. From famed baby doctor Benjamin Spock to best friend Maya Angelou\, her anti-authoritarian irreverence had a profound impact on American culture. \nMining extensive\, untapped sources\, and with nearly fifty new interviews\, Kaplan’s passionate biography beautifully illuminates how Decca’s hard-won and self-taught social empathy offers a powerful example of female freedom\, the dramatic\, novelistic story of an extraordinary woman of her time who is remarkably relevant and resonant today. \nBio: Carla Kaplan is the Davis Distinguished Professor of American Literature at Northeastern University. She has published seven books\, including Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance and Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters—both New York Times Notable Books—and has written for such publications as The Los Angeles Times\, The New York Times\, Slate\, andThe Nation. \nKaplan has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities \, among others. She serves on the board of Biographers International Organization and isa Society of American Historians Fellow. Kaplan earned her PhD in English from Northwestern University. She divides her time between Boston and Cape Cod. \nFor more information\, please visit https://carlakaplan.com/. \nTo learn more about the Concord Festival of Authors\, please visit www.concordfestivalofauthors.org.
URL:https://www.livingconcord.com/event/concord-festival-of-authors-carla-kaplan-author-of-troublemaker/
LOCATION:Concord Free Public Library\, 129 Main Street\, Concord\, MA\, 01742\, United States
CATEGORIES:Adult,Author Visit,Library Event
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