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Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America: A Love Story
CCBC Review:
This luminous biography of Jewish activist and anarchist Emma Goldman spotlights her turn-of-the-century activism while highlighting contemporary issues. A tumultuous early life in Lithuania and St. Petersburg included beatings by her father, an experience that solidified her independent spirit and resistance of authority. Smart, curious, and a seeker of art and culture, Goldman arrived in the U.S. in 1885, already intrigued by the radical political ideals of anarchy. A short-lived marriage cemented Emma’s citizenship and her commitment to free love. Moving to New York City as a single seamstress, she met famous anarchist Johann Most and began moving in activist circles. She also met Alexander “Sasha” Berkman and his cousin, Modest, two men who became her lifelong friends and on-again/off-again lovers. The trio pursued many political issues together, but the Homestead steel strike hardened their anarchistic beliefs. Convinced that Henry Clay Frick, Andrew Carnegie’s chief negotiator in Homestead, must die, Sasha carried out an attempted assassination. Emma’s fateful connection to Sasha and her brief citizenship-granting marriage trailed her throughout her life, ultimately serving as proof of her status as a public enemy of the United States. Heiligman’s engaging profile depicts an imperfect activist ahead of her time. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats:
Biography, Autobiography and Memoir
Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects:
19th Century
Activism and Resistance
Economic Privilege
Girls and Women
Independence/Self-Reliance
Jewish People
Lithuanians and Lithuanian Americans
Oppression
Police Violence
Politics and Political Systems
Russians and Russian Americans
Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
Sexuality
U.S. History
Work and Labor
Diversity subject:
Jewish
On CCBC Booklist:
Youth and Incarceration: Big Emotions, Personal Accounts, and Familial Experiences
Publishers:
Farrar Straus Giroux, Macmillan
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 326
ISBN: 9781250823076
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Goldman