Description:
Weaving together Flynn's personal and political life, this biography reveals previously unrecognized connections between feminism, socialism, free love, and free speech. Flynn's remarkable career casts new light on the long and varied history of radicalism in the United States.
Review Quotes: Praise for "Elizabeth Gurley Flynn"
"Vapnek s engrossing account of the life of America s best known radical woman lucidly demonstrates how Flynn negotiated the contradiction between her loyalty to the Communist Party and her insistence on free speech and civil liberties for all Americans. This is a brilliantly evocative story of a life that continues to speak to the tension between dissent and democracy."
Alice Kessler-Harris, author of "A Difficult Woman: The Challenging Life and Times of Lillian Hellman"
"Vapnek beautifully weaves together the important political issues of the Twentieth Century. Whether it s world war, labor, radicalism, feminism, race relations, socialism, or immigration, the story of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn makes these big intangible themes come to life."
Rosanne M. Barker, Associate Professor, Department of History, Sam Houston State University
"An engaging and accessible account of the life and career of a genuine American radical."
Mary Anne Trasciatti, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, School of Communication, Hofstra University
Biography of an important early-20th-century labor and human rights activist known as the East Side Joan of Arc, now sadly neglected. . . A brief encapsulation of the fury and disillusionment that characterized the career of this significant American activist. "Kirkus"
"In a lucid, eloquent study, Vapnek makes Flynn s long career the centerpiece of a compulsively readable narrative history of radicalism, socialism, and labor politics in the Unites States during the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. . . . Vapnek s clear, effective biography has helped to make the 'rebel girl' relevant anew. "Labor: Studies In Working Class History of the Americas"
Praise for the Lives of American Women series
"Finally! The majority of studentsby which I mean womenwill have the opportunity to read biographies of women from our nation s past. (Men can read them too, of course!) The Lives of American Women series features an eclectic collection of books, readily accessible to students who will be able to see the contributions of women in many fields over the course of our history. Long overdue, these books will be a valuable resource for teachers, students, and the public at large."
Cokie Roberts, author of "Founding Mothers" and "Ladies of Liberty"
"Just what any professor wants: books that will intrigue, inform, and fascinate students! These short, readable biographies of American womenspecifically designed for classroom usegive instructors an appealing new option to assign to their history students."
Mary Beth Norton, Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History, Cornell University
"For educators keen to include women in the American story, but hampered by the lack of thoughtful, concise scholarship, here comes Lives of American Women, embracing Abigail Adams s counsel to Johnremember the ladies. And high time, too!"
Lesley S. Herrmann, Executive Director, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
"These books are, above all, fascinating stories that will engage and inspire readers. They offer a glimpse into the lives of key women in history who either defied tradition or who successfully maneuvered in a man s world to make an impact. The stories of these vital contributors to American history deliver just the right formula for instructors looking to provide a more complicated and nuanced view of history."
Rosanne Lichatin, 2005 Gilder Lehrman Preserve America History Teacher of the Year
"Students both in the general survey course and in specialized offerings like my course on U.S. women s history can get a great understanding of an era from a short biography. Learning a lot about a single but complex character really helps to deepen appreciation of what women s lives were like in the past."
Patricia Cline Cohen, University of California, Santa Barbara
"Biographies are, indeed, back. Not only will students read them, biographies provide an easy way to demonstrate particularly important historical themes or ideas. . . . Undergraduate readers will be challenged to think more deeply about what it means to be a woman, citizen, and political actor. . . . I am eager to use this in my undergraduate survey and specialty course."
Jennifer Thigpen, Washington State University, Pullman
"The Lives of American Women authors raise all of the big issues I want my classes to confrontand deftly fold their arguments into riveting narratives that maintain students excitement."
Woody Holton, author of "Abigail Adams""