Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford

by Carla Kaplan

Overview

Troublemaker 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.

Who 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. As 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. Decca 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. Mining 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061578946
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/25/2025
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

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 has published seven books, including Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters and Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance, both New York Times Notable Books. A recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities “Public Scholar” fellowships, 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, is a fellow of the Society of American Historians, and serves on the board of Biographers International. She divides her time between Boston and Cape Cod.

Editorial Reviews

Packed with amazing life stories . . . . [A] fascinating book.” — NPR's "Fresh Air"

“Kaplan always writes from inside her characters, and with a novelist’s sense of scope—and 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 culture—and life—in Harlem in the 1920s and ‘30s. . . . Captivating.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Kaplan’s 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

From the Publisher