Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (A Love Story)

Ages 14 to 18

A groundbreaking biography about political activist Emma Goldman from multi-award-winning "nonfiction maestro" (Horn Book) Deborah Heiligman, Loudmouth is a propulsively-told story about a woman passionate about workers' rights, the promise of equality, and free love.

Emma Goldman made trouble her whole life. The first time was by accident. Her birth (in Lithuania, in 1869) angered her father. He had wanted a dutiful son, not a headstrong daughter. The other times were on purpose. When she arrived in America as a young woman, she loved its democratic ideals but was appalled by its hypocrisy. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness seemed to be only for those at the top. Something had to be done for everyone else. Someone had to speak up. Soon Emma was delivering rousing speeches on topics like workers’ rights, feminism, and the atrocities of capitalism.

This is the story of Emma’s complex love affair with America. It’s also the story of her many romances with the men she met while trying to change America. Emma believed marriage was disempowering to women and lived her life according to the principles of free love.

Emma called herself an anarchist and a freethinker. Her critics called her a troublemaker, a “loudmouth.” But sometimes you need to be loud, if you want your voice to be heard.

Deborah Heiligman is a National Book Award finalist, a YALSA Nonfiction Award winner, and a Printz Honor winner. In Loudmouth she tells the extraordinary true story of a woman who was a fearsome fighter for change in her complicated new country—and a complicated human being in her own right. Propulsive and inspiring, this is an essential read for young people—or for anyone—who wants to use their voice to make the world a better place.

About the Author

Deborah Heiligman has written many books for children and young adults, including Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of “The Children’s Ship”, a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award finalist and Golden Kite winner; Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, a Michael L. Printz Honor winner, YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award winner, Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner, and Golden Kite winner; and Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, a National Book Award finalist, Michael L. Printz Honor winner, and YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award winner. She lives with her husband and dog in New York City. deborahheiligman.com