Description
Book Synopsis Intertwining the stories of three leading early twentieth century radical Americans, this book presents the enthralling tale of the too-short lives of Inez Milholland, Randolph Bourne, and John Reed. It highlights the movements and personal experiences that drew such privileged individuals to the American left, willing to sacrifice comfortable circumstances and opportunities.
As writers and activists, the trio became leading spokespersons for feminism, sexual liberation, unions, civil liberties, pacifism, internationalism, socialism, anarchism, and, in Reed''s case, communism. Challenging capitalism, patriarchy, and the nation-state, the independently-minded Milholland, Bourne, and Reed possessed a twofold commitment to personal liberation and community. With their early deaths, they left behind personal models for acting, living, and thinking afresh. One could say they became martyrs to the very movements they championed.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. Vassar Girl Suffragist
- 2. A Man of Letters
- 3. A Poet Singing Nothing but Joy
- 4. An American Renaissance
- 5. The Unanticipated Marriage
- 6. Thirteen Months in Europe
- 7. Riding with the Revolution
- 8. Keeping Faith with the Cause
- 9. The Lyrical Left's Response to World War I
- 10. Joining The New Republic
- 11. The Peace Crusade
- 12. The Eastern Front
- 13. The Death of a Feminist Martyr
- 14. Frustrated Love and Transnationalism
- 15. The Love of His Life
- 16. The War to Make the World Safe for Democracy
- 17. The Bolshevik Revolution
- 18. "America in 1918"
- 19. War's End
- 20. An American in Communist Russia
- 21. Three American Martyrs
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
