CARLA KAPLAN

I mean to live and die by my own mind, Zora Neale Hurston told the writer Countee Cullen. Arriving in Harlem in 1925 with little more than a dollar to her name, Hurston rose to become one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance, only to die in obscurity. Not until the 1970s was she rediscovered by Alice Walker and other admirers. Although Hurston has entered the pantheon as one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century, the true nature of her personality has proven elusive. Now, a brilliant, complicated and utterly arresting woman emerges from this landmark book. Carla Kaplan, a noted Hurston scholar, has found hundreds of revealing, previously unpublished letters for this definitive collection; she also provides extensive and illuminating commentary on Hurstons life and work, as well as an annotated glossary of the organizations and personalities that were important to it. From her enrollment at Baltimores Morgan Academy in 1917, to correspondence with Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Langston Hughes, Dorothy West and Alain Locke, to a final query letter to her publishers in 1959, Hurstons spirited correspondence offers an invaluable portrait of a remarkable, irrepressible talent.

Celebrated scholar Carla Kaplans cultural biography, Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance, focuses on white women, collectively called Miss Anne, who became Harlem Renaissance insiders. The 1920s in New York City was a time of freedom, experimentation, and passionwith Harlem at the epicenter. White men could go uptown to see jazz and modern dance, but women who embraced black culture too enthusiastically could be ostracized. Miss Anne in Harlem focuses on six of the unconventional, free-thinking women, some from Manhattan high society, many Jewish, who crossed race lines and defied social conventions to become a part of the culture and heartbeat of Harlem. Ethnic and gender studies professor Carla Kaplan brings the interracial history of the Harlem Renaissance to life with vivid prose, extensive research, and period photographs.This landmark work of American history uncovers the real stories behind the myth of "Miss Anne" and explores:Crossing the Color Line: Meet the six white womenincluding patrons, artists, and activistswho defied convention to become part of Harlems vibrant cultural scene. Race, Gender, and Identity: A deep dive into the complex identity politics of the 1920s, exploring why these women risked social ostracism to embrace black culture when it was most dangerous to do so. Patronage and Primitivism: Uncover the complicated dynamics between white patrons and black artists, and how the search for the "primitive" shaped the art and relationships of the New Negro movement. Meticulously Researched Narrative: Based on years of archival research, this essential work of African American studies brings a forgotten chapter of the Jazz Age to life with vivid detail and period photographs.

I mean to live and die by my own mind, Zora Neale Hurston told the writer Countee Cullen. Arriving in Harlem in 1925 with little more than a dollar to her name, Hurston rose to become one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance, only to die in obscurity. Not until the 1970s was she rediscovered by Alice Walker and other admirers. Although Hurston has entered the pantheon as one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century, the true nature of her personality has proven elusive.Now, a brilliant, complicated and utterly arresting woman emerges from this landmark book. Carla Kaplan, a noted Hurston scholar, has found hundreds of revealing, previously unpublished letters for this definitive collection; she also provides extensive and illuminating commentary on Hurstons life and work, as well as an annotated glossary of the organizations and personalities that were important to it. From her enrollment at Baltimores Morgan Academy in 1917, to correspondence with Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Langston Hughes, Dorothy West and Alain Locke, to a final query letter to her publishers in 1959, Hurstons spirited correspondence offers an invaluable portrait of a remarkable, irrepressible talent.

FINALIST FOR THE PEN/JACQUELINE BOGARD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY AND LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE BIOGRAPHY AWARDA NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS CHOICE · A TOWN & COUNTRY "BEST BOOK" · A BLOOMBERG BEST BOOKTroublemaker tells the wild and unlikely story of Jessica Mitford, fifth of the six famous Mitford Girls, a British aristocrat-turned-American Communist, famous for exposes 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 rebels 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, Kaplans passionate biography beautifully illuminates how Deccas 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.