Be a Troublemaker

Ray Bradbury famously said, “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” Undemocratic administrations seek to muzzle information in order to control the information — and the imagination.”

In these troubled political times, when reading the news can make us feel hopeless and wondering what we can do, your local bookstore is here to help.  Reading is resistance.  Ray Bradbury famously said, “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”  Undemocratic administrations seek to muzzle information in order to control the information — and the imagination.

Engagement with your community can also help combat feelings of hopelessness.  March. Volunteer with organizations you believe in.  Donate.  Run for something.  Gather.

On February 18 at 6 p.m., gather with us in the Book Shop of Beverly Farms to hear Carla Kaplan discuss her new book, “Troublemaker: The Fierce Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford.”  Kaplan is an accomplished biographer and Northeastern University professor and spent over a decade researching Mitford, aka Decca, mining Mitford's extensive archives and voluminous correspondence (she left over twelve thousand letters!), and the archives of her associates, and conducting nearly 50 new interviews for the book.

Who was Jessica Mitford, you may be wondering?  

Books have been written about the Mitford sisters, of which there were six (there was also a brother, Tom, who was killed in WWII).  Nancy Mitford might be the best known to readers; she was a celebrated novelist.  An aristocratic British family, the sisters lived glamorous lives — except for Jessica, who renounced wealth and nobility and ran away to America to become an anti-fascist, muckraker (an investigative journalist uncovering corruption), and activist.  Jessica became a member of the American Communist Party, was active in the civil rights movement, and essentially lived life on her own terms.

It’s a fascinating, empowering story and Kaplan tells it like the pro she is.

There has never before been a comprehensive biography of Mitford, despite her astonishing self-transformation — from a life of wealth and status to one of activism and effectively advocating for others, which holds many lessons for our time.  Mitford’s story shows that we need not be like others to care about their struggles, demonstrates how to be an effective ally, and models how to negotiate our love for family and friends who do not share our worldviews.

Carla will be interviewed by Gab Watling, Ph.D. Gab is a professor of English at Endicott College and a specialist in post-WWII British literature.  This is sure to be an inspiring, motivating conversation.  

Here’s a sneak peak:

How can we channel our inner Decca?

Carla Kaplan:  By taking chances.  Decca was fearless.  She walked away from her family's wealth and protection and never whined about how difficult it was to achieve her independence, even when she found herself completely alone, with an infant daughter, in another country,

without skills or money, during war.  Decca endured tragedies such as the death of her first

love Esmond Romilly and the deaths of two of her children.  She lived through terrifying times, as friends in the Communist Party went to jail, through depressing and demoralizing periods,

where people she knew lost their minds because of the anxieties the Red Scare induced, or

spent decades in prison because of an unfair, racist legal system.  Yet she remained bold all her life.  One of the things almost every interviewee I spoke with talked about was her bravery.

She kept facing difficulties head-on and she got up every single time she was knocked down.

Learn more at www.bookshopofbeverlyfarms.com/events.

Hannah Harlow is owner of The Book Shop, an independent bookstore in Beverly Farms.  Harlow writes biweekly recommendations for us.  See more of what she recommends reading at thecricket.com.