Loudmouth

★ “Heiligman’s latest YA biography, about Emma Goldman, solidifies her as one of the absolute best in the business … Heiligman treats Goldman with immense perception and compassion, providing helpful context around her subject’s contradictions and delivering a lucid portrait of a complicated, multifaceted, and dynamic individual who dared to imagine a better world, full of joy and unconstrained by rules established by people aiming to maintain or increase their own power. As a work of biography, Loudmouth is a master class, but it’s Goldman’s story in particular that makes this such a success … Juicy, empowering, extraordinarily well researched, and deeply intelligent, this is essential reading, and not just for teens.” –Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“Activist Emma Goldman was a remarkable woman and, as this sharp, informed biography shows, a ferocious, engaged, observant, and compassionate child and teen as well … The book is fearless in exploring Goldman’s considerable strengths as an orator and activist, while also rounding her out as a full woman who became the unofficial spokesperson for the free love movement, who was a loyal friend, and who carried the scars of a nightmare childhood all of her life … Heiligman also does exceptional work in exploring how any single speech, warm exchange, or relationship that Goldman had also changed the other people involved.” –BCCB

“The complexities and passions that characterized Jewish, Lithuanian-born writer and anarchist Emma Goldman (1869-1940) drive this comprehensive, thoroughly researched biography by Heiligman … Drawing information from Goldman’s own works, Heiligman builds a vivid portrait of a resilient figure who navigated prejudices against immigrants, Jews, women, and the working class at the dawn of the 20th century.” –Publishers Weekly

“Well-researched and comprehensive … will feel relevant to contemporary teens. Vividly portrays the life of a champion who stood up–loudly–to injustice.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Heiligman’s newest work of nonfiction touches on a long list of hot-button contemporary issues: due process, free speech, gender equity, economic inequality, pacifism, prison reform, reproductive freedom, political violence, and sexual mores … True to form, Heiligman distills this remarkable, complex legacy for a new generation with a sure hand, using a conversational voice that draws readers into her meticulously researched narrative.” –The Horn Book

“An engrossing biography … Heiligman’s depth of research and absorbing, crisp writing makes for a page-turner about a fierce, complex, and influential dissident.” –School Library Journal

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.