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Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America
Not yet published
Expected 16 Sep 25Both a love letter to America and a stirring rallying cry for the country to live up to the ideals on which it was founded, this propulsive biography from National Book Award Finalist and “nonfiction maestro (Horn Book)" Deborah Heiligman chronicles the extraordinary life and work of groundbreaking political activist Emma Goldman.
★ “Heiligman’s latest . . . solidifies her as one of the absolute best in the business . . . Loudmouth is a master class.” —Booklist, starred review
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. This is an essential read for young people—or for anyone—who wants to use their voice to make the world a better place.
★ “Heiligman’s latest . . . solidifies her as one of the absolute best in the business . . . Loudmouth is a master class.” —Booklist, starred review
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. This is an essential read for young people—or for anyone—who wants to use their voice to make the world a better place.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 16, 2025
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159 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Heiligman
43 books159 followersDeborah Heiligman has been writing for children since she worked at Scholastic News soon after college. Since then she has written more than thirty books for children and teens. Her books include picture books, both fiction and nonfiction, and young adult nonfiction and fiction. Some titles: Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, a National Book Award finalist; The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos, a Cook Prize Winner and Orbis Pictus honor; Intentions, a Sydney Taylor Award winner, and a picture book series about Tinka the dog. Her latest book is Vincent and Theo: The van Gogh Brothers. For more information please visit www.DeborahHeiligman.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 2, 2025
I love a historical biography. This was super intriguing as I was unfamiliar with this person before reading this book. Emma Goldman is a fascinating person to learn more about. Especially as she lived in a time that women had limited rights and experiences, she truly pioneered in an area of workers rights that truly helped shape the future of work conditions and the labor movement. The book was very detailed and informative. At times, the stories seemed long winded and I found myself wanting the book to end sooner and wrap up the influence and life impact.
August 24, 2025
Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC of this book.
This was an interesting biography for me, as I was not familiar with Emma Goldman. Emma lived in a time where women had very limited rights, and she worked to help shape the future work conditions and labor movements. This book was detailed, maybe a little too much, as some portions felt a little long winded. But overall an interesting biography.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
This was an interesting biography for me, as I was not familiar with Emma Goldman. Emma lived in a time where women had very limited rights, and she worked to help shape the future work conditions and labor movements. This book was detailed, maybe a little too much, as some portions felt a little long winded. But overall an interesting biography.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
August 6, 2025
This was super informative! I didn't know anything about Emma Goldman before reading this, but she was a fascinating person who had a lot of influence on women's and workers rights in the US. I think the book overall was a little longer than it needed to be, and I don't think it will have a wide appeal to teens necessarily, but still an interesting book overall.
August 9, 2025
What a wonderfully engaging biography of an extraordinary woman! Emma Goldman was a force of nature, and that sense of motion carries into the biography. I think young historians will be fascinated by her life and ideas, which still feel daring and fresh.
August 29, 2025
The cover design and apparent thorough research earn an A+. However, at 328 pages, it's quite long even for someone genuinely interested in Emma Goldman. I think it might be a tough sell for teenagers, who are the target audience.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews