Carla Kaplan, "Troublemaker"
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In this episode of C-SPAN's Q&A podcast, host Peter Slenn interviews Professor Carla Kaplan about her book *Troublemaker: The Fierce Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford*, which chronicles the extraordinary life of Jessica Mitford, the radical communist sister of the infamous British aristocratic Mitford family. The episode explores how the six Mitford sisters—Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Deborah, and Jessica—grew up in a cloistered, eccentric, and politically charged environment shaped by their parents, Baron and Baroness Reedsdale, who discouraged formal education and social contact beyond their estate. Despite this, each sister forged a radically different path: Nancy became a celebrated author, Pamela a rural horsewoman, Diana a fascist and Hitler’s intimate, Unity a devoted Nazi who died by suicide, and Deborah a rumored mistress of JFK. Jessica, however, became a muckraking journalist, civil rights activist, and best-selling author, using her aristocratic bearing and sharp wit to expose injustice in America, notably in her groundbreaking book *The American Way of Death*. Kaplan reveals how Jessica’s life was defined by relentless reinvention, deep emotional ties to her sisters despite political rifts, and a lifelong commitment to social justice, even as she remained estranged from her family’s fascist ideologies. The episode also highlights Jessica’s complex relationships with Maya Angelou, her work within the Communist Party, and her enduring legacy as a fearless, humorous, and deeply principled troublemaker.
Jessica Mitford used her aristocratic identity as a strategic tool to amplify her radical message, leveraging her accent and bearing to challenge American perceptions of class and justice.
The Mitford sisters’ divergent political paths—fascism, communism, and apolitical detachment—stemmed from a shared upbringing of isolation, privilege, and intellectual hunger.
Jessica’s memoir *Hans and Rebels* was met with coldness by her sisters, revealing the emotional chasm between her radical life and their conservative worldview.
Her book *The American Way of Death* became a bestseller not despite its grim subject matter, but because of its sharp, hilarious, and deeply researched exposé of the funeral industry.
Jessica’s lifelong friendship with Maya Angelou provided her with emotional and professional support, filling the void left by her estranged family and enabling her to thrive as a writer and activist.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introducing the Mitford Sisters and Jessica Mitford’s Radical Legacy
“She was the political outlier and very much so. So even as a young child, she was somebody who looked around her and she was alone in her family in this attitude.”
The Eccentric World of the Reedsdale Parents
Carla Kaplan details the bizarre and controlling upbringing of the Mitford children, shaped by their father’s obsession with isolation and their mother’s anti-education stance, which left the girls to educate themselves through voracious reading and self-invention.
From Aristocracy to Activism: Jessica’s Escape and Early Radicalism
“She called the family home that dread place. And Jessica Mitford, when she was a young child, opened at the local bank, Drummond's Bank, she opened what she called her running away account.”
Jessica’s Strategic Use of Identity in America
“She never believed that to work for other people we had to look like them. She thought she could make rather a point about having left behind one world and having chosen another.”
The Making of a Muckraker: Research, Writing, and the Communist Party
Jessica’s deep dive into investigative journalism began through her work with the Office of Price Administration and the Communist Party, where she found intellectual rigor, community, and a political home.
“She never believed that to work for other people we had to look like them. She thought she could make rather a point about having left behind one world and having chosen another.”
“They said, no, we're going to if you pull it, we'll mimeograph it on the dining table. And they refused to make changes in the book.”
“She was the political outlier and very much so. So even as a young child, she was somebody who looked around her and she was alone in her family in this attitude.”
Host
Guest
Jessica Mitford
person
Carla Kaplan
person
Deborah Mitford
person
Nancy Mitford
person
Esmond Romilly
person
Robert Truhaft
person
Baron Reedsdale
person
Diana Mitford
person
Maya Angelou
person
Communist Party USA
organization
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