Carla Kaplan

Carla Kaplan in the Press

The secret life of Decca, the most rebellious Mitford sister

Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford by Carla Kaplan is published on Dec 4.

6 New Books We Love This Week

One of the six famous Mitford sisters, Jessica — known as Decca, a childhood nickname — was a left-wing activist first and muckraking journalist second, best known for “The American Way of Death,” her scathing 1963 exposé of the funeral industry.

Air Mail

Days of Decca

Now Carla Kaplan brings us Troublemaker, the first biography of Jessica, the runaway Mitford who decamped to America, joined the Communist Party, and became a successful author, named by Time magazine as “Queen of the Muckrakers.”

The Spectator

Jessica was the only Mitford worth taking seriously

In the wake of all this, Carla Kaplan’s exhaustively researched and thorough account of Jessica (or Decca, as everyone knew her and Kaplan calls her throughout) comes as a welcome relief.

Reintroducing Jessica Mitford, the Activist With a ‘Concrete Upper Lip’

Carla Kaplan’s biography “Troublemaker” focuses on the fierce political commitments of the journalist best known for “The American Way of Death.”

New books this week: A tome on capitalism, a deep dive on crosswords and more

Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford, by Carla Kaplan.

The Tribune

Looking for the Restless Soul of Nella Larsen in Copenhagen

“Larsen wanted readers to feel how difficult — impossible really — it was for Helga to try and escape racism; racism and sexism follow her wherever she goes,” said Carla Kaplan, a professor of American literature at Northeastern University who wrote the introduction for a recent Norton Critical Edition of “Quicksand.”

Alice Walker Has ‘No Regrets’

Carla Kaplan, a professor of American literature at Northeastern University who has written about Walker’s work, said she is one of many influential progressive figures who have made profoundly contentious statements. “The question becomes, what do we do with one another when these moments happen,” Kaplan said. “One answer is that we cancel one another. […]

Local writers will share National Endowment for the Humanities grant

Other New England recipients and their projects include Yale University lecturer Edward Ball, who is writing about a Reconstruction-era klansman; Nicholas Basbanes, of North Grafton, on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Wesleyan University professor Andrew Curran on Denis Diderot; Smith College professor Michael Gorra on William Faulkner and the Civil War; Trinity College professor Christopher Hager on […]

Uncle Sam wants YOU to read ‘popular’ scholarly books

Here is a full list of the newly named Public Scholars, their professional affiliations, book titles and grant amounts: • Thomas Andrews, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo, “Animals in the History of the United States,” $50,400. • Edward Ball, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., “Constant LeCorgne (1832-1886): Biography of a Klansman,” $50,400. • Nicholas Basbanes, independent scholar, North […]