Podcast Summary: New Books Network Interview with Carla Kaplan on "Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford" (Harper, 2025)

Host: Tom Tossena
Guest: Carla Kaplan
Date: February 18, 2026
Duration: Approx. 63 mins

Episode Overview

This episode features an engaging conversation with acclaimed biographer Carla Kaplan about her new book, Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford. The episode explores the extraordinary life of Jessica Mitford—a British aristocrat who became a dedicated American Communist, muckraking journalist, and social justice activist. Kaplan discusses the intricacies of Mitford's family background, her dramatic transformation, and the enduring impact of her activism, humor, and resilience, often drawing lessons for contemporary listeners.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Write About Jessica Mitford? The Search for a Joyful Woman Activist

• Kaplan's Motivation: Kaplan shares that she always sought to write about a woman activist who was both fun and effective, breaking the stereotype that female activists are "grim and gray and cheerless."
  • "As a lifelong activist, well, wait a minute, I'm kind of fun... I want to write a book about a fun woman activist." (03:39)
• Contrast with Previous Work: Her earlier book, Miss Anne in Harlem, was about white women who tried and mostly failed to be allies in the Black Renaissance. Inspired by her desire to write about a "successful ally," she found Mitford perfect due to her lifelong commitment to social justice, humor, and self-transformation.
• Mitford’s Three Lives:
  • British aristocrat (until age 19)
  • American civil rights activist/communist (primarily in Oakland, CA)
  • Renowned muckraking journalist and author

2. The Mitford Family: Eccentricity, Privilege, and Political Extremes

(09:05–18:58)

• Aristocratic Upbringing: Jessica was one of six Mitford sisters (plus a brother, mostly ignored historically), all famous for their beauty, creativity, and, in some cases, infamy.
• Family’s Eccentricity:
  • Their upbringing was insular, anti-education for women, and focused on class reproduction. "Their father, Baron Reidsdale, referred to the outside world with a capital E as Elsewhere, and he pronounced himself against it, as if Elsewhere were a position statement." (09:57)
• The Sisters’ Lives:
  • Nancy: Acclaimed novelist (Pursuit of Love), witty and scandalous.
  • Pamela: Largely private, later partnered with a woman.
  • Diana: "Unrepentant fascist," married Oswald Mosley, befriended Hitler, and died blaming the Holocaust on Jews.
  • Unity: Nazi devotee, became friends with Hitler, survived a failed suicide after war was declared.
  • Deborah: Became Duchess of Devonshire.
• Jessica's Difference: From childhood, Jessica questioned injustice. She alone among her siblings rejected the antisemitism, racism, and privilege of her family.

Quote:
"From the time she was a toddler, she's that child who looks around her and says, well, this isn't right." (19:00)

3. Breaking Free: Eloping, Revolution, & Tragedy with Esmond Romilly

(18:58–28:58)

• Running Away: Jessica opened a "running away account" to escape her family and eloped at 19 with Esmond Romilly, a rebellious cousin returning from the Spanish Civil War.
• Esmond and Decca’s Adventures:
  • Lived as bohemians in England and the US, taking odd jobs and writing columns for the Washington Post.
  • Experienced significant loss with the death of their infant daughter.
• Esmond’s Death: He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in WWII and was killed over the North Sea in 1941, leaving Jessica alone, penniless, and cut off from England in America.

4. Building a New Life: Friendship, Activism, and the Communist Party

(28:58–36:04)

• Virginia Durr: Decca’s first deep friendship outside her family was with civil rights icon Virginia Durr, who became both a mentor and surrogate sister. Durr helped Jessica get her first investigative job.
  • "She had left behind her sisters... but she longed for them every day of her life. And with Virginia Durr, she got some of that closeness, that sisterly intimacy, that care and political training." (29:18)
• Sense of Longing & Family Tension: Despite fleeing her past, Mitford was deeply imprinted by the Mitford sisterhood, yearning for connection even from afar—despite being the subject of her sisters’ "remarkably cruel" gossip and sniping.

5. Activism, Marriage, and the Joyful Communist

(36:04–42:03)

• Meeting Robert Treuhaft: Jessica's second husband, a left-wing Jewish lawyer, was her partner in activism and domestic duties—he even took over all household work.
• Bay Area Communist Party: Unusually conducive to women’s leadership. Jessica became a key organizer, fundraiser, and was known for her infectious humor.
  • Example: Her legendary fundraising parties where guests paid for everything—including the right to enter, cross rooms, use the bathroom, and, hilariously, even to leave. "If everyone will give me the amount of money another one of these parties would cost, I promise never to do it again." (40:15)

6. From Activist to Muckraking Author: The American Way of Death

(43:41–54:06)

• Writing Career Beginnings: Early columns with Esmond, the satirical pamphlet Life Itselfmanship, and her memoir Huns and Rebels (aka Daughters and Rebels).
  • Despite family criticism, the memoir is described as "remarkably tender." (44:11)
• Breakthrough Book: The American Way of Death (1963)
  • Inspired by consumer exploitation stories brought home by Treuhaft from his law practice.
  • "Well, lady, I can put him in that box, but I'll have to cut his feet off to do it." (Undertaker’s response to a widow, as recounted by Decca—51:43)
• Impact: Bestseller that exposed the funeral industry and changed funeral/consumer law; influenced JFK’s funeral preparations; inspired the consumer rights movement.

Quote:
"She could take anything and find a joke in it or find the fun in it... at every page, you're laughing so hard you can hardly stand it." (54:19 – regarding The American Way of Death)

7. Resilience, Humor, and the Legacy for Today

(54:19–62:47)

• Joy and Activism: Despite immense personal losses (two children, two husbands, estrangement from family, loss of the Communist Party), Mitford believed in moving forward rather than introspection.
  • "She always described herself as somebody who was disinclined to introspection. And I have to say that's a real understatement." (57:41)
• Limits of Emotional Support: While she inspired and energized others, she wasn’t always emotionally sensitive; her remedy for heartbreak was more activism.
• Enduring Spirit: Even late in life, she sang in a rock band (“Decca and the Deck Tones”), always combining joy with resistance—a role model for coping in dark times.
  • "She is not gonna let them take away her joy at a good dinner party or a good fundraiser or a concert. She's not going to stop singing." (55:58)
• Hope for Today: Kaplan and the host both emphasize the importance of Mitford’s example in today’s troubled times.
  • "It's good to remember there were anti-fascists in our past who got through it." (62:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Family Rejection & Longing:
  • "They could never see her once she ran away... and it was a willful blindness. They were unable to see that the choices she made were much more fulfilling than the kind of lives many of them had carved out for themselves." – Carla Kaplan (33:12)
• On Humor in the Face of Tragedy:
  • "From the time she was 19 years old, Jessica Mitford got out of bed ready to fight fascism. And, and this is the critical part, and looking for the fun every day." – Carla Kaplan (07:44)
• On Resilience:
  • "She developed a remarkable capacity for moving on in the face of tragedy and difficulty... she tended to bracket them very quickly and to move on." – Carla Kaplan (57:41)
• On Fundraising:
  • "You had to pay to cross the living room... you had to pay for toilet paper... if you wanted to leave, you had to pay even more to leave than you had paid to get in." – Carla Kaplan (40:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:39 – Why Kaplan was drawn to Mitford; the need for a biography of a joyful woman activist
• 09:05 – The "Mitford Industry" and biography of the sisters
• 18:58 – Jessica's early rebellion and political sensibility
• 23:47 – Jessica and Esmond: elopement, adventures, and tragedy
• 29:18 – Virginia Durr’s friendship and introduction to American activism
• 36:04 – Meeting Robert Treuhaft, life in Oakland, the Communist Party, and festive activism
• 40:15 – Legendary fundraising antics
• 44:11 – Launching a writing career; from memoir to investigative journalism
• 51:43 – The funeral industry story that sparked The American Way of Death
• 55:58 – Joyful resistance as a survival tactic
• 57:41 – Mitford’s approach to personal pain and her emotional outlook
• 62:46 – Lessons from Mitford for today's activists

Tone and Language

The tone throughout is lively, sharp, and deeply informed, with both participants sharing admiration for Mitford’s wit, courage, and irrepressible spirit. Kaplan skillfully balances critical biography with affection and humor, echoing her subject’s own approach to life.

Conclusion

Carla Kaplan’s Troublemaker offers a portrait of Jessica Mitford as a radical, joy-filled, and deeply principled troublemaker—an aristocrat who became, in every sense, a "successful ally" and tireless activist. Her blend of fearless advocacy and irreverent humor emerges as both timely and essential, offering inspiration and strategy for activists facing dark times today.