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Living My Life: An Autobiography of Emma Goldman.
by
Emma Goldman
Anarchist, journalist, drama critic, advocate of birth control and free love, Emma Goldman was the most famous-and notorious-woman in the early twentieth century. This abridged version of her two-volume autobiography takes her from her birthplace in czarist Russia to the socialist enclaves of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Against a dramatic backdrop of political argument, s
...more
Paperback
,
993 pages
Published
July 1st 1983
by G.M. Smith
(first published 1910)
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Community Reviews
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3,000)
Sep 10, 2015
Homa Sharifmousavi
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction
خوندن زندگینامهها همیشه برام لذتبخش بوده همونطور که شنیدن حرفهایی که آدمها از زندگیشون برام میزنن همیشه جالبه برام، خوندن خودزندگینامهی اما گلدمن هم از این قاعده مستثنی نیست.خوندن صفحه میتونه برای بعضی خوانندهها خسته کننده باشه اما باید تحمل کرد و آروم آروم با کتاب پیش رفت.
فقط میخوام بگم ای کاش ای کاش ای کاش بتونم یک صدم اما گلدمن زندگی کنم.
خوندن دیدارهاش با آدمهایی که جاهای مختلف اسمشون رو شنیدیم و آدمهایی که تا حالا اسمشونم به گوشمون نخورده،خوندن دربارهی زندگی شخصیش چه در زمان کودکی چه بزرگسا ...more
فقط میخوام بگم ای کاش ای کاش ای کاش بتونم یک صدم اما گلدمن زندگی کنم.
خوندن دیدارهاش با آدمهایی که جاهای مختلف اسمشون رو شنیدیم و آدمهایی که تا حالا اسمشونم به گوشمون نخورده،خوندن دربارهی زندگی شخصیش چه در زمان کودکی چه بزرگسا ...more
view all 15 comments
If you want to read the story of a woman who knew everyone worth knowing, originated every radical idea that's ever flitted through your mind eighty years before you did, loved literature, drinking, clothes, flowers, theater, conversation and parties...well, this is the book for you.
Inspirational and fun.
Inspirational and fun.
«اما گلدمن» (-)زاده ی سرزمین روسیه ، از خانواده ای یهودی مذهب بود که بیشتر عمر خود را در ایالات متحده امریکا صرف مبارزات آنارشیستی و تلاش در رفع بی عدالتی ها کرد.اعدام غم انگیز کارگران شیکاگو و دنبال کردن اخبار مربوط به آن برای اِمای جوان و کم تجربه که تا پیش از این در روسیه زندگی می کرد ، جرقه ای شد تا آتش انقلاب در او شعله ور شود و با اطمینان کامل از هدفش، به سوی سرزمینی جدید و یا به عبارتی به سوی دنیایی نو برای تحقق آرمانهایش روانه شود.
به هنگام خاندن این خودزندگینامه ی بیش از هزار صفحه ای ،خا ...more
به هنگام خاندن این خودزندگینامه ی بیش از هزار صفحه ای ،خا ...more
this is so good. I was always a bit "eh" on Emma Goldman because I read her essays and didn't find them earth-shattering. Plus I don't always agree with her political analysis -- her race-blind attitude was particularly unfortunate. You could say it was par for the times, but she was so far ahead on so much else that I expected more -- and anyway that's rubbish, lots of people critiqued her race politics at the time. That said, it turns out that Goldman's strength was not as a theorist but as an
...more
This is a very intriguing, exhaustive autobiography that puts the lie to many of the flippant treatments you read/hear of Emma Goldman elsewhere. She was not some unbalanced romantic trying to compensate for a bad childhood or an inhumane psychotic, but instead a reflective, caring, passionate person who stood up for issues and people that/who were extremely unpopular in her day (and some of them still are). Her ideas were radical and her critiques of capitalist society salient.
Still, it is easy ...more
Still, it is easy ...more
I read this when I was transitioning from far left activism to Torah Judaism, and this was the perfect book for it. Emma Goldman was as far left as they come – an anarchist at the dawn of the 20th century – but she was Jewish, and I agree with her grandmother, who said to the warden while bringing her Passover food to eat in prison, “My Chavaleh does more for the poor than the traditional girls.”
You can’t help admiring Emma Goldman after reading her autobiography, even if you don’t agree with h ...more
You can’t help admiring Emma Goldman after reading her autobiography, even if you don’t agree with h ...more
this is such an epic masterpiece! i can think of at least 5 reasons why you should read this:
1. for the sordid details of Emma's many love affairs and open relationships.
2. for a view into the political and economic realities of the United States at the turn of the last century, which i don't know have ever been better explained than through Emma's immigrant, anarchist eyes.
3. for Emma's comments on virtually every radical and left-wing figure the 1890s - 1920s, including her relationships with ...more
1. for the sordid details of Emma's many love affairs and open relationships.
2. for a view into the political and economic realities of the United States at the turn of the last century, which i don't know have ever been better explained than through Emma's immigrant, anarchist eyes.
3. for Emma's comments on virtually every radical and left-wing figure the 1890s - 1920s, including her relationships with ...more
Aug 29, 2007
Greg
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
petty political history types
Ms. Goldman's role in the Kronstadt Rebellion of 1921 is the best reason I can find to recommend this book, and I wish she would have spent more time talking about it and why she supported the rebellion, rather than presuming her readership understood the story in advance.
Other than providing a rare firsthand account of said rebellion, much less from a source unsympathetic to both the Soviet state and the west, I am hesitant to recommend the book.
Goldman was a part of the conspiracy to murder He ...more
Other than providing a rare firsthand account of said rebellion, much less from a source unsympathetic to both the Soviet state and the west, I am hesitant to recommend the book.
Goldman was a part of the conspiracy to murder He ...more
Aug 27, 2009
Kate Brennan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction
,
memoir
Yep, five stars like I thought. I may not have enjoyed this memoir for lyrical qualities and literary conventions. But, feck lyrics and conventions. Through her memoir, Goldman subtly reminds her reader to keep things in a perspective of sorts (a couple conceptual steps back, if you will). What's more important? Literary conventions or humanitarian ideals? Money and power or love and dignity? I've been moved by many a memoir, but Goldman's holds a special place (right next to Jensen's A Language
...more
Just bought this novel and so excited to read it! I know the general gist of Emma Goldman's life through some Wikepdia articles, but that is not enough. I want to hear the own words of this revolutionary myself! what a spectacular woman. Will definitely pick this up next after I finish Anna Karenina
From modest accounts of her own unbelievably brave stance against the various forms of violence of the (United) State(s) to loving descriptions of hundreds of incredible people which Emma met during her activities, and to testimonies almost too terrible to read of the abominable farce of the Russian revolution, this book swept me of my feet and immensely encouraged me to stand on my own feet at the same time. A personal drama and a rare historic perspective, even if repetitive in style at times,
...more
It is amazing how this compassionate, vibrant, obstinate woman is able to transport the reader from the transformation of her life from early adulthood to mature adulthood as though we are right there with her through it all. Although I do not necessarily agree with her political views, she gives a unique and valuable perspective both on the bourgeoisie of American Capitalism and on the disappointing realities of Russia's Communist Revolution. A must-read for anyone who wants a better understand
...more
This is the story of a woman who lived the fullest possible life. It's just a tragedy that what she dreamed of, what many people of her time dreamed of, was destroyed by the Bolsheviks. She saw the Communist reality in Russia and very quickly understood its demonic statism which she knew, and which it did, lead to disaster. A little long-winded at times, perhaps, but always enthralling for people intrigued y the question of how to change society for the better..
زندگی ام آنگونه که من زیسته ام مدیون کسانی است که بدان راه یافته اند و دیرگاهی یا اندک زمانی در آن ماندند و گذشتند و عشق و نفرتشان به یک اندازه زندگیم را ارزشمند ساخته است
اما گلدمن
اما گلدمن
This is a great book. Emma Goldman wasn't an author, but the prose flows easily enough (if at times a bit flowery). I couldn't put it down and finished the nearly 1000 pages in record time. This is highly recommended for all readers, but especially those interested in late 19th century/early 20th century America, radicalism, and the early years of the Soviet Union. It is almost overwhelming in scope; Goldman must have mentioned several thousand names of people she met along the way. But it doesn
...more
Sep 07, 2008
Ryan Mishap
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
personal-writing
The best way to learn history is from the people who lived it and this autobiagraphy is the best one I've read.
I don't care much for biographies and autobiographies as a rule, but what a
life
this woman had!
Mar 05, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
feminism
,
history-or-politics
"Red-Emma" tells it like it is- an uncomfortable read that will knock your socks off.
Last time I started this, I could not get into it. This time -- maybe because I am taking a brief series of classes in Yiddishkeit at Green Apple Books sponsored by the Workman's Circle -- I am really enjoying it. I also read Vivian Gornick's biography of Emma, so I have a better overview. But I'm finding Emma's own retelling of her life very engaging.
J.Edgar Hoover called Emma Goldman "the most dangerous woman in America," and this book tells you why. Goldman is a terrific writer -- she can com ...more
J.Edgar Hoover called Emma Goldman "the most dangerous woman in America," and this book tells you why. Goldman is a terrific writer -- she can com ...more
This edition is abridged (I don't know, for the life of me, where you can find the full thing --it seems to be out of print), and sometimes the transitions did come off as somewhat jarring. Still, it was over 500 pages long, and worth every single one of them. Emma Goldman lived in one of the most interesting periods of American history, or rather, during a period in American history where things were exactly the same as they are now, but instead of targeting Muslims, the (then) "war on terror"
...more
I discovered Emma Goldman a decade ago through the
E.L. Doctorow
masterpiece
Ragtime
. The professor asked for historical research on one of the characters, and that's how a conservative, orthodox undergrad wound up at the little shelf of anarchist theory in the basement of the Brigham Young University library. Reading E.G.'s biographies and letters I was introduced to this gracious, charming, sane, and brave woman, and ergo had my world flipped upside down.
And for all that I never read her autob ...more
And for all that I never read her autob ...more
Jul 21, 2007
Chilly SavageMelon
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
beat-and-beat-related
There’s a horrible tendency to believe American rebellion started in the late 40’s/early 50’s with the Beats, psychic reaction to the horrors of the A bomb, the flowering of a socio-economic class called “teenager” and it’s beloved rock and roll. People wrote poems at Walden pond, hobos hopped freight trains and there has always been a party in Chinatown, but somehow it doesn’t get credit for being as sexy as Elvis to modern minds. Obviously American rebellion goes back much further than this, a
...more
Sep 12, 2008
Daniel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone.
Recommended to Daniel by:
Howard Zinn
Emma Goldman was inspiring and almost superhuman. Her life contained an immeasurable amount of struggle for the liberation of humanity from capitalism and the state.
The metastory of Emma Goldman is quite sad. Having lived a large portion of her life in the United States, she adopted it as a homeland, and was promptly deported. Because Russia was in the midst of revolution, she therefore considered that her homeland. But conditions became so malformed there that she was forced to sneak out. And s ...more
The metastory of Emma Goldman is quite sad. Having lived a large portion of her life in the United States, she adopted it as a homeland, and was promptly deported. Because Russia was in the midst of revolution, she therefore considered that her homeland. But conditions became so malformed there that she was forced to sneak out. And s ...more
A very inspiring work by the anarchist-communist. Goldman tirelessly committed herself to the Cause and her beautiful ideal. She lived to motivate the masses and teach workers of the more sustainable and just alternative of anarchism. Her autobiography begins by giving insight into the injustices of being an immigrant, and throughout the book, the reader learns a first-person account of all of the movement's major demonstrations and events of the late 19th and early 20th century in the United St
...more
Sep 09, 2008
Morgan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
my mom, your mom, Sarah Palin
In a time when even the farthest flung reaches of the American left are actually sorta psyched about a presidential candidate, the words of Emma Goldman come as a refreshing kick in the pants. Her writing explodes with life, bursting with an unabashedly anarchist ideology. The book reads like a who's-who of late 19th/early 20th century anarchism, rich with colorful details chronicling the events and differences within the movement. All the while, Emma Goldman keeps it personal, relating all thes
...more
This book was amazing. I never thought a nearly 2,000 page autobiography of a woman who lived 100 years ago could be so inspiring, funny, poignant, thought-provoking, educational, honest, and sad. Goldman was an incredible writer — the book mixes momentous historical events which she lived through and participated in, and small-scale vignettes about her personal life and relationships to other people. Both are fascinating.
As a social justice activist, it's was also riveting to read a firsthand a ...more
As a social justice activist, it's was also riveting to read a firsthand a ...more
Living My Life, Emma Goldman
عنوان: آنگونه که من زیستم (خود زندگینامه)؛ نویسنده: اما گلدمن؛ مترجم: سهیلا بسکی؛ تهران، نیلوفر، 1385، در 1146 ص، شابک: 9644483200؛ موضوع: سرگذشتنامه انا گلد من، آنارشیستها، ایالات متحده قرن
عنوان: آنگونه که من زیستم (خود زندگینامه)؛ نویسنده: اما گلدمن؛ مترجم: سهیلا بسکی؛ تهران، نیلوفر، 1385، در 1146 ص، شابک: 9644483200؛ موضوع: سرگذشتنامه انا گلد من، آنارشیستها، ایالات متحده قرن
Apr 22, 2015
b bb bbbb bbbbbbbb
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biography-autobiography
,
country-russia
,
country-usa
,
historical
,
non-fiction
,
political-social
,
stars-3-5
At times overwrought, exasperating, and definitely a lot to read even in the abridged version, but how could one come out of this anything but charmed by Emma? So vibrant, so full of questioning and passionate intelligence. So full of life. Dedicated not just to her ideals and justice, but to living and realizing them in the world. She had an amazing life of her own making, with seemingly endless stories and a strong ability for telling them.
As with Marxism, there is plenty of insightful critiq ...more
As with Marxism, there is plenty of insightful critiq ...more
May 15, 2009
Rachel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History Buffs
Recommended to Rachel by:
Camille
I finally finished. It was a wonderful book, if only to open my eyes to a part of history that I was not even aware happened. Sometimes, I forgot how important it is to read biographies, autobiographies, and histories to truly know the past. They barely scrap the surface in school (unless you were a history major but even then, do you get it all?). I would write more but I feel it would be inadequate to describe. Her life was interesting and the movement she dedicated herself to was one I could
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Great Books B...: Living My Life - Emma Goldman | 1 | 3 | Jul 23, 2014 08:25PM | |
| Just beginning... | 1 | 11 | Jul 09, 2009 01:30PM |
Emma Goldman was a feminist anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century.
Born in Kovno in the Russian Empire (present-day Kaunas, Lithuania), Goldman emigrated to the US in 1885 and lived in New York City, where she joined the bu ...more
More about Emma Goldman...
Born in Kovno in the Russian Empire (present-day Kaunas, Lithuania), Goldman emigrated to the US in 1885 and lived in New York City, where she joined the bu ...more
“I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things.' Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world — prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own closest comrades I would live my beautiful ideal.”
—
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“I became alive once more. At the dances I was one of the most untiring and gayest. One evening a cousin of Sasha, a young boy, took me aside. With a grave face, as if he were about to announce the death of a dear comrade, he whispered to me that it did not behoove an agitator to dance. Certainly not with such reckless abandon, anyway. It was undignified for one who was on the way to become a force in the anarchist movement. My frivolity would only hurt the Cause.
I grew furious at the impudent interference of the boy. I told him to mind his own business. I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from convention and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. I insisted that our Cause could not expect me to become a nun and that the movement would not be turned into a cloister. If it meant that, I did not want it. "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things." Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world — prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own closest comrades I would live my beautiful ideal”
—
10 likes
More quotes…
I grew furious at the impudent interference of the boy. I told him to mind his own business. I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from convention and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. I insisted that our Cause could not expect me to become a nun and that the movement would not be turned into a cloister. If it meant that, I did not want it. "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things." Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world — prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own closest comrades I would live my beautiful ideal”
