Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Fireweed: A Political Autobiography” as Want to Read:
Fireweed: A Political Autobiography
by
Gerda Lerner
In "Fireweed, Gerda Lerner, a pioneer and leading scholar in women's history, tells her story of moral courage and commitment to social change. Focusing on the formative experiences that made her an activist for social justice before her academic career began, Lerner presents her life in the context of the major historical events of the twentieth century. Hers is a grippin
...more
Paperback
,
408 pages
Published
August 15th 2003
by Temple University Press
(first published 2002)
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Fireweed
,
please sign up
.
Be the first to ask a question about Fireweed
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
147)
Gerda Lerner was born into a prosperous Austrian Jewish family in 1920. She was drawn to left wing politics early, participating while still in her early teens. She was able to escape Europe in time to personally survive but went from a life of privilege to one of poverty. While her immediate family members were able to get out of Austria they were not able to leave Europe until after WWII which added to the anxiety and frustration in her life. Still she showed incredible energy and did not give
...more
Born in 1920 to a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria, Gerda Kronstein was a young girl when Adolph Hitler began his rise to power. After much trial and tribulation, she came alone to the United States in 1939 at the age of 18. Her immigration was dependent upon an arranged marriage that soon failed. She divorced and remarried filmmaker Carl Lerner and moved to Hollywood. There, in 1946, she joined the American Communist Party. During the McCarthy period, Carl was blacklisted and unable to find wor
...more
I am a direct descendant, in some ways, of Gerda Lerner, so I’m thrilled to have read this book. Lerner founded the field of women’s history, teaching courses in the subject in the 1960s and establishing doctoral at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1980. Ten years ago, when I was a first-year graduate student at UW, I met Professor Lerner, a small but imposing woman that I felt in awe of even though I knew very little about her life. Having just flown through her political autobiography, F
...more
Beautiful prose and inspiring life story. Some parts were over informed. The ending of the book was abrupt.
Great historical information and perspective, could be used for history or social studies classes.
Great historical information and perspective, could be used for history or social studies classes.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Gerda Lerner (April 30, 1920 – January 2, 2013) was a historian, author and teacher. She was a professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a visiting scholar at Duke University.
Lerner was one of the founders of the field of women's history, and was a former president of the Organization of American Historians. She played a key role in the development of women's history ...more
More about Gerda Lerner...
Lerner was one of the founders of the field of women's history, and was a former president of the Organization of American Historians. She played a key role in the development of women's history ...more
