Carla featured guest on “The Zero Hour” with R. J. Eskow

December 27, 2025

Carla Kaplan appeared as a guest on “The Zero Hour” podcast, discussing her latest book, Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford, with host R. J. Eskow, who writes:

I spoke with Prof. Carla Kaplan about her new book, Troublemaker: The Fierce Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford, which details “Decca” Mitford’s transformation from British aristocrat to communist, muckraking journalist, instinctual feminist, and lifelong anti-fascist.

I had the great honor and pleasure of meeting Decca in the early 1970s, after having been inspired by her great muckracking book “The American Way of Death.” Carla and I discussed Decca’s rather idiosyncratic feminism, her dedication to class analysis, and her remarkable ability to remain principled, funny, and humane through war, repression, and personal loss. All in all, it’s a model of engaged resistance which feels especially relevant now.

I highly recommend the book. (and, of course, the conversation in this video!)