Synopsis

Emma Goldman (1869-1940) remains a figure of compelling intensity, the radical whose life, according to Blair Brown, was devoted to the principles of free speech, free thought, and free love. This portrayal is largely sympathetic, yet it avoids uncritical acclaim. Historian Kevin Baker, for instance, labels her anarchism "jaw-droppingly naive," a judgment that goes largely unchallenged. However, her passionate nature is universally acknowledged. As playwright Tony Kushner observes, she lived a l