SOCIAL SCIENCES

Sasha and Emma: The Anarchist Odyssey of Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman

Avrich, Paul & . Belknap: Harvard Univ. Nov. 2012. c.520p. illus. index. ISBN 9780674065987. $35. BIOG
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OrangeReviewStarPaul Avrich, the preeminent historian of American anarchism (Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Backgrounwd), was working at the time of his death in 2006 on a biography of anarchist Alexander ("Sasha") Berkman. One of his daughters, writer Karen Avrich, completed this final work. The book traces the lives of onetime lovers and lifelong friends and comrades Berkman and Emma Goldman. While Goldman's life has been well documented, Berkman, who had an equally large impact on American and European anarchist history, has until now been treated as little more than a historical footnote, as the anarchist who attempted to assassinate the industrialist and financier Henry Clay Frick. This book corrects that, showing the close interconnectedness of the lives of Berkman and Goldman and their impact on 20th-century anarchism.
VERDICT A sweeping narrative that retains Paul Avrich's voice. While the volume includes little new research, it is still an important contribution in its restoration of Berkman's place in anarchist history. Highly recommended.
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