Emma Goldman

Volume 3 (of a projected four-volume series) of this documentary history of the anarchist Emma Goldman is a monumental work. It covers 1910 to 1916, seven of the most action-packed and ambitious years of Goldman's long career as a tireless activist dedicated to transforming the world politically, socially, and economically. The selection of documents provides admirable coverage of the Goldman whirlwind of this period: speeches, major essays, articles in her anarchist monthly Mother Earth and other radical publications, and voluminous correspondence. The editor Candace Falk and associate editor Barry Pateman present this work as a reference source. The explanation of the editorial practices and the structure of the volume, the list of abbreviations, and the tables of contents should help readers find the documents and illustrations they seek. Other finding aids include a chronology, selected bibliography, and index, as well as lengthy directories of individuals, periodicals, and associations. The first ninety pages of “Into the Spotlight,” Falk's 171-page introductory essay, places Goldman in historical context and serves as a guide to discerning which documents will be the most useful. Themes include “Toppling the Holy Trinity of God, the State, and the Family,” “Addressing the Crowd—Appealing to Women,” and “War in Europe—Repression in America.” The extensive introduction alleviated the need to pepper the documents with numerous explanatory footnotes. In her introduction Falk also addresses Goldman's lack of interest in the plight of African Americans, a failure she later acknowledged. Falk suggests a variety of unsatisfying explanations but shies away from the possibility that Goldman was simply racist. Falk also notes that frustratingly little is known about how Goldman viewed the occasional sexual relationships she experienced with women

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