Romantic Revolutionary: A Biography of John Reed

by Robert A. Rosenstone

Examines the brief life of the American journalist, political activist, and Communist and his struggle for social reform.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

443 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1975

About the author

Robert A. Rosenstone, who was born in Montreal, Canada, but has lived most of his life in Los Angeles, is the author of a dozen books in various genres, including history, biography, criticism, and fiction. The latter has been his major focus in recent years. Among his fictional works are the novel, King of Odessa (2003), a book of stories, The Man Who Swam into History : The (Mostly) True Story of My Jewish Family ( 2005), and the recent novel Red Star, Crescent Moon: A Muslim Jewish Love Story (2010).

Rosenstone’s scholarly works include Romantic Revolutionary: A Biography of John Reed (1975), one of the sources for the Academy Award winning film, Reds, on which he served as historical consultant; Mirror in the Shrine: American Encounters in Meiji Japan (1988), an experimental, multi-voiced biography of three American sojourners in nineteenth century Japan; Crusade of the Left: The Lincoln Battalion in the Spanish Civil war (1969, reprinted 2009), and two works about historical film: Visions of the Past: The Challenge of Film to Our Idea of History (1995), and History on Film / Film on History (2006).

He has also been active in visual media projects, including time spent as consultant or writer for the following dramatic features and documentaries: Reds (1982), The Good Fight (1983), Darrow (1991), and Tango of Slaves (1999), and he has appeared on screen in several documentaries, including Screening Histories: The Filmmaker Strikes Back. (BBC, 1998), Rebels. (CBC, 1999), and Emma Goldman: A Troublesome Presence (PBS, 2004)

He is married to Nahid Massoud, a photographer, who is at once his best friend and his muse.

Reviews

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Reed (October 22, 1887 – October 17, 1920) was an American journalist, poet, and communist activist. Reed first gained prominence as a war correspondent during the first World War, and later became best known for his coverage of the October Revolution in Petrograd, Russia, which he wrote about in his book Ten Days That Shook the World.

[Susan Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this biography. I learned about John Reed from the movie Reds with Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton. This biography is beautifully written and explains Reed’s search for a fairer system for working men and women. He believed that Russian socialism was the solution to inequality. He didn’t live long enough to see the folly of that belief.

[James Hadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing biography, filled with primary sources and historical context. Highly recommend

[RYD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Reed's short life was a full and fascinating one, and this book and its prose does a good job of capturing the energy in which he lived.

[Bob Peru · Rating 4 out of 5]

jack reed. hero.

[Chris Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great biography on one of the more interesting Americans of the early 20th century

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should read this again sometime. I read this when I was possibly too young, because it bored me to tears, although everyone else I know of who read it absolutely loved it.