Emma

by Howard Zinn

With his wit and unique ability to illuminate history from below, Zinn reveals the life of this remarkable woman. As Zinn writes in his Introduction, Emma Goldman "seemed to be tireless as she traveled the country, lecturing to large audiences everywhere.

Genres: Plays, History, Politics, Nonfiction, Feminism, Biography Memoir, Drama

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Howard Zinn was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist intellectual and World War II veteran. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a political science professor at Boston University. Zinn wrote more than 20 books, including his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United States in 1980. In 2007, he published a version of it for younger readers, A Young People's History of the United States.

Zinn described himself as "something of an anarchist, something of a socialist. Maybe a democratic socialist." He wrote extensively about the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement and labor history of the United States. His memoir, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train (Beacon Press, 1994), was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn's life and work. Zinn died of a heart attack in 2010, at the age of 87.

Reviews

[Illiterate]

Idealized characters and didactic speeches.

[olivia]

This play was so bad it was funny. Can't say I'll recommend this text or ever seek out a live performance of the play, but the unintended comedy of Zinn's overly dramatic and stilted stage-writing made for an amusing introduction to Jewish Anarchism.

[Brian]

For some reason, I thought this was a biography, not the script for a play and picked it up because I wanted to learn more about Emma Goldman. Instead, I got a dramatization of the most commonly known events in her life. A quick read with lots of fluff, little substance. The dialog is stilted and none of the characters really develop. Too bad, given Emma's interest in good theater. I expected better from Howard Zinn.

[Carolyn Fitzpatrick]

An interesting biography of Emma Goldman and her pursuit of anarchy, free love, gender equality, and urban reform in the early 20th century.

[Camille Tinnin]

I really wanted to enjoy this because I love Howard Zinn but he is decidedly not a playwright. If you want a quick read that gives some of the big events of Goldman’s life, this would work. It took me about an hour to read. However, the dialogue felt clunky and I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters. Zinn’s introduction is fantastic- he does what he does so well- outlines lesser known history and tie it to the present (the present being very much the past now, as this was published originally in the late 80s and then reprinted in 2002).

I really can’t imagine a staging of this- maybe seeing it on stage would be better? I appreciate him seeking to tell Emma’s story to a broader audience and am glad to see more positive reviews that show that for others that really worked. It just wasn’t for me.

If you want to jump into Zinn in an accessible way, I recommend “A People’s History of The American Empire”. It’s a graphic novel and uses that medium very well, in my opinion. It’s par autobiography part history. I haven’t finished it yet, but only because the subject matter is so heavy that I have to read it in small doses and then leave it for a month or more.

[Susan Haines]

I have been wanting to learn more about Goodman, whose name often comes up in the world of workers' rights, socialism, anarchy, protests. And who knew that Zinn wrote a play about her? Turns out this play (that begins with a short bio of her life) was perfect for that. People used to be so brave, putting themselves in danger for their convictions, often being willing to spend their lives in jail or die! For things they would usually not even see changed in their lifetimes, so having to hope or believe they're making a difference. Do we have an equivalent to those people in the US today? Maybe with social media how we choose our heroes has changed.

[Nat Roberts]

Zinn is a first rate historian and essayist, in fact his work was crucial to my radicalization. But as a playwright? His pacing is non-existent and his dialogue reads like it came out of a tin can. The most effective scenes come from Emma's speaking tour, which is unsurprising since they mostly draw on her real works – which are vital and lively whether printed or spoken. It hurts to be so critical of a writer who means so much to me, but to spare this critique would feel dishonest

[Rhuddem Gwelin]

Zinn and Goldberg, the only thing lacking is actually seeing it on stage.

[Mohamed Gamal]

جايز تكون شخصية ايما مثيرة للاهتمام انما المسرحية في حد ذاتها مملة جدا
جايز لو كانت المسرحية رواية كانت بقت افضل انما الجو المسرحي دة مش مناسب خالص للشخصية
النجمتين للمقدمة اللي حقيقي كانت حلوة

[Jamal]

howard zinn became so horny for a political figure that he wrote a play about her. she is of course excellent but that's beside the point.

[Ezra]

A historical play by Howard Zinn about an anarcho-feminist lost to the pages of history? Yes please. Incredible. I’ll take 14 of them.

[Nadia]

just missed being this queen's namesake

[Amanda]

This play was beautiful and funny. I fell in love with Howard Zinn on Tuesday and now I am exercising that love by reading his work. His picture of Emma Goldman is exciting and captivating. The characters are all revolutionaries and they are working on projects, going to jail, and trying to live. On the one hand Sasha is like "people in Pittsburgh are losing their jobs and you are at the opera!? And Emma says things like we need to fight but also find beauty in the world right now". Flowers and operas and things. She also is pro pro womens' rights but at the same time dates this savagely beautiful man who lies and cheats, but she loves him anyway. I think these are the things that make her real. That make us real. That no matter what we fight for there aren't easy answers to life and the world isn't black and white and that we shouldn't have to justify ourselves to anyone ever, as long as we aren't BEING MEAN. Memorable Quote: Who needs the words when you can feel it in your bones everyday?

[Cecilia]

So, this is what happens when historians write plays. It's not a good play. The characters are flat. The narrative is episodic, rushed, disjointed, and difficult to follow. However, as a history of Emma Goldman's life and the anarchist movement at the time in America, it's a nice easy little read. Howard Zinn does a fantastic job at what he's good at. He makes you understand that activists are real people who are passionate, brave, and intelligent. They came from somewhere and they make choices that aren't easy. This is the problem with writing a play about a person and not an event. Real life is made up of a series of events that don't necessarily make a cohesive narrative. So, plays like this always turn into "and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened."

On the other hand, it's sort of fun to read about people who believed in "free love" and were against marriage because they were "against all institutions that demand subservience" in the early 1900s.

[Phebe]

Howard Zinn is decidedly NOT a playwright. I enjoyed the introduction and learned quite a lot about many fascinating, courageous people— only to be disappointed by flat, stiff characters with all the fire and sensuality of a streetlamp in daylight. Skip this, and read a biography of the titular Emma instead.

[Caroline Watson-Felt]

I really liked this play. The one note I have is that there are a few moments when I feel that the dialogue is a little overly dramatic - a common flaw when writing a piece which takes place in the past. Overall, terrific though - great historical figure and a great play!

[Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea]

I could hear Emma Goldman through this play. I found it enjoyable to read.

[Brea Grant]

i like the subject. i like the author. i thought the play was okay.

[Rye]

"The movement needs us to live for it, not to die for it."

[Jacquelyn Fusco]

Get an insight into a short period during Emma's life. I want to read a full biography now.