Rebel Crossings : New Women, Free Lovers and Radicals in Britain and the United States

Resumen del libro

The story of six radical pioneers at the turn of the 20th century

Rebel Crossings opens up a forgotten chapter in the history of radicalism, shedding new light on lives committed to change and hope for a better future. This is an extraordinary work of archival history of great ambition: Rowbtham uncovered six lives that have been overlooked by history and reconstructs their lives, dreams, loves and struggles.

The lives of these six radical pioneers span the end of the 19th century and travels across continents: from the slums of Bristol to the wildernesses of California. This collective biography is a jigsaw of ideas, passions, transatlantic voyages, loves and radical hopes. It is a story that travels from across nations and oceans, interweaving lives dedicated to seeking new hope in revolutionary ideas. All six - Helena Born, Miriam Daniel, Robert Nicols, William Bailie, Helen Tufts and Gertrude Dix - sought to combine their quest for the personal development of individuals with the creation of a society based on co-operative association, rather than competition and profit, and establishing new ways of living: feminism, secularism, socialism, anarchism, free love, health foods, and rational dress. In turn, the uncovering of these partially hidden lives reveals insights in this age of radical ideas and action, offering new understanding of key figures such as Edward Carpenter; Kropotkin, Patrick Geddes, Eleanor Marx, Emma Goldman and the young Bernard Shaw.