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Last Call at Coogan's: The Life and Death of a Neighborhood Bar
by Jon MichaudThe uniquely inspiring story of a beloved neighborhood bar that united the communities it served.Coogan’s Bar and Restaurant opened in New York City’s Washington Heights in 1985 and closed its doors for good in the pandemic spring of 2020. Sometimes called Uptown City Hall, it became a staple of neighborhood life during its 35 years in operation—a place of safety and a bulwark against prejudice in a multi-ethnic, majority-immigrant community undergoing rapid change.Last Call at Coogan’s by Jon Michaud tells the story of this beloved saloon, from the challenging years of the late 80's and early 90's, when Washington Heights suffered from the highest crime rate in the city, to the 2010’s, when gentrification pushed out longtime residents and nearly closed Coogan's itself; only a massive community mobilization including local politicians and Lin-Manuel Miranda kept the doors open.This book touches on many serious issues facing the country today: race relations, policing, gentrification, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the way, readers will meet the bar’s owners and an array of its most colorful regulars, such as an aspiring actor from Kentucky who dreams of bringing a theater company to Washington Heights, a television reporter who loves karaoke, and a Puerto Rican community board manager who falls in love with an Irish cop from the local precinct. At its core, this is the story of one small business, the people who worked there, the customers they served, and the community they all called home.
Sal Mineo: A Biography
by Michael Gregg MichaudSal Mineo is probably most well-known for his unforgettable, Academy Award-nominated turn opposite James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and his tragic murder at the age of thirty-seven. Finally, in this riveting new biography filled with exclusive, candid interviews with both Mineo's closest female and male lovers and never-before-published photographs, Michael Gregg Michaud tells the full story of this remarkable young actor's life, charting his meteoric rise to fame and turbulent career and private life. One of the hottest stars of the 1950s, Mineo grew up as the son of Sicilian immigrants in a humble Bronx flat. But by age eleven, he appeared on Broadway in Tennessee Williams's The Rose Tattoo, and then as Prince Chulalongkorn in the original Broadway production of The King and I starring Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence. This sultry-eyed, dark-haired male ingenue of sorts appeared on the cover of every major magazine, thousands of star-struck fans attended his premieres, and millions bought his records, which included several top-ten hits. His life offstage was just as exhilarating: full of sports cars, motor boats, famous friends, and some of the most beautiful young actresses in Hollywood. But it was fourteen-year-old Jill Haworth, his costar in Exodus the film that delivered one of the greatest acting roles of his life and earned him another Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe win with whom he fell in love and moved to the West Coast. But by the 1960s, a series of professional missteps and an increasingly tumultuous private life reversed his fortunes. By the late sixties and early seventies, grappling with the repercussions of publicly admitting his homosexuality and struggling to reinvent himself from an aging teen idol, Mineo turned toward increasingly self-destructive behavior. Yet his creative impulses never foundered. He began directing and producing controversial off-Broadway plays that explored social and sexual taboos. He also found personal happiness in a relationship with male actor Courtney Burr. Tragically, on the cusp of turning a new page in his life, Mineo's life was cut short in a botched robbery. Revealing a charming, mischievous, creative, and often scandalous side of Mineo few have known before now, Sal Mineo is an intimate, moving biography of a distinctive Hollywood star.
Poems and Letters: Selections, with the 1550 Vasari Life
by MichelangeloMichelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) is universally celebrated as one of the greatest artists of all time, yet iconic Renaissance creator was also a prolific and gifted poet. The verses collected here are primarily devoted to love and religion. Intense and passionate, the love poems focus on two figures: Tommaso de Cavalieri and Vittoria Colonna; with the sonnets and madrigals dedicated to de Cavalieri revealing a highly charged, homoerotic fervour - previously obscured in the original versions. Michelangelo's later religious poetry moves away from his earlier wordly concerns, while his letters provide a fasicnating insight into his fanily relations and day-to-day life as a working artist. The result is a revealing picture of one of the towering figures of the Renaissance.
Brunette Ambition
by Lea MicheleThe star of the hit show Glee shares her experiences and insider tips on beauty, fashion, inner strength, and more in an illustrated in an illustrated book that's part memoir, part how-to, and part style guide. Lea Michele is one of the hardest working performers in show business. Whether she's starring as Rachel Berry on Glee, rocking a glamorous look on the red carpet, recording her solo album, or acting as the spokesperson for L'Oreal, Lea is the ultimate multi-tasker. She knows better than anyone that it is difficult to be your best self and keep things in perspective when your to-do list is overflowing and you are faced with challenges, so she's developed a foolproof system for remaining healthy and centered. In Brunette Ambition, she reveals the lessons and advice that have worked for her--from beauty and fashion secrets to fitness tips, and career insights. Supplemented with never-before-seen photos and revealing anecdotes, it's the book Lea wishes she'd had in her teens and early twenties: A practical and inspirational guide to harnessing tenacity and passion and living the fullest life, no matter what obstacles life puts in your way.
La ciencia es cosa de mujeres
by Margarita MicheliniLas once científicas uruguayas retratadas en este libro cuentan sus sueños, su día a día, sus logros y sus peajes. No es casualidad que en el nivel más alto del Sistema Nacional de Investigadores haya una mujer por cada 3,4 varones. Tampoco que en los grados iniciales la participación femenina se equipare a la de ellos. Habla de una lógica de obstáculos y prejuicios, más o menos conscientes y vastamente estudiados, que lentamente va cambiando. Las once científicas uruguayas retratadas en este libro cuentan sus sueños, su día a día, sus logros y sus peajes. Estas páginas guardan la esperanza de contagiar a quienes se plantean seguir sus pasos y a los lectores todos, para que puedan darle a su labor el lugar que merece. Sin ellas, la ciencia tendría otro tinte. Trabajan con pasión, la mayoría en silencio, en temas que parecen lejanos y sin embargo repercuten en la vida de todos. Productos naturales que contrarres-ten el uso de plaguicidas, sistemas de información para cuidar el ambiente, el amor por partículas tan imperceptibles como poderosas, el tesón de una loca idea, la estadística aplicada para modelar el comportamiento del SARS-CoV-2 y la carrera para fabricar en Uruguay un kit para detectarlo se cruzan con una científica emprendedora, una doctora del clima especialista en enfrentar temporales, una experta en mecatrónica que hace hablar a las máquinas o una jugadora de elite en las matemáticas. Cuando la creatividad y las neuronas se conjugan con entrega, el resultado no tiene límites.
The Penguin Lessons
by Tom MichellA unique and moving real-life story of the extraordinary bond between a young teacher and a penguin, this book will delight readers who loved Marley & Me, Dewey the Library Cat, The Good Good Pig, and any book by Jon Katz. In 1975, twenty-three-year-old Englishman Tom Michell follows his wanderlust to Argentina, where he becomes assistant master at a prestigious boarding school. But Michell's adventures really begin when, on a weekend in Uraguay, he rescues a penguin covered in oil from an ocean spill, cleans the bird up, and attempts to return him to the sea. But the penguin refuses to leave his rescuer's side. "That was the moment at which he became my penguin, and whatever the future held, we'd face it together," says Michell in this charming memoir. Michell names the penguin Juan Salvador ("John Saved"), but Juan Salvador, as it turns out, is the one who saves Michell. After Michell smuggles the bird back to Argentina and into his campus apartment, word spreads about the young Englishman's unusual roommate. Juan Salvador is suddenly the center of attention--as mascot of the rugby team, confidant to the dorm housekeeper, co-host of Michell's parties, and an unprecedented swimming coach to a shy boy. Even through the collapse of the Perónist government and amid the country's economic and political strife, Juan Salvador brings joy to everyone around him--especially Michell, who considers the affectionate animal a compadre and kindred spirit. Witty and heartwarming, The Penguin Lessons is a classic in the making, a story that is both absurd and wonderful, exactly like Juan Salvador.From the Hardcover edition.
Women Legislators in Central America: Politics, Democracy, and Policy
by Michelle A. Saint-Germain Cynthia Chavez MetoyerDuring the years between 1980 and 1999, in the midst of war and economic crisis, a record number of women were elected to national legislatures in Central American republics. Can quantitative increases in the presence of elected women in Central America produce qualitative political changes? <P><P> In this detailed study, Michelle A. Saint-Germain and Cynthia Chavez Metoyer explore the reasons for this unprecedented political rise of women, and what effect it has had on the region. Focusing on Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, the authors analyze national and regional indicators to evaluate various hypotheses concerning the reasons for women's electoral success in the region, as well as to make comparisons with findings from other world regions. They find that the election of more women depends on three things: the presence of a crisis, a pool of politically experienced women, and a culture of gender consciousness. They also compare the characteristics of Central American women legislators to women in other national legislatures around the world.
Commando to Captain-Generall: The Life of Brigadier Peter Young
by Alison MichelliThis is the story of Brigadier Peter Young (1915–1988), a highly decorated soldier who was one of the founding members of 3 Commando, rising during WWII from 2 Lt to Brigadier in the space of 6 years. His battle honours include Vaagso, Dieppe, Sicily, Italy, Normandy and Burma. A career soldier, he returned to his parent regiment, the Beds and Herts, after the war and subsequently spent time in Palestine where he commanded the 9th Regiment of the Arab Legion under Glubb Pasha. After Suez he returned to England, retiring from the Army in 1959. He founded the War Studies Department at RMA Sandhurst during the 60s, intending to create there a intellectual centre along the lines of a university faculty for the study of military history and to that end gathered around him some of the finest military historians of the day including Richard Holmes, David Chandler and John Adair amongst others. He was instrumental in the forming of The Sealed Knot and is reverred in re-enactment circles. To publicise a book he had written about the English Civil War he organised a publicity stunt which evolved rapidly into the first re-enactment society: The Sealed Knot. An avid war-gamer, his name is legendary in war-gaming circles. 'The Brig' is still a well-known personality even among those too young ever to have met him.
Brennan and Democracy
by Frank I. MichelmanIn Brennan and Democracy, a leading thinker in U.S. constitutional law offers some powerful reflections on the idea of "constitutional democracy," a concept in which many have seen the makings of paradox. Here Frank Michelman explores the apparently conflicting commitments of a democratic governmental system where key aspects of such important social issues as affirmative action, campaign finance reform, and abortion rights are settled not by a legislative vote but by the decisions of unelected judges. Can we--or should we--embrace the values of democracy together with constitutionalism, judicial supervision, and the rule of law? To answer this question, Michelman calls into service the judicial career of Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, the country's model "activist" judge for the past forty years. Michelman draws on Brennan's record and writings to suggest how the Justice himself might have understood the judiciary's role in the simultaneous promotion of both democratic and constitutional government. The first chapter prompts us to reflect on how tough and delicate an act it is for the members of a society to attempt living together as a people devoted to self-government. The second chapter seeks to renew our appreciation for democratic liberal political ideals, and includes an extensive treatment of Brennan's judicial opinions, which places them in relation to opposing communitarian and libertarian positions. Michelman also draws on the views of two other prominent constitutional theorists, Robert Post and Ronald Dworkin, to build a provocative discussion of whether democracy is best conceived as a "procedural" or a "substantive" ideal.
Adventure Philanthropist: Great Adventures Volunteering Abroad
by Erin MichelsonThe plan was there was no plan-visit all seven continents, see what happens. Erin Michelson is a high adventuress, who lives life on the edge. Giving up a successful business, her stake to a house, and all of her possessions,she decides to just take the money and run. Surviving swindlers and saints, she struggles to keep her eyes and heart open. Her escapades not only show us how best to tackle a minefield, how to bathe an elephant, and where to find a string of pearls, but also how to make a world of difference in the lives of those who are most vulnerable. For two years, she volunteers across the globe, searching for an authentic experience and the chance to reach out and leave the world, even just a small part of it, a better place. This is the life of an Adventure Philanthropist!
Looking Like the Enemy (The Young Reader's Edition)
by Maureen R. Michelson Mary Matusda GruenewaldMary Matsuda is a typical 16-year-old girl living on Vashon Island, Washington with her family. On December 7, 1942, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, and Mary's life changes forever. Mary and her brother, Yoneichi, are U.S. citizens, but they are imprisoned, along with their parents, in a Japanese-American internment camp. Mary endures an indefinite sentence behind barbed wire in crowded, primitive camps, struggling for survival and dignity. Mary wonders if they will be killed, or if they will one day return to their beloved home and berry farm. The author tells her story with the passion and spirit of a girl trying to make sense of this terrible injustice to her and her family. Mary captures the emotional and psychological essence of what it was like to grow up in the midst of this profound dislocation, questioning her Japanese and her American heritage. Few other books on this subject come close to the emotional power, raw honesty, and moral significance of this memoir. This personal story provides a touchstone for the young student learning about World War II and this difficult chapter in U.S. history.
The Superwoman and Other Writings by Miriam Michelson
by Miriam MichelsonThe Superwoman and Other Writings by Miriam Michelson is the first collection of newspaper articles and fiction written by Miriam Michelson (1870–1942), best-selling novelist, revolutionary journalist, and early feminist activist. Editor Lori Harrison-Kahan introduces readers to a writer who broke gender barriers in journalism, covering crime and politics for San Francisco’s top dailies throughout the 1890s, an era that consigned most female reporters to writing about fashion and society events. In the book’s foreword, Joan Michelson—Miriam Michelson’s great-great niece, herself a reporter and advocate for women’s equality and advancement—explains that in these trying political times, we need the reminder of how a "girl reporter" leveraged her fame and notoriety to keep the suffrage movement on the front page of the news. In her introduction, Harrison-Kahan draws on a variety of archival sources to tell the remarkable story of a brazen, single woman who grew up as the daughter of Jewish immigrants in a Nevada mining town during the Gold Rush. The Superwoman and Other Writings by Miriam Michelson offers a cross-section of Michelson’s eclectic career as a reporter by showcasing a variety of topics she covered, including the treatment of Native Americans, profiles of suffrage leaders such as Susan B. Anthony and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and police corruption. The book also traces Michelson’s evolution from reporter to fiction writer, reprinting stories such as "In the Bishop’s Carriage" (1904), a scandalous picaresque about a female pickpocket; excerpts from the Saturday Evening Post series, "A Yellow Journalist" (1905), based on Michelson’s own experiences as a reporter in the era of Hearst and Pulitzer; and the title novella, The Superwoman, a trailblazing work of feminist utopian fiction that has been unavailable since its publication in The Smart Set in 1912. Readers will see how Michelson’s newspaper work fueled her imagination as a fiction writer and how she adapted narrative techniques from fiction to create a body of journalism that informs, provokes, and entertains, even a century after it was written.
Happy Feet
by Richard MichelsonOn March 12, 1926, the doors of the Savoy Ballroom swung open in Harlem. It was a night to remember, when blacks and whites, rich and poor, all came together todance! This inspiring story of the world-famous dancing palace and home of the Lindy Hoppers is told from a father to his son, Happy Feet. It's Happy Feet's favorite story--after all, he was born on the very night the Savoy opened. And he hopes that one day he'll make his own dancing debut at the legendary ballroom . . . because with a lot of hard work and a little Savoy magic,anythingis possible. Includes an author's note with biographies of Swing-Era dancers.
One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney Taylor
by Richard MichelsonFor fans of All-of-a-Kind Family, here is the true story of how Sarah Brenner, a poor girl from New York City&’s Lower East Side, became Sydney Taylor: dancer, actress, and successful children&’s book author.Sarah Brenner might have come from an all-of-a-kind family (five sisters who all dressed alike), but she was always one of a kind. Growing up in a Jewish immigrant family on New York&’s impoverished Lower East Side, Sarah loved visiting the library, celebrating holidays with her family, and taking free dance classes at the Henry Street Settlement. But she was always aware of things that weren&’t fair—whether it was that women couldn&’t vote, or how girls were treated in her school, or that her parents had had to leave Europe because they were Jewish. When she grew up, Sarah changed her name to Sydney and became an actress and a dancer, but she never forgot the importance of fighting unfairness, whether it was anti-Semitism at her job or the low wages of workers. And when her daughter complained that it wasn&’t fair that there were no books about Jewish children like her, Sydney put pen to paper and wrote a one-of-a-kind children&’s book.From well-known Jewish children&’s author Richard Michelson, this is the story of how Sarah became Sydney and how she showed children the joy of seeing their culture reflected on the page.
The World Is My Home
by James A. MichenerIn this exceptional memoir, the man himself tells the story of his remarkable life and describes the people, events, and ideas that shaped it. Moving backward and forward across time, he writes about the many strands of his experience: his passion for travel; his lifelong infatuation with literature, music, and painting; his adventures in politics; and the hard work, headaches, and rewards of the writing life. Here at last is the real James Michener: plainspoken, wise, and enormously sympathetic, a man who could truly say, "The world is my home." BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Poland.
The Bridge at Andau: The Compelling True Story of a Brave, Embattled People
by James A. Michener Steve BerryThe Bridge at Andau is James A. Michener at his most gripping. His classic nonfiction account of a doomed uprising is as searing and unforgettable as any of his bestselling novels. For five brief, glorious days in the autumn of 1956, the Hungarian revolution gave its people a glimpse at a different kind of future--until, at four o'clock in the morning on a Sunday in November, the citizens of Budapest awoke to the shattering sound of Russian tanks ravaging their streets. The revolution was over. But freedom beckoned in the form of a small footbridge at Andau, on the Austrian border. By an accident of history it became, for a few harrowing weeks, one of the most important crossings in the world, as the soul of a nation fled across its unsteady planks. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Poland. Praise for The Bridge at Andau "Precise, vivid . . . immeasurably stirring."--The Atlantic Monthly "Dramatic, chilling, enraging."--San Francisco Chronicle "Superb."--Kirkus Reviews "Highly recommended reading."--Library Journal
James A. Michener's Writer's Handbook
by James A. Michener Steve BerryPulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener has written about everything from the pristine islands of the South Pacific and the endless wilds of Africa to Spanish bullfighters, American revolutionaries, and pirates of the Caribbean. Now Michener turns to his favorite and most personal subject: the written word. Reproducing pages from his own handwritten rough drafts and working manuscripts, Michener walks the reader through a step-by-step guide to the entire process of writing, editing, revising, and publishing. Addressing challenges specific to both fiction and nonfiction, all the while providing thoughtful and useful solutions, James A. Michener's Writer's Handbook is an invaluable resource for book lovers, editors, and, of course, writers--aspiring and accomplished alike.
Presidential Lottery
by James A. Michener Steve BerryIn this eye-opening nonfiction account, world-renowned author James A. Michener details the reckless gamble U.S. voters make every four years: trusting the electoral college. In 1968, Michener served as a presidential elector in Pennsylvania. What he witnessed that fall disturbed him so much that he felt compelled to expose the very real potential in this system for a grave injustice with history-altering consequences. Incorporating the wide-ranging insight and universal compassion of Michener's bestselling novels, Presidential Lottery is essential reading for every American concerned about the ever-growing rift between the people and the political process. Praise for Presidential Lottery "Clear, concise, and sensible . . . a thoughtful book on how Americans choose their President."--The New York Times "An urgent appeal."--Kirkus ReviewsFrom the Trade Paperback edition.
Rascals in Paradise: Turbulent Adventures and Bold Courage on the South Seas
by James A. Michener A. Grove DayIn a thrilling collection of nonfiction adventure stories, James A. Michener returns to the most dazzling place on Earth: the islands that inspired Tales of the South Pacific. Co-written with A. Grove Day, Rascals in Paradise offers portraits of ten scandalous men and women, some infamous and some overlooked, including Sam Costock, a mutinous sailor whose delusions of grandeur became a nightmare; Will Mariner, a golden-haired youth who used his charm to win over his captors; and Captain Bligh, the notorious HMS Bounty captain who may not have been the monster history remembers him as. From lifelong buccaneers to lapsed noblemen, in Michener and Day's capable hands these rogues become the stuff of legend. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Poland. Praise for Rascals in Paradise "The best book about those far-scattered islands that has appeared in a long time . . . a portfolio of rare and ruthless personalities that is calculated to make the curliest hair stand straight on end."--The New York Times "[Combines] research and scholarship (A. Grove Day was a professor at the University of Hawaii) with a gift for spinning a yarn and depicting character (Michener, journalist and novelist, needs no introduction)."--Kirkus Reviews
Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students
by Gregory MichieMichie's account of learning to teach in a big and often unwieldy public school system deals honestly with the critical moral issues all teachers must face. While not shying away from hard truths, he lends a measure of hope, humor, and practical insight about the difficult work of teaching for social justice.
Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites
by Debbi Michiko Florence Jamie MichalakLouisiana Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee!Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites is a picture book biography that tells the story of the powerhouse female Japanese-American chef and her rise to fameAs a child and adult, Niki faced many naysayers in her pursuit of haute cuisine. Using the structure of a traditional kaiseki meal, the authors Debbi Michiko Florence and Jamie Michalak playfully detail Niki's hunger for success in thirteen "bites" — from wonton wrappers she used to make pizza as a kid to yuzu-tomatillo sauce in her own upscale Los Angeles Michelin-starred restaurant, n/naka. To anyone who tells her a woman can't be a master chef, Niki lets her food do the talking. And oh, does it talk. Niki was featured on the first season of Netflix's culinary documentary series Chef's Table. And Chrissy Teigen proclaimed that Niki's restaurant was one of her absolute favorites. She's currently a featured teacher on MasterClass.A smart, strong woman with starpower, Niki is only just getting started — like the young readers who will devour this book, featuring illustrations by Yuko Jones!
Masters and Servants
by Pierre Michon Wyatt MasonOne of Pierre Michon's most powerful works, this book imagines decisive moments in the lives of five artists of different times and places: Vincent van Gogh, Francisco Goya, Antoine Watteau, Claude Lorrain, and Lorentino, a little-remembered disciple of Piero della Francesca. Michon focuses on particular moments when artist and model collide, whether that model is a person or a landscape, inner or outer. In the five separate tales he evokes the full passion of the artist's struggle to capture the world in images even as the world resists capture. Each story is a small masterpiece that transcends national boundaries and earns its place among the essential works of world literature.
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: School Desegregation and Resegregation in Charlotte
by Roslyn Arlin Mickelson Stephen Samuel Smith Amy Hawn NelsonYesterday, Today, and Tomorrow provides a compelling analysis of the forces and choices that have shaped the trend toward the resegregation of public schools. By assembling a wide range of contributors--historians, sociologists, economists, and education scholars--the editors provide a comprehensive view of a community's experience with desegregation and economic development. Here we see resegregation through the lens of Charlotte, North Carolina, once a national model of successful desegregation, and home of the landmark Swann desegregation case, which gave rise to school busing. This book recounts the last forty years of Charlotte's desegregation and resegregation, putting education reform in political and economic context. Within a decade of the Swanncase, the district had developed one of the nation's most successful desegregation plans, measured by racial balance and improved academic outcomes for both black and white students. However, beginning in the 1990s, this plan was gradually dismantled. Today, the level of resegregation in Charlotte has almost returned to what it was prior to 1971. At the core of Charlotte's story is the relationship between social structure and human agency, with an emphasis on how yesterday's decisions and actions define today's choices.
American Girls in Red Russia: Chasing the Soviet Dream
by Julia L. MickenbergIf you were an independent, adventurous, liberated American woman in the 1920s or 1930s where might you have sought escape from the constraints and compromises of bourgeois living? Paris and the Left Bank quickly come to mind. But would you have ever thought of Russia and the wilds of Siberia? This choice was not as unusual as it seems now. As Julia L. Mickenberg uncovers in American Girls in Red Russia, there is a forgotten counterpoint to the story of the Lost Generation: beginning in the late nineteenth century, Russian revolutionary ideology attracted many women, including suffragists, reformers, educators, journalists, and artists, as well as curious travelers. Some were famous, like Isadora Duncan or Lillian Hellman; some were committed radicals, though more were just intrigued by the “Soviet experiment.” But all came to Russia in search of social arrangements that would be more equitable, just, and satisfying. And most in the end were disillusioned, some by the mundane realities, others by horrifying truths. Mickenberg reveals the complex motives that drew American women to Russia as they sought models for a revolutionary new era in which women would be not merely independent of men, but also equal builders of a new society. Soviet women, after all, earned the right to vote in 1917, and they also had abortion rights, property rights, the right to divorce, maternity benefits, and state-supported childcare. Even women from Soviet national minorities—many recently unveiled—became public figures, as African American and Jewish women noted. Yet as Mickenberg’s collective biography shows, Russia turned out to be as much a grim commune as a utopia of freedom, replete with economic, social, and sexual inequities. American Girls in Red Russia recounts the experiences of women who saved starving children from the Russian famine, worked on rural communes in Siberia, wrote for Moscow or New York newspapers, or performed on Soviet stages. Mickenberg finally tells these forgotten stories, full of hope and grave disappointments.