Anarchists in Love : A Novel

Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman bring revolutionary idealism to attempts at love, political violence, and utopia in this compelling novel based on a true story.

New York City, 1890. The “Gilded Age” is not golden for all. Emma Goldman has just fled a loveless marriage to join the fight for women’s liberation; Alexander “Sasha” Berkman is studying a new system of thought called anarchism. Both are young immigrants, terribly poor, and ready to take radical steps to free the working class from misery and exploitation. After they meet by chance at a café, a passionate and tumultuous romance begins. When the shocking news arrives that industrialist Henry C. Frick ordered the fatal shootings of striking steelworkers, Emma and Sasha’s shared belief in the “propaganda of the deed” draws them into a bold and violent plan.

Anarchists in Love is the first work of fiction about this captivating and ultimately tragic love affair. Robert Hough (The Final Confession of Mabel Stark) uses his expertise in “fiction that is thoroughly researched and possessed with a vibrant moral heartbeat” (The National Post) to cast light on the desperation and insurgence of this politically charged historical moment—and illuminate the striking similarities to our present day.