Jessica Mitford Reihenfolge der Bücher

'Enthralling and gloriously honest' SUNDAY TIMESThe captivating letters by the most idiosyncratic, witty and irrepressible of the notorious Mitford sisters.

Examining the complexities and absurdities of the American prison system, this book delves into its delusions and unique operations. Through a critical lens, it reveals the often overlooked realities of incarceration in the United States, providing insights into the motivations and consequences of the prison industry. First published in 1974, it remains a significant exploration of the societal and institutional dynamics at play within the correctional landscape.

Jessica Mitford was a member of one of England’s most legendary families (among her sisters were the novelist Nancy Mitford and the current Duchess of Devonshire) and one of the great muckraking journalists of modern times. Leaving England for America, she pursued a career as an investigative reporter and unrepentant gadfly, publicizing not only the misdeeds of, most famously, the funeral business (The American Way of Death, a bestseller) and the prison business (Kind and Usual Punishment), but also of writing schools and weight-loss programs. Mitford’s diligence, unfailing skepticism, and acid pen made her one of the great chroniclers of the mischief people get up to in the pursuit of profit and the name of good. Poison Penmanship collects seventeen of Mitford’s finest pieces—about everything from crummy spas to network-TV censorship—and fills them out with the story of how she got the scoop and, no less fascinating, how the story developed after publication. The book is a delight to read: few journalists have ever been as funny as Mitford, or as gifted at getting around in those dark, cobwebbed corners where modern America fashions its shiny promises. It’s also an unequaled and necessary manual of the fine art of investigative reporting.

Wenige Familien aus der englischen Aristokratie vereinten die dünkelhaften, hinterweltlichen, aber auch die zuweilen radikal unkonventionellen Züge dieser Gesellschaftsschicht in so burlesker Konzentration auf sich wie die Mitfords in den dreißiger Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts. Die Töchter aus diesem guten Hause heirateten Brauereierben und Faschisten, waren glühende Bewunderinnen von Adolf Hitler, gingen auf die Fuchsjagd und endlose Cocktailpartys – oder aber sie zogen für die Republik in den Spanischen Bürgerkrieg. Letzteres tat Jessica Mitford, die mit ihren Memoiren eines der vielleicht schönsten, komischsten und boshaftesten Porträts nicht nur ihres exzentrisch reaktionären Elternhauses schrieb. »Eine hinreißende Autobiografie.« Susanne Mayer, Die Zeit