The Mitford Sisters

The five Mitford sisters, born and raised in an upper class family in early 20th century England, had an unconventional childhood dominated by an eccentric father. They were bright, but went in completely different directions. Nancy Mitford (1904-1973) was the author of amusing, gently satirical, often somewhat autobiographical novels about the British upper class, such as "The Pursuit of Love," "Love in a Cold Climate," and "Don't Tell Alfred." I have thoroughly enjoyed these delightful novels and have read some of them more than once over the years. Jessica Mitford (1917-1996) was a one-time Communist and longtime leftist who worked for civil rights and did much investigative reporting, most famously on the American funeral industry, in a book titled "The American Way of Death." She spent much of her life in Oakland, California, and I was fortunate to hear her speak and to meet and chat with her a little at the reception afterward at my university. Two of the other sisters, Unity and Diane, went in the completely opposite direction, being politically of the British Fascist Party and both close friends of Hitler's. Only the fifth sister, Deborah, led a fairly "normal" life. It is startling to see how one set of sisters, who despite everything, remained (mostly) close to each other, went in such shockingly different directions.