American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans

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American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans

by Eve LaPlante (Goodreads Author)

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 317 ratings · 66 reviews

Anne Hutchinson, a forty-six- year-old midwife who was pregnant with her sixteenth child, stood before forty male judges of the Massachusetts General Court, charged with heresy and sedition. In a time when women could not vote, hold public office, or teach outside the home, the charismatic Hutchinson wielded remarkable political power. Her unconventional ideas had attracte...more Anne Hutchinson, a forty-six- year-old midwife who was pregnant with her sixteenth child, stood before forty male judges of the Massachusetts General Court, charged with heresy and sedition. In a time when women could not vote, hold public office, or teach outside the home, the charismatic Hutchinson wielded remarkable political power. Her unconventional ideas had attracted a following of prominent citizens eager for social reform. Hutchinson defended herself brilliantly, but the judges, faced with a perceived threat to public order, banished her for behaving in a manner "not comely for [her] sex."

Until now, Hutchinson has been a polarizing figure in American history and letters, attracting either disdain or exaltation. Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was haunted by the "sainted" Hutchinson, used her as a model for Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Much of the praise for her, however, is muted by a wish to domesticate the heroine: the bronze statue of Hutchinson at the Massachusetts State House depicts a prayerful mother -- eyes raised to heaven, a child at her side -- rather than a woman of power standing alone before humanity and God. Her detractors, starting with her neighbor John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts, referred to her as "the instrument of Satan," the new Eve, the "disturber of Israel," a witch, "more bold than a man," and Jezebel -- the ancient Israeli queen who, on account of her tremendous political power, was "the most evil woman" in the Bible.

Written by one of Hutchinson's direct descendants, American Jezebel brings both balance and perspective to Hutchinson's story. It captures this American heroine's life in all its complexity, presenting her not as a religious fanatic, a cardboard feminist, or a raging crank -- as some have portrayed her -- but as a flesh-and-blood wife, mother, theologian, and political leader.

Opening in a colonial courtroom, American Jezebel moves back in time to Hutchinson's childhood in Elizabethan England, exploring intimate details of her marriage and family life. The book narrates her dramatic expulsion from Massachusetts, after which her judges, still threatened by her challenges, promptly built Harvard College to enforce religious and social orthodoxies -- making her midwife to the nation's first college. In exile, she settled Rhode Island (which later merged with Roger Williams's Providence Plantation), becoming the only woman ever to co-found an American colony.

The seeds of the American struggle for women's and human rights can be found in the story of this one woman's courageous life. American Jezebel illuminates the origins of our modern concepts of religious freedom, equal rights, and free speech, and showcases an extraordinary woman whose achievements are astonishing by the standards of any era.(less)

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published March 2nd 2004 by HarperOne (first published March 2004)

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Apr 27, 2008 Julie Bell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

I understand that this was a difficult read; there were lots of details and it was hard to put the whole picture together. Many rabbit trails. However, I must say that I'm very glad to have read this book and am very happy to know about Anne Hutchinson's life. I'm fairly amazed all that she accomplished and really surprised that I never knew about her, before. She is not a feminist that waves a NOW sign and burns her bra, but she is an assertive, intelligent person who happens to be a woman. If...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

dude, this book is so sweet. It has given me a solid sense of the history of the Europeans who settled what is now Boston. It's fun to read about what happened in the place you currently live. As someone employed peripherally by Harvard, it's also funny to think about what LaPlante says near the beginning of the book -- that Harvard college was essentially founded to protect the MENZ Important Learnings from Evil Womenz Witches like Anne Hutchinson.

This book stirs pride in my little heart for a...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

I like Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643) . She challenged the social order and made a difference. The rigid religious order to which she subscribed, Puritan, allowed only "educated men" to act in the role of spiritual overseer or pastor. She predated John Wesley in advocating that no intermediary or overseer was required and that the individual could obtain God's grace without help from others. And in so doing she challenged the concept of denominations or at least the concept of "the right" denominat...more I like Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643) . She challenged the social order and made a difference. The rigid religious order to which she subscribed, Puritan, allowed only "educated men" to act in the role of spiritual overseer or pastor. She predated John Wesley in advocating that no intermediary or overseer was required and that the individual could obtain God's grace without help from others. And in so doing she challenged the concept of denominations or at least the concept of "the right" denomination.

"American Jezebel" is a term coined by John Winthrop, many-time governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and head judge at the banishment trial of Anne Hutchinson. The term is pejorative. "Halley's Bible Handbook" describes Jezebel, the wife of Ahab and the most wicked king of Israel, as imperious, unscrupulous, vindictive, devilish, determined, and demon incarnate (see 1st Kings 16:29-22:40).

Anne Hutchinson, who was banished from Massachusetts, is an inspiration. She was a woman of extraordinary ability as well as an "intersecting point" during the development of America. She had to be tough. Life and survival in New England were not easy. Further, she gave birth to 15 children or one birth every 18 months. Had she not run afoul of the rigid male-only Puritan pastorate, we would not know much, if anything, about her since women in her time were placed in subservient roles that made them invisible to history. Women of her time were typically uneducated, could not write their own name, were not allowed to perform in the role of pastor, and were expected to defer to their husbands in all matters. In contrast, Anne was educated, knowledgeable, outspoken, firm in her beliefs, and competent in a couple of ancient languages. She was one of those people who could challenge anyone at being "the smartest person in the room". Terms that would apply to her are: principled, capable, competent, devote, formidable, courageous, confident, midwife, wife, mother, durable and chutzpah. Her husband, of whom we know not much, was a good provider and had to be very supportive and the right one for her.

The transcripts from the banishment trial, which form the basis for the book, are wonderful. Here is a lone pregnant woman, forced to stand throughout, holding her own against an ecclesiastical court of male judges. The trial was no small thing, they could have hanged her, as they did others, convicted her of witchcraft and so forth. The book reports that this trial was the motivation for the founding of Harvard University as a means to insure that the male-only learned pastorate were all taught to voice the same message. John Harvard is presented as a non-entity in that he provided the funds to build the university and then, like something Tolstoy might have observed, died.

Upon her banishment from Massachusetts,she, together with family and followers, walked, during the winter, to Rhode Island where they founded Portsmouth, RI (then the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations). Later, upon learning that Massachusetts might take over Rhode Island, she, a few years following the death of her husband, moved to New Amsterdam (around what is now Pelham, NY). She, along with most of the members of her household, were murdered during a retaliatory raid by Indians which in turn was a response to a raid by the Dutch wherein 80 men, women and children of the marauding tribe were massacred. The only survivor was a daughter who was subsequently re-united a few years later, reluctantly the author reports, with her Puritan brethren. Banishment seems to have propagated a number of colonies including New Hampshire and Rhode Island.(less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Christine added it

The author of this book started off professing her intention to make the book a neutral examination of Anne Hutchinson's life. While I will give her the credit for trying, she did not succeed. Her feminist hero worship of Anne and, what seemed to me to be a distain of religion made the task all but impossible for her.

This is not to say the book is without merit. I may have learned a great deal about the way early Puritan settlements worked and how their members viewed the world. I say may becau...more The author of this book started off professing her intention to make the book a neutral examination of Anne Hutchinson's life. While I will give her the credit for trying, she did not succeed. Her feminist hero worship of Anne and, what seemed to me to be a distain of religion made the task all but impossible for her.

This is not to say the book is without merit. I may have learned a great deal about the way early Puritan settlements worked and how their members viewed the world. I say may because these are topics I am not well versed in, however; I am very well versed in Catholicism and you cannot discuss early Protestant churches without mentioning Catholicism. The author’s statements about Catholic theology were often so simplistic as to be disingenuous and occasionally were just flat wrong. Coupling this with the aforementioned apparent distain of religion in general I can't really trust that anything she said about Puritans, Pilgrims and other separatists was accurate.

The author’s thoughts on the troubles of authority in dealing with a woman who has gained power for herself in a society that cannot admit that women have any power was interesting, but of course colored by her feminism. I also found it interesting that she never addressed what seemed pretty clear to me, namely the possibility that Anne was a woman whose religious fanaticism was probably rooted in mental illness of some sort or another, however the author is a descendent of Anne so it would hardly do to call your super great grandmother (a fact she mentions constantly) a wingnut.

The last chapter of the book cast aside all pretense of impartiality and turned into a classic 1970's rant where in the author listed many of Anne's famous descendents, several presidents, teachers etc etc and then descended into a incredibly boring and unoriginal screed about how we still haven't had a woman in the White House, men are evil and oppressive... yada yada yada and then my eyes glazed over and I just skipped the rest.

.

Due to the limited amount available on Anne Hutchinson I would say read this book if you come across it... but don't buy it new.(less)

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Nov 23, 2012 John Bascom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-books, myreviews

A good and interesting historical non-fiction book about Anne Hutchinson, a member of the Boston Puritan community in the mid-sixteen hundreds.

Viewed by some as the mother of the American feminist movement, Hutchinson was outspoken, iconoclastic, opinionated and charismatic; characteristics that were unthinkable for a Puritan woman of that era. For her trouble she was excommunicated, imprisoned, banished and ultimately killed in the aftermath. Her "crimes" were to espouse an alternate opinion to...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

I love my book club dearly and love the challenges it offers. Let's face it--I never would have chosen this book for myself (even though I agreed it sounded interesting) and I certainly would NEVER, EVER have finished it without the pressure of the club. That said--this was the worst book I read in 2010. And yes, I did start this in 2010. Like in October. And I didn't finish it until the last day of January 2011 (because I told myself this could NOT drag into February).

The topic is interesting....more

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Jun 05, 2009 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is an interesting examination of the trial of Anne Hutchinson by the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for heresy in holding meetings in her home to share her interpretations of what the preachers had taught and what the Bible said.

In the process of this examination, the author gives brief, and in some cases, not-so-brief, descriptions of the lives and histories of not only Anne and her family members, but also many of the other people in New England at that time--those who were on he...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Bridget rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-group, nonfiction

If I could, I'd give this 2 1/2 stars. I liked it, but parts of it were slow. The most interesting part was Anne Hutchinson's trial. The book begins with the start of the trial, but its progress is frequently interrupted by chapters of backstory. I can't think of a narrative structure that would have worked better, but I frequently felt frustrated when such a break would come just as I'd gotten absorbed.

There were also some speculative moments where the author said things like "Anne Hutchinson...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 2013

I was prompted to read this book when my 5th grade daughter chose Anne Hutchinson for a research project, and I had never even heard of her. Hutchinson was a 17th century Massachusetts colonist who was banished and excommunicated ostensibly for her unorthodox beliefs but mainly because her intellect and certitude threatened the Puritan power structure. And the men in charge did not like being schooled by a woman. LaPlante's book argues that she is our "founding mother," one of the progenitors of...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Beth Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'd like to give it four stars because of the material and the thoroughness of the research. But lots of the book is really hard going, with flashbacks and side trails and discussions of rather arcane religious philosophies. However, Anne Hutchinson is a fascinating character; I knew her name and a tiny bit about her but was amazed by her intellect, resolve, and refusal to back down before the leaders of the Mass. Bay Colony. Perhaps Anne deserves another book that humanizes her and lets the rea...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Robert Pajer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Eve Laplante’s American Jezebel is an engaging exposition of one of America’s most notable forgotten women, Anne Hutchinson. Creating vivid scenes of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island, the Dutch occupied New Amsterdam (later to become New York), and through historical flashbacks, Laplante manages to draw the reader into the, at times, laborious and uneven narrative structure of the Hutchinson trial. It quickly becomes evident that the real issue for then Governor John Winthrop is not th...more

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Dec 10, 2007 Xysea rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: history buffs, feminists. theologians

Shelves: biography, non-fiction, book-on-home-shelf

A great book about an extraordinary woman!

She is the basis for Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter. Quite scandalous at the time, she did manage to successfully survive the Puritan onslaught.
This book is the story of how she did it.

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Sep 04, 2011 Jonelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion, history, women, biography

I was really interested in reading something about Anne Hutchinson and Anne Bradstreet after reading Geraldine Brooks' excellent new book "Caleb's Crossing". This book, "American Jezebel", not only provided background on Hutchinson (and a little for Bradstreet), but also helped deepen my understanding of why America is so schizophenic about religion and the role of women in society. While the book was a bit of a slog at times, Anne Hutchinson's story is unbelieveable. Born in England and sailing...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Alexandra rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was dying to read this book for ages when I saw in the college library because I'm an Americanist by training and my major field of study is American Religious History. Further, I'm one of those obnoxious souls who can read a book about Puritan New England and discover that some intrepid historian has dug-up one of my ancestors being saved or hanged, depending on the day. Growing-up in Massachusetts, Anne Hutchinson is one of the state's more (infamous) characters who always fascinated me and...more I was dying to read this book for ages when I saw in the college library because I'm an Americanist by training and my major field of study is American Religious History. Further, I'm one of those obnoxious souls who can read a book about Puritan New England and discover that some intrepid historian has dug-up one of my ancestors being saved or hanged, depending on the day. Growing-up in Massachusetts, Anne Hutchinson is one of the state's more (infamous) characters who always fascinated me and I was excited, after reading the transcript of her trial, to read a biography of her at last. That is where my excitement ended.

The only legitimacy to this text is that it was written by Eve LaPlante, a tenth generation descendant of Anne Hutchinson. Well-educated, yes, legitimate claim and family lore, yes, all elements necessary to produce a commercial biography of Anne Hutchinson. Throughout the text, I felt as if I was re-reading the trial transcripts, paraphrased, with a few embellishments to extend the text. Throughout, only one historian was repeatedly cited by LaPlante, David Hall. I read Hall's work, I love it, but he is certainly not the only Early Americanist, a field that is thoroughly mined! Surely there were other historians LaPlante could cite? It struck me as very lazy scholarship and I do not know how this went to press with Hall cited every time an assertion or factoid about Puritan New England was mentioned in the text.

I knew John Cotton was a coward and John Winthrop's obsession with Anne would have made for a fascinating chapter on its own. That particular thread running through the entire text made for some intriguing moments, but never fully developed. It is obvious that Winthrop found Anne to be a threat, but his lifelong obsession with her is pathological and has the potential to be a fascinating project.

Overall, the book was a tremendous disappointment.I slogged through it, but only because it was one of those texts where you hope it will get better and never quite does. I certainly fell prey to the marketing campaign that emphasizes the author's expertise via her family tree. I realise that the historical record is limited for Puritan women's voices, but someone like Anne deserves a more nuanced treatment of her life and a better study of the scope of her influence and her legacy. Perhaps that would be a more appropriate angle to approach her life, rather than what "American Jezebel" delivered.(less)

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Jan 08, 2011 Phair rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club, memoirs-biography

Was not overwhelmed by this book- far too much of the religious doctrine and not as much about the woman herself, especially lacking in coverage of her time in Rhode Island. The then & now maps were especially useful and I liked how the author went into what remains now, who went where after events in the book and who/where her descendants were. Can't say I was as impressed by Hutchinson as I expected to be apart from her drive to be recognized for her opinions despite being a 'mere woman'....more

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May 15, 2009 Kristine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-or-biography

Anne Hutchinson's life story came to life for me in this book, writtten by one of Hutchinson's descendants. Hutchinson must have been physically strong in addition to being intellectually gifted. She left England with a husband who was a LOVE-Match and a horde of children (she had a bunch more in America). She lived in colonial Mass. -- Cotton Mather was sympathetic -- where she conducted home study circles of sorts for women-- that was allowed by the Puritan authorities --John Winthrop and the...more

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Sep 01, 2009 Sheri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: misc

Anne Hutchinson has an amazing story. She was not afraid to stand up for her beliefs even though in the 17th century, women really did not exist or have "public" lives. I was captivated for the first half of the book but then the writing style and recanting of the numerous meetings held on what to do with Anne became a bit tedious. I ended up skimming for the last half of the book. I'm glad I skimmed rather than just put the book down - I did not realize how her life ended nor the wealth of prog...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

Anne Hutchinson, a forty-six- year-old midwife who was pregnant with her sixteenth child, stood before forty male judges of the Massachusetts General Court, charged with heresy and sedition. In a time when women could not vote, hold public office, or teach outside the home, the charismatic Hutchinson wielded remarkable political power. Her unconventional ideas had attracted a following of prominent citizens eager for social reform. Hutchinson defended herself brilliantly, but the judges, faced w...more Anne Hutchinson, a forty-six- year-old midwife who was pregnant with her sixteenth child, stood before forty male judges of the Massachusetts General Court, charged with heresy and sedition. In a time when women could not vote, hold public office, or teach outside the home, the charismatic Hutchinson wielded remarkable political power. Her unconventional ideas had attracted a following of prominent citizens eager for social reform. Hutchinson defended herself brilliantly, but the judges, faced with a perceived threat to public order, banished her for behaving in a manner "not comely for her] sex." Until now, Hutchinson has been a polarizing figure in American history and letters, attracting either disdain or exaltation. Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was haunted by the "sainted" Hutchinson, used her as a model for Hester Prynne in "The Scarlet Letter." Much of the praise for her, however, is muted by a wish to domesticate the heroine: the bronze statue of Hutchinson at the Massachusetts State House depicts a prayerful mother -- eyes raised to heaven, a child at her side -- rather than a woman of power standing alone before humanity and God. Her detractors, starting with her neighbor John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts, referred to her as "the instrument of Satan," the new Eve, the "disturber of Israel," a witch, "more bold than a man," and Jezebel -- the ancient Israeli queen who, on account of her tremendous political power, was "the most evil woman" in the Bible.

Written by one of Hutchinson's direct descendants, "American Jezebel" brings both balance and perspective to Hutchinson's story. It captures this American heroine's life in all its complexity, presenting hernot as a religious fanatic, a cardboard feminist, or a raging crank -- as some have portrayed her -- but as a flesh-and-blood wife, mother, theologian, and political leader.

Opening in a colonial courtroom, "American Jezebel" moves back in time to Hutchinson's childhood in Elizabethan England, exploring intimate details of her marriage and family life. The book narrates her dramatic expulsion from Massachusetts, after which her judges, still threatened by her challenges, promptly built Harvard College to enforce religious and social orthodoxies -- making her midwife to the nation's first college. In exile, she settled Rhode Island (which later merged with Roger Williams's Providence Plantation), becoming the only woman ever to co-found an American colony.

The seeds of the American struggle for women's and human rights can be found in the story of this one woman's courageous life. "American Jezebel" illuminates the origins of our modern concepts of religious freedom, equal rights, and free speech, and showcases an extraordinary woman whose achievements are astonishing by the standards of any era.(less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: enlightenment-era

Interesting book about an outspoken and courageous woman who I knew too little about. (Given that I had ancestors living in Massachusetts during this very period, a rather egregious error, although I don't know if my ancestors had any contact with the Hutchinsons.)

Her trials and tragically brutal death finished off a woman who seems quite admirable.

Having completed the book the author's claim that she is trying to be impartial about her ancestor seems rather laughable. It's a clear case of hero-...more

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May 10, 2013 J.l. Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars

The life of Anne Hutchinson is fascinating, especially as contrasted with today. The fact that a woman would be put on trial and then legally banished because she dared to be self-educated and to speak her opinions to men seems unfathomable today. Those who came to this country 400 years ago seeking freedom and liberty apparently did not see their own hypocrisy. The shining city on the hill was not meant for everyone. On the other hand, very few women of her time were allowed a platform to speak...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Giedra rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was very slow going for me, but I'm still glad I read it. The author, a descendant of Anne Hutchinson, describes the trial of Anne Hutchinson that was conducted in early 17th c. Boston on the charges basically of "preaching" but probably more accurately, of speaking critically about other local preachers. The author reviews written records of the trial, as well as personal correspondence/memoirs of many of the key players in order to write her history, and fills in the edges with other...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Cindy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, religion, history, 17th-century, 10-10-10

Themes: gender roles, religion, separation of church and state, individual freedom versus community
Setting: Massachusetts 1638 or so

Anne Hutchinson was a terrible threat to the Puritan fathers of Boston. She discussed scriptures. And she was a woman. That's really about it. She also didn't agree with them, but I think even if she had, the idea that a woman was perfectly capable of reading, writing, reasoning, and preaching was going to make them very uncomfortable, no matter what else she did.

Th...more

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Jan 30, 2009 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, biography

I really enjoyed this book. LaPlante was thorough in her research even to the point of painting pictures in the minds of the reader about what Hutchinson's walk to the court house would have beem like.

You really see how harsh authoritarian leaders can be with a Bible in their hands. In an effort to protect their doctrine which they believed to be the truth of Christ, they ended up going to far and not acting like Jesus at all. I know they all lived in a different culture and that people learn fr...more

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Dec 05, 2012 David Eppenstein rated it 3 of 5 stars

A biography of Anne Hutchinson whose life can properly be characterized as that of our first Feminist. The book deals greatly with the religious tenets of the early Pilgrims and that was rather ponderous but necessary since religion was the reason for the storied conflict. Could a woman, a female, be entrusted and qualified to preach to the people. Anne thought yes, the male hierarchy thought otherwise.

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Jan 27, 2013 Jennifer Craig rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to rate this book higher as I am fond of its subject (my 11th great grandmother) and her fascinating life. While the author has certainly conducted extensive research, her writing style makes this a challenging read. In some ways it appears the author's research and knowledge is so vast that she focused more on including details rather than telling the most engaging story. This book did peak my interest in the theological debates of the time, although I found myself wanting to know more...more

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Dec 15, 2008 Jess Boynton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book even if it was a bit dry in areas. I don't know if it was more interesting to me b/c she was my great (something) grand-mother. She produced a great many political and religious leaders throughout American history. She almost feels like an American mother b/c of how many of her desendents followed in her footsteps. She was a truly amazing woman.

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Mar 27, 2010 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-history

What I liked about this book is what I learned about who Anne Hutchinson was and why she had the courage to defy the Puritans. This was a much more rigid and intolerant society than I ever before realized. Anne was a good Christian woman who knew the Bible as well as her accusers. She had common sense, a supportive husband, and a loving family to stand behind her. Her demise was shocking, after all she'd been through. I appreciated the author's research skills, but did not enjoy her literary sty...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Marguerite rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book about a local legend in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. I would love to see Eve LaPlante's ancestry. I heard it is in her newest book.
I lived right next to Founder's Brook and often thought of Anne Hutchinson. The Portsmouth Library has artifacts from the original dwelling place of the Founders. Love it!

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Jun 30, 2012 Karla rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am not a very good history reader because, well, I love fiction! However, LePlante does a fine job of weaving together the story of Anne Hutchinson with source materials and narrative. There is also so much about the puritans, early Boston, etc. This is a GREAT book, and I am so happy that I stuck with it!

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Jan 09, 2013 Granny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Well-researched, well-written biography of one of my role models. To my surprise, turns out she is also my 10X-great-grandmother. It is a fascinating tale of courage -- a woman who dared to challenge church authority and the status of women in Puritan New England. This one will stay on my bookshelf!

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About Eve LaPlante

MARMEE & LOUISA, Eve LaPlante's dual biography of Louisa May Alcott and her mother, Abigail May Alcott, came out in 2012. Simon & Schuster simultaneously published MY HEART IS BOUNDLESS, the first compilation of the private papers of Abigail, the real "Marmee."

Eve wrote two previous biographies, AMERICAN JEZEBEL and SALEM WITCH JUDGE, the winner of the 2008 Massachusetts Book Award for No...more

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Books by Eve LaPlante

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