jessicammajors's review
3.0
history, theology, religious liberty, and more! we should all have learned about the 1600s American girl boss, Anne Hutchinson!!! quite dense and sometimes repetitive, but very interesting overall and was worth the read for me!
margaretefg's review
3.0
LaPlante gives us a lot of the backstory of Anne Hutchinson's life and trial, although the narrative goes back and forth in time, which can be confusing. LaPlante has done extensive research (great bibliography, references, but no footnotes). Sometimes she speculates beyond what her research could show, especially when she comes up with Bible passages Hutchinson might have been thinking when excommunicated from the church in Boston. She's a descendant of Hutchinson and credits her with being the impetus for the founding of Harvard as well as the source of American ideas about freedom of conscience.
crabbytaco's review against another edition
2.0
While the subject was interesting, the book moved way too slow.
tiffanie39e8e's review
1.0
Good lord, this was boring! The author got so bogged down in irrelevant details and overly-long direct quotes that she forgot to make an actual point.
andrea_rebekah42's review
4.0
When I read nonfiction, the books I tend to be interested in are usually about theology, history, or feminism. This biography contains all of that and more. I knew very little about Anne Hutchinson before reading this and came away with deep respect for the woman who consistently held her ground against the men who wanted her silenced and banished. Eve LaPlante did a nice job providing vivid historical, cultural, and religious context which made Hutchinson's story feel as relevant as ever. Though she lived over four centuries ago, Hutchinson's journery is an important one. Her voice mattered then, and it matters now.
alex_ellermann's review
3.0
This book should be required reading in my sons' high school history classes, for two big reasons.
First, I live on Aquidneck Island, just a few miles from the site of Anne Hutchinson's home in Portsmouth. Hutchinson's followers founded the first Colonial settlement on Aquidneck Island, after purchasing it from the local Native American tribal chiefs. We're talking about a major figure in this island's history, and I'm pretty sure my oldest son got all the way through high school without once hearing her name. Second, Hutchinson may have been the most powerful woman in early Colonial New England. She is the mother of Rhode Island, and boys need early exposure to important women who get $#!^ done.
Why only three stars for a book I clearly consider important? Author Eve LaPLante, herself a Hutchinson descendant, focuses far too much on minute-by-minute accounts of Hutchinson's civil and religious trials. Granted, these trials were transcribed, providing a vivid account for subsequent generations of writers and readers. Rich as this field may be, however, I as the reader grew tired of the blow-by-blow. "I get it," I thought. "She got railroaded." Second, LaPlante inserts her own imagination into Hutchinson's story. We don't know that her children spilled off the boat that took her to her last home, in the Bronx, running and laughing after impatiently bearing the confinement of a few days of shipboard life. They probably did, sure, but I prefer verifiable information in my histories. That said, I'll be first in line at the book signing should LaPlante wish to revisit her subject with a historical novel.
While I found that these quibbles detracted from my reading experience, I still hold that 'American Jezebel' should be required reading for local schoolchildren. Anne Hutchinson was an iconoclast, a pioneer, an intellectual, and a feminist before feminism was a thing. Her story must be told.
Recommended for: New Englanders and New Yorkers.
First, I live on Aquidneck Island, just a few miles from the site of Anne Hutchinson's home in Portsmouth. Hutchinson's followers founded the first Colonial settlement on Aquidneck Island, after purchasing it from the local Native American tribal chiefs. We're talking about a major figure in this island's history, and I'm pretty sure my oldest son got all the way through high school without once hearing her name. Second, Hutchinson may have been the most powerful woman in early Colonial New England. She is the mother of Rhode Island, and boys need early exposure to important women who get $#!^ done.
Why only three stars for a book I clearly consider important? Author Eve LaPLante, herself a Hutchinson descendant, focuses far too much on minute-by-minute accounts of Hutchinson's civil and religious trials. Granted, these trials were transcribed, providing a vivid account for subsequent generations of writers and readers. Rich as this field may be, however, I as the reader grew tired of the blow-by-blow. "I get it," I thought. "She got railroaded." Second, LaPlante inserts her own imagination into Hutchinson's story. We don't know that her children spilled off the boat that took her to her last home, in the Bronx, running and laughing after impatiently bearing the confinement of a few days of shipboard life. They probably did, sure, but I prefer verifiable information in my histories. That said, I'll be first in line at the book signing should LaPlante wish to revisit her subject with a historical novel.
While I found that these quibbles detracted from my reading experience, I still hold that 'American Jezebel' should be required reading for local schoolchildren. Anne Hutchinson was an iconoclast, a pioneer, an intellectual, and a feminist before feminism was a thing. Her story must be told.
Recommended for: New Englanders and New Yorkers.
vtchris's review
3.0
This book was recommended as suggested continued reading following my reading of [b:The Scarlet Letter|12296|The Scarlet Letter|Nathaniel Hawthorne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404810944l/12296._SY75_.jpg|4925227], but Anne Hutchinson bears little resemblance to Hester Prynne.
I am hesitant to classify this as history. The author makes some startlingly "un-historian" statements like "Undeterred, she [Anne] challenged him to predict what day the ship would arrive in Boston, a date **she knew because it had been revealed to her** during her Scripture study." (pg 64, asterisks added for emphasis) at times makes this seem more like a religious/devotional work than a work of history.
Others reviews on this work indicating it can be difficult to get through at times are accurate. A couple chapters delved a bit too far into the theological aspects of Anne's thoughts. Although an understanding of her thoughts is important, this deep dive was a bit too much. While reading these chapters I was very much reminded about [b:Gulliver's Travels|7733|Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427829692l/7733._SY75_.jpg|2394716] which provided a satirical take on the current state of religious affairs in England during this period; likening the arguments over Protestantism vs Catholicism to the arguments of the Lilliputians over which end of an egg to crack. I just don't care to read this much about how Eve LaPlante is a little-endian (the bias is palpable).
For those that persevere I will say that several chapters are much more interesting! Chapter 10 on the Black Death proves very interesting during this time of Coronavirus. And I am inspired to read more about Roger Williams as he was truly ahead of his time recognizing that "it was wrong to punish or remove people for their beliefs" (p212).
In addition, it was fascinating to read about the intolerance of differing beliefs, ex-communication, wanton murder of Quakers/Anabaptists/etc that would not stay out of Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the punishment by mutilation through the amputation of ears (p252). It is sad that these so-called "puritans" fled Europe due to persecution were only too willing to visit persecution on others in a manner not inconsistent with Sharia Law.
I am hesitant to classify this as history. The author makes some startlingly "un-historian" statements like "Undeterred, she [Anne] challenged him to predict what day the ship would arrive in Boston, a date **she knew because it had been revealed to her** during her Scripture study." (pg 64, asterisks added for emphasis) at times makes this seem more like a religious/devotional work than a work of history.
Others reviews on this work indicating it can be difficult to get through at times are accurate. A couple chapters delved a bit too far into the theological aspects of Anne's thoughts. Although an understanding of her thoughts is important, this deep dive was a bit too much. While reading these chapters I was very much reminded about [b:Gulliver's Travels|7733|Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427829692l/7733._SY75_.jpg|2394716] which provided a satirical take on the current state of religious affairs in England during this period; likening the arguments over Protestantism vs Catholicism to the arguments of the Lilliputians over which end of an egg to crack. I just don't care to read this much about how Eve LaPlante is a little-endian (the bias is palpable).
For those that persevere I will say that several chapters are much more interesting! Chapter 10 on the Black Death proves very interesting during this time of Coronavirus. And I am inspired to read more about Roger Williams as he was truly ahead of his time recognizing that "it was wrong to punish or remove people for their beliefs" (p212).
In addition, it was fascinating to read about the intolerance of differing beliefs, ex-communication, wanton murder of Quakers/Anabaptists/etc that would not stay out of Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the punishment by mutilation through the amputation of ears (p252). It is sad that these so-called "puritans" fled Europe due to persecution were only too willing to visit persecution on others in a manner not inconsistent with Sharia Law.
taylakaye's review
2.0
I enjoyed learning about Hutchinson, but her story the book was weighed down by an overabundance of minor details about the people surrounding her making it a difficult read in some spots. While I appreciate the extent of the research that went into the book and understand that it's important to understand the context of the story and lives of those involved I found it distracting. Overall, though, I'm glad to have a better understanding of Hutchinson's role in American History. Also, glad I wasn't a Puritan.