Poet, Pilgrim, Rebel by Katie Munday Williams

Book Review: Poet, Pilgrim, Rebel: The Story of Anne Bradstreet, America’s First Published Poet by Katie Munday Williams
Beaming Books, 2021

While looking for books about Anne Bradstreet, I was pleasantly surprised to find this beautiful picture book! The author, Katie Munday Williams, is the 14x great-granddaughter of Bradstreet and tells Anne’s life story in a beautifully illustrated picture book.

Growing up in a Puritan home gave Anne an opportunity many other girls did not have. She learned how to read and write and had access to a home library. She was also encouraged by her father to listen to discussions, learn, and voice her opinions.

When she was eighteen years old, her family fled to the New World due to the king of England’s edict. While facing challenges of life in Colonial America, Bradstreet began to write poems. She continued to write and found ways to overcome the social stigma of women writers. She also wrote about world politics and peace. Her first book was published in 1650.

The only thing lacking in this picture book biography about Anne Bradstreet was about her vibrant faith. The author focused more on Bradstreet as an early feminist writer and rebel. The only time God is mentioned has the connotation that Bradstreet only first wrote about God because that’s what Puritans valued and how her writing would be accepted.

When the author mentions God it often seems negative. For example, “Anne worried that she was being punished for her doubts about the New World.” Or, “She praised God for healing her, and she promised to be a good person.”

While not speaking out against Puritans, the way the author wrote implied that she was not a fan of them. See quotes below:

“…but as a good Puritan woman, she kept quiet.”

“Anne knew that outspoken women could be banished from the colony.”

Saying that, I still enjoyed this biography as it did give a great glimpse into life for a Puritan woman in the late 1600s. And is a fascinating introduction to a woman who was a brilliant poet who said she wrote, “[not] to show my skill, but to declare the truth, not to set forth myself, but the glory of God.”