Saturday Review: “The Dangerous Myths of Motherhood,” a review by Janis Harrington of Bridget Bell’s All That We Ask of You Is to You Always Be Happy (CavenKerry Press, 2025), just released in NCLR Online Fall 2025
Harrington’s review of Bell’s debut book, All That We Ask of You Is to Always Be Happy, gives well deserved attention to a collection of poems addressing the struggles of motherhood and postpartum depression. Harrington writes, “Bell helps readers grasp the severity of maternal mental illness through imagery and metaphor”, which she does excellently with poems like “Don’t Tell Her Congratulations,” “Sleep Deprivation,” and “The Peas.”
Harrington also praises Bell’s work, saying, “This collection is especially relevant today when there are calls for government policies to encourage a higher birth rate.” Using thirty-four different poems, Bell vividly portrays a different part of the struggle many mothers suffer under the indifference of our society, especially as maternal health care becomes more expensive, with the threat of cutting programs meant to alleviate suffering mothers hangs overhead.
Read Harrington’s review here. Get your own copy of the book from the publisher or from your local independent bookstore!
