Book Description
This acclaimed history illuminates the horrifying episode of Salem with visceral clarity, from those who fanned the crisis to satisfy personal vendettas to the four-year-old "witch" chained to a dank prison wall in darkness till she went mad. Antonia Fraser called it "a grisly read and an engrossing one."
Customer Reviews:
An early American tragedy.......2007-10-14
This is not what I would call a book that you "can't put down," but it is well worth the time spent. This comprehensive account of the Salem witch trials is concerned not only with the historical events, but also delves into the reasons behind what fueled the witch-hunt. The political forces at work are examined in detail, as well as the psychology behind what enabled this tragedy.
Through extensive reasearch, the author reconstructs the environment of self-repression and religious extremism that defined the times. This account reads more like a narrative than a history book. The author includes many interesting asides, such as what the Puritans' days were like, what they ate for their meals, and how they lived in general, giving a realistic feel for the era. Her detailed description of the dungeon experience gives you a real appreciation of the cruelty these victims endured.
This is not your tourists' Salem. If you are interested in the real story behind the witchcraft fury, this well researched account, through analytical study, recreates the Puritan experience in detail. The summary of key persons, chronolgy, and death toll at the end of the book serves as an excellent reference. Definitely recommended reading.
Quite informative, but dreadfully boring.......2007-07-10
This book appears to be a well researched product, but it is very poorly written. In my opinion, an author needs to be a gifted prose writer to make a book readable and interesting. Frances Hill does not seem to possess that gift.
Microhistorical essay on Salem witch-hunt of 1692-93.......2007-03-12
Witch-hunting is a phenomenon that starts in Fifteen Century Europe as a crusade of the Roman Catholic Church against the still partially pagan traditions that survived among the country folk. Women were those that most kept alive ancient superstitions, practiced traditional medicine and maintained the knowledge on how to conjure spirits and make filters. The Inquisition had about finished persecuting the heretics, even because after Martin Luther they were so many that religious wars had to be fought, when it turned its attention to "witchcraft".
Accusations of witchcraft were mostly made by priests and preachers belonging to the religious hierarchy. Witch hunting however did not cease with the Reformation and Counter Reformation but spread also to England and Northern Europe. However, since these societies did not have a religious hierarchy, accusation and judgement were carried out by neighbors and local religious authorities.
America's witch-hunts of the 1600's followed clearly English patterns and the Salem episode ranks first among others.
Frances Hill's microhistorical reconstruction of the Salem Village witch craze accurately describes this horrible episode of Colonial American history. The plethora of documents available from the Mathers' books, to the relations of the trials, to the speeches pronounced before hanging or many years after by the victims and their accusers allows a faithful reconstruction of those far away village disputes. The Author's precise psychological, medical and sociological analysis of the available facts consents to formulate the hypothesis of the hysterical nature of the Salem girls' "attacks", manipulated in a second time by a part of the Salem Village's traditionalist and retrograde society. The Putnam family is made responsible for most of the accusations, the imprisonments and the hangings. The main pushing force that ignited the whole episode was the fear and the envy towards a part of the society that moved faster and reached economical success with greater ease. Salem's witch-hunt suddenly ceased when Boston's higher and more educated classes were called upon and when Salem's inhabitants visually realized what they were doing.
This book, I repeat, is a good microhistorical essay and gives a credible and rational explanation of the Salem witch-hunt, however the persecution of witchcraft started long before Salem and in each successive wave manifested different characteristics. To actually interpret McCarthyism, child sexual abuse persecution and anti-Islam mentality after 9/11 as episodes of witch-hunting is to my opinion a little reductive.
I live in Italy and my child's professor (9th grade) gave this book as an assignment on religious discrimination, linking it to the crusades against the Cathars. So, as you can see, history may be interpreted in many ways!
A Very Interesting Book.......2007-01-14
A Delusion of Satan by Francis Hill is not only an informative book, but an intriguing one as well. The fascinating topic of the Salem witch trials is thoroughly examined for political, religious, economic, psychological, and social causes and is explained in the fullest of detail. The persons involved in this disturbing chain of events are each looked at psychologically to acquire an understanding of what truly happened during this time period. The thinking process of many of the persons is enthralling.
A fact that I found particularly interesting is the fact that the entire ordeal was started with a few bored teenage girls cracking eggs into glasses of water to see what trades their future husband will have. It seems that this is a very innocent act of child play, but it evolved into a huge mess. Also, their methods of punishment were very interesting. These and may more facts make for an incredibly interesting book.
However, although there are many positive points to this book, some of the negative characteristics must be acknowledged. There were many details in this book that, although they were needed to develop the events and connect them, made the book a tedious and boring read. Also, there was a lot of family history and background of the involved persons that, even though it helped to understand connections between families, was extremely dull and did not contribute very much to the book.
All in all, this book was an accurate and haunting depiction of the Salem witch trials. In some ways, it can be compared to a poem we read in class called "The Road Not Taken." In the poem, a person takes the path not taken by others. In this book, many of the women, instead of confessing and being let out on bail as many women did, chose to stick with the fact that they were innocent and were sent into the dungeon. This "road not taken" in this case, led to their destruction. This book is definitely not for everyone. Elementary school children could be severely disturbed by the graphicness of some of the torture, examinations, and hangings. I recommend A Delusion of Satan to any middle school student, high school student, or adult who has the time and patience to read this long, but important book.
A Very Interesting Book.......2007-01-14
A Delusion of Satan by Francis Hill is not only an informative book, but an intriguing one as well. The fascinating topic of the Salem witch trials is thoroughly examined for political, religious, economic, psychological, and social causes and is explained in the fullest of detail. The persons involved in this disturbing chain of events are each looked at psychologically to acquire an understanding of what truly happened during this time period. The thinking process of many of the persons is enthralling.
A fact that I found particularly interesting is the fact that the entire ordeal was started with a few bored teenage girls cracking eggs into glasses of water to see what trades their future husband will have. It seems that this is a very innocent act of child play, but it evolved into a huge mess. Also, their methods of punishment were very interesting. These and may more facts make for an incredibly interesting book.
However, although there are many positive points to this book, some of the negative characteristics must be acknowledged. There were many details in this book that, although they were needed to develop the events and connect them, made the book a tedious and boring read. Also, there was a lot of family history and background of the involved persons that, even though it helped to understand connections between families, was extremely dull and did not contribute very much to the book.
All in all, this book was an accurate and haunting depiction of the Salem witch trials. In some ways, it can be compared to a poem we read in class called "The Road Not Taken." In the poem, a person takes the path not taken by others. In this book, many of the women, instead of confessing and being let out on bail as many women did, chose to stick with the fact that they were innocent and were sent into the dungeon. This "road not taken" in this case, led to their destruction. This book is definitely not for everyone. Elementary school children could be severely disturbed by the graphicness of some of the torture, examinations, and hangings. I recommend A Delusion of Satan to any middle school student, high school student, or adult who has the time and patience to read this long, but important book.
Average customer rating:
- Five Stars
- Very Sad
- It was disapointing
- disappointed
- Great Start to Learning About the Salem Witch Trials
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I Walk in Dread: The Diary of Deliverance Trembly, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony 1691 (Dear America Series)
Lisa Rowe Fraustino
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
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ASIN: 0439249732 |
Book Description
Deliverance Trembley lives in Salem Village, where she must take care of her sickly sister, Mem, and where she does her daily chores in fear of her cruel uncle's angry temper. But when four young girls from the village accuse some of the local women of being witches, Deliverance finds herself caught up in the ensuing drama of the trials. And life in Salem is never the same.
Customer Reviews:
Five Stars.......2007-08-08
One of the last books of Dear America series and what a tragedy given how wonderful each of these books are. Here we have Delieverance Trembly living in Salem with her sister Mem who is sickly. Their parents are dead and their uncle has disappered Delieverance is trying not to let anyone discover they are alone but her worries are subsided by events unfolding in Salem. As a witness to the Witch Trials, Delieverance is surprised by what's going on and when one of her friends is accused of being a witch Delieverance grows suspicious of the trials. You can feel her worries, fear and horror at watching her town where she thought she knew everyone try and hang neighbors.
Very Sad.......2006-12-10
Liv's life is very sad. Her dearest role model is accused of being a witch. I cried when I read parts of this book. I wish we had read this book in Middle School! I think the other students would have really liked it. I know I did! I liked it so much that I'm trying to write my own 'Dear America' book about the Salem Witch Trials. The working title is 'Witness to Insanity: The Diary Of Rebecca Goode'.
It was disapointing.......2006-12-03
I rented this book from the local Library, partly because I wanted to learn more about the Salem Witch Trials and it was a Dear America book I had never read. Boy, was I wrong! The style was not anything like what I thought it would be. It did indeed give accurate history-like innocent people getting accused of being a witch, and the fear that 15th century people were going through. But it was boring the way that Deliverance had to do almost all the work by herself, because her sister was so lazy!And it really got to me, when Mem, Deliverance's sister just turned on her. Deliverance has absolutely NO ONE to turn to, except a neighbor lady that eventually is executed!! To make matters worse, she loves a boy that ends up marrying Mem. And if I remember right, Mem thought he was ugly and hated him!And Deliverance really loved him,no matter what he looked like. Things are just not looking good for poor Deliverance! If you are looking for a history lesson, you may like it, as I learned more history myself, but if you want a nice book more balanced out and entertaining with history as well, I would not look for it in this one.
disappointed.......2006-10-28
I bought this book in the gift shop of the Witch Museum in Salem, Ma. Having no listing of "fiction" on the shelf above the book, it was sitting there with other books of the trials and the cover stated it was the diary of a witness. It caught my interest because it lead me to believe there was a witnessed perspective on the trials that may have shed a different light on the mystery. Not familiar with the "Dear America" series, it did not register to me that this was a fictional novel. I bought it before I returned home on my trip, read 2/3 on the plane, and was anxious to read the rest of what happened to Deliverance and her family. Being almost finished, I wanted to get on-line to see what other readers thought. It was then that I discovered that the book is fiction. Having a great interest in the factual history of Salem and the witch trials, I am obviously no longer interested in reading this book. That the novel states it is scholastic is puzzling. Why create more confusion in an era shrouded by mystery by telling it through the eyes of someone who does not exist? My lesson is learned at least. If we need to be entertained by fiction to retain facts that are interesting in their own right, I'll stick to the history books.
Great Start to Learning About the Salem Witch Trials.......2006-06-01
When I first bought this book, it was because it was the bookstore's most recent release. I started reading it on the ride home and was captivated by the flowing writing style and the central character's devotion to God - something missing in modern fiction. I read at around the same time as other Dear America's and thought it of high quality. I liked the character change, for one thing - she wasn't always scornful of "witches." After finishing it I started reading more books about the Salem Witch Trials.
Book Description
The Salem Witch Trials is based on over twenty-five years of archival research--including the author's discovery of previously unknown documents--newly found cases and court records. From January 1692 to January 1697 this history unfolds a nearly day-by-day narrative of the crisis as the citizens of New England experienced it.
Customer Reviews:
Don't hang this one!.......2007-10-03
This turned out to be surprisingly entertaining, and not nearly as dry as I had expected. The stories/hallucinations are quite bizarre, and the reaction of the town is mindboggling. The book is quite detailed (and nothing like The Crucible, or any other shortened account I had heard) but moves quickly, and will definitely keep you interested.
Kudos to Ms. Roach for a momentous job well done!
Who needs a time travel spell?.......2006-09-05
In preparation for my first visit to the famed 'Witch City' I came across Ms. Roach's HUGE volume. I have always been fascinated by the dark history of Salem, Mass (in fact, I did a big project about it in eighth grade) but I wanted to be quite sure I was on the up and up about everything that went on in 1692 and I was sure that a day-by-day chronicle would be just the prescription. I began reading it thinking that I may be bored as it was very detailed but I was anything BUT bored! This book is truly fascinating and informing. Ms. Roach's style of writing really brought me into the court rooms of 1692 Salem and I was better able to understand what happened then. I highly recommend anyone wanting to know more about the Witch Trials of Salem to buy this book.
Amazing work!.......2005-11-17
I can't even begin to imagine how much time and effort went into writing this book. Roach created a day to day synopsis of the events surrounding the Salem witch trials for a period of several years, and the bibliography is quite extensive. Not only has this book broadened my horizons in the realm of American history, but it has also raised my own standards for what I expect from any history book, including research I do, myself.
Thank you, Mariilynne K. Roach!
Comprehensive and interesting historic account.......2005-06-24
Enjoyed the significant day-by-day format -- easy to follow and shows the progression of the trial hysteria. Good index for finding people involved in the trial.
Fantastic!.......2004-12-02
I believe I own every book ever published about the Salem Witch Trials, including some that have been out of print for more than a hundred years. Of course, I like some better than I like others, however, Ms. Roach's book is at the top of my list of favorites. There is an introduction leading up to the witch craze and from there, the author documents, on a day-by-day basis, the events that transpired beginning January 1, 1692, through January 14, 1697. In addition to recording events directly pertaining to the witch madness, the author also includes weather conditions taken from journals maintained by Gov. Winthrop et al., baptisms, etc. which gives one a better perspective of life during the witch hunts. There is also an epilogue listing later events pertaining to the Salem trials through October 31, 2001, when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts declared all those accused in 1692 innocent of witchcraft.
Reviewing numerous volumes and voluminous papers to produce a readable chronology is a major accomplishment, and THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS is both a scholarly work and an interesting, informative book. It is also a great reference. For example, if I am writing about the accusations of John and Elizabeth Proctor, I am able to quickly find when they were arrested, who testified against them, etc. Additionally, each chapter contains numerous endnotes and there is an extensive bibliography. In fact, every book I own about the Salem trials-except two-are included in the bibliography and I commend Ms. Roach on her thoroughness.
I highly recommend THE SALEM WITH TRIALS, A DAY-BY-DAY CHRONICLE, to anyone interested in the trials, life in Puritan New England, or the history of witchcraft and magic.
Book Description
The Salem witch hunt of 1692 is among the most infamous events in early American history; however, it was not the only such episode to occur in New England that year. Escaping Salem reconstructs the "other witch hunt" of 1692 that took place in Stamford, Connecticut. Concise and accessible, the book takes students on a revealing journey into the mental world of early America, shattering the stereotype of early New Englanders as quick to accuse and condemn. Drawing on eyewitness testimony, Richard Godbeer tells the story of Kate Branch, a seventeen-year-old afflicted by strange visions and given to blood-chilling wails of pain and fright. Branch accused several women of bewitching her, two of whom were put on trial for witchcraft. Escaping Salem takes us inside the Connecticut courtroom and into the minds of the surprisingly skeptical Stamford townspeople. Was the pain and screaming due to natural or supernatural causes? Was Branch simply faking the symptoms? And if she was indeed bewitched, why believe her specific accusations, since her information came from demons who might well be lying? For the judges, Godbeer shows, the trial was a legal thicket. All agreed that witches posed a real and serious threat, but proving witchcraft (an invisible crime) in court was another matter. The court in Salem had become mired in controversy over its use of dubious evidence. In an intriguing chapter, Godbeer examines Magistrate Jonathan Selleck's notes on how to determine the guilt of someone accused of witchcraft, providing an illuminating look at what constituted proof of witchcraft at the time. The stakes were high--if found guilty, the two accused women would be hanged. In the afterword, Godbeer explains how he used the trial evidence to build his narrative, offering an inside perspective on the historian's craft. Featuring maps, photos, and a selected bibliography, Escaping Salem is ideal for use in undergraduate U.S. survey courses. It can also be used for courses in colonial American history, culture, and religion; witchcraft in the early modern world; and crime and society in early America.
Customer Reviews:
Solid with some holes..........2007-05-21
I would probably rate this in at 3.5 stars...but I rounded up to 4 stars.
'Escaping Salem' tells the story of the 'witch hunt' in Stamford, CT. We have all grown up hearing about the witch hunts in Salem. There have been movies and there have been discussions of the blood thirsty people in that community going after the witches to rid their villages of their evil practices.
This book begins to examine the people behind some of the stories in the relatively quiet community of Stamford. The book looks at one particular case of a girl named Kate Branch of her fits or rage, her delusions and her overall strange behavior. It discusses the people that many believed were witches and why they considered them witches. Though the arguments were often weak, the arguments gained traction and led to the trials of a couple of women accused of being witches.
The book takes you in to the courtroom as you see some of the problems of the prosecution and the difficulty of 'proving' witchcraft. I had always believed that trials were thrown together to just convict but you can see that there was definitely more effort needed to convict someone.
The biggest problem with the book is that it often reads like a textbook until the last chapter when the author interjects more of his thoughts and conclusions. The book is using public documents so there are some holes in the story which Godbeer tries to fill. Overall, an interesting peak into the late 1600s court system and witches problem.
a tale of two witches.......2005-05-10
Few people know that while the infamous Salem witch hunt was taking place in 1692, southwestern Connecticut was undergoing a scare of its own. Godbeer has meticulously researched this event and presents a remarkably detailed story based upon the participants own words. He follows the accusers, the victims, the "witches", the ministers, and the magistrates, from the beginning of the outbreak to its much-more-sensible-than Salem conclusion. Seems one could be a witch and avoid execution in Olde New England. Puritans all - how did Connecticut avoid hysteria and wanton killing? This brief book tells the tale in an interesting, historically accurate fashion.
Book Description
A Da Capo Original: From the acclaimed author of A Delusion of Satan, a unique gathering of firsthand accounts about the background, course, and repercussions of the Salem witch trials.
Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1692: against the backdrop of a Puritan theocracy threatened by change, in a population terrified not only of eternal damnation but of the earthly dangers of Indian massacres and recurrent smallpox epidemics, a small group of girls denounces a black slave and others as worshipers of Satan. Within two years, twenty men and women are hanged or pressed to death and over a hundred others imprisoned and impoverished. In The Salem Witch Trials Reader, Frances Hill provides and astutely comments upon the actual documents from the trial--examinations of suspected witches, eyewitness accounts of "Satanic influence," as well as the testimony of those who retained their reason and defied the madness. Always drawing on firsthand documents, she illustrates the historical background to the witch hunt and shows how the trials have been represented, and sometimes distorted, by historians --and how they have fired the imaginations of poets, playwrights, and novelists. For those fascinated by the Salem witch trials, this is compelling reading and the sourcebook.
Customer Reviews:
A VERY INTERESTING BOOK.......2007-07-02
I just finished reading this book. It was very interesting telling abut the personal accounts, history of Salem, religious beliefs, the trial, and the persecution that these people went through. I loved this book because it explained in depth while easy to understand and not boring or drawn out. I have a second copy of this book also from a relative and am definitely going to read this one again. Anyone who is interested in the Witch Trials should read this book. It was just like being in court during the late 17th century. A GREAT BOOK.
Great to have all of this under one cover........2003-12-14
This truly a great book on the subject of the Salem witch trials. First, it offers historical context presenting period works, and then it expands to sampling the works written on the event since, showing the fascination we hold for it.
The author begins with writings of the time, things that Salem residents would have come across in their own lives. Past that, she moves into the actual event, showing all sorts of personal accounts. Alongside these she offers brief biographies of the authors and certain named VIPs, which are helpful if you are reading on the subject for the first time.
One of the things that was impressed upon me while reading this was just how many time periods have been caught up by the trials. Immediately after they took place there was an effort to come to grips with what had happened. From then until now each era had their own take on the subject. Fiction seems to have followed a similar pattern. Not being a literary historian, I was surprised that Nathaniel Hawthorn's work on the subject was not the first fictional treatment! She offers works up to the present day, ending with the 1990's.
The only thing I would wish improved upon is that the commentary's typeface would be changed so that the eye can switch easily from the works shown and the author's thoughts.
It would be very hard for anyone to have copies of all the books and essays excerpted here. That there is knowledgeable commentary is a plus. I found it plainly compelling reading. If the Salem witch trials interest you this should be one of the books you own on the subject. It will be a great compliment to any conventional history of the event, which this book does not necessarily replace.
Great Compilation of Source Material on the Subject! ..............2002-03-24
............I have never been so captivated by the early history of the events occurring in New England prior to the formation of the United States and the writing of our Constitution. "The Salem Witch Trials Reader" is really a lesson not only about the Witch Trials, but about an entire period in the history the American colonies, as well as an analysis of human psychology and a glimpse into a world lacking basic human rights where one is guilty until proven innocent. Frances Hill provides us with a wealth of sources as well as analyses of the Witch Trials and the events surrounding them that are written by a number of authors. We meet all the major characters, analyze the social and political situation of Salem Village in the 1690s, delve into the psychology behind the accusations and subsequent convictions. This book, for me, was a true awakening regarding the experience of the settlers in this part of Colonial America. I had never fully comprehended the impact of the US Constitution on establishing and protecting human rights until I read this book. Additionally, I feel I learned something about the Puritans claim to be so god-fearing and religious, when in fact it was likely that their actions were just as motivated by the same temptations that any other human being experiences. Finally, this book was a glimpse into the evil that some people succumb to. You will not believe the punishment, for example, that was sometimes inflicted on even the children of accused witches.
This book is a must for anyone interested in early American history, human rights, human psychology, or the early American legal system.
A Must for Salem Witch Trials Enthusiasts!!!.......2001-05-19
Finally, original texts! Those of us interested in the Salem Witch Trials must thank Ms. Hill for providing us with the opportunity, finally, to have access to many invaluable first-hand accounts of this most fascinating moment in history. Reading this extraordinary volume provides not only a political, religious, and historical context for the trials, but fills one with a real sense of the emotional response experienced by both victims and accusers. In modernizing spelling, Ms. Hill has rendered these texts a bit more readily comprehensible, yet she has changed neither the actual text nor its meaning. For students and enthusiasts of this subject alike, this is an absolute necessity!
The Salem Witch Trials Reader.......2001-02-06
This book is written in the manner of speaking of that era. This makes it difficult to read.
Average customer rating:
- A Break with Charity
- A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials
- Historical Fiction
- Truth To Tell
- Ding-Dong, the witch is dead, and so is this book
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A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials
Ann Rinaldi
Manufacturer: Gulliver Books Paperbacks
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ASIN: 0152046828 |
Book Description
Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn't realize is that the girls are about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. Susanna faces a painful choice. Should she keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or should she "break charity" with the group--and risk having her own family members named as witches?
Reader's guide included.
Customer Reviews:
A Break with Charity.......2007-05-22
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi is a historical-fiction novel. It is about Susanna English wanting to join a group of girls who do things that are forbidden in the Puritans laws. Susanna ginves up joining when she discovered a secret that could save lives is she told but if she did tell people then her family would be accused of being witches. Susanna keeps this secret while watching people being trailed as witches and getting killed. When her parents were accused of being witches, Susanna decides to tell Joseph. Susanna and Joseph worked with other friends to stop the witch madness that is killing people in Salem and other towns. Joseph sends a letter to people writing that all this is madness and that there is no such thing as witches. Reverend Pike believes them and word spreads. People are aware that this could be just a trick, a make-believe lie. Will the word spread so that people will stop accusing innocent people as witces? Read and find out yourself.
A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials.......2007-04-17
I read this book as an independent lit circle book, and I really think that I will read more of this author. Even though this type of book usually doesn't appeal to me, I really thought that the accuracy with history of the Salem Witch Trials tied in really well, while still providing a fictional but moving story about a girl who struggles to speak the truth in a time when it seems like everything is at stake.
Historical Fiction.......2007-03-16
A Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi
The chances of townspeople forgiving a young woman responsible for the death of nineteen men and woman are slim today. In a church in Salem town, the young Ann Putnam asked for forgiveness for her past actions from the many people that she had hurt. As a fourteen year old girl, Susanna English had longed to be part of a circle of girls. What she didn't know was that what the girls were doing was against the Puritan code. When one of the young circle girls, Betty the pastor's daughter, began to feel guilty about participating in the black arts known and practiced by her maid, Tituba, she became ill and had fits. When the other girls realized how much attention Betty was given they began to copy her fits to get noticed. The doctor could not help them and declared that they were being tortured by witches. Susanna heard about this and went to the leader of the circle, Ann, and told her what they were doing was wrong. Ann confessed to lying but she told Susanna that if she told anyone that they would declare Susanna's family witches. After many had been accused and imprisoned because of the girls, the elders of the town began to have the accused executed at Gallows Hill. After many people fled town because of the witch madness and both Susanna's parents were accused, Susanna told of the information to some respected members of the community who wrote a letter which led to the end of the witch trials. The book was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this book to any girl who likes to read historical fiction.
The book was very different from most of the Ann Rinaldi books that I have read in the past. In the book instead of sticking to whether or not she believed in the witches, Susanna repeatedly switched sides. As the girls began to name the witches Susanna did not believe at all that the girls were telling the truth but when she met a sailor who described his meeting with a witch, her opinion wavered. He told Susanna that while on his ship at sea a storm appeared out of nowhere and they shipwrecked. He described that he saw one of the accused woman on the deck and that she had told him that she was going to go after William English, Susanna's brother, who was currently at sea. Johnathan, Susanna's future husband, encouraged her to meet the woman who was accused to see for herself that the poor sweet woman could not be evil. At night Susanna met the poor woman and talked with her for several minutes. She was completely convinced that the witch business was all in Ann Putnam's head and that she must stop it. Her meeting with the woman led her to give the information on her meeting with Ann Putnam.
The historical correctness was shocking in the book. I found most of the events unbelievable because of the difference between the way we live today and the ways the Puritans had lived. One event that I thought made the town elders of Salem appear ignorant is when they fell for the lies the girls in the circle were telling. The girls would tell the elders that each woman somehow appeared to them in their sleep and when the woman would testify the girls would roll on the floor in their `fits'. The Puritan code was also very shocking and the rules seemed pointless. It seemed as if they did not like anyone different from them. The elders threatened to take away a woman's child because the girl liked to stay outdoors at nights and read novels. The one small detail that I found shocking was the fact that a letter was able to help put an end to the madness. Someone might assume that the letter would change a few peoples' opinions but they would not think that it would cause the elders to second guess themselves and the girls.
Most novels that have groups of girls in cliques or circles show all the girls around the same age and very similar in likeness. The girls in the circle of Salem were all very much different. Some girls such as Betty were barely older than toddlers and some were like Ann Putnam and twelve years old. Some off the girls were already about eighteen and only came to the circle as sport because they had nothing better to do. One thing that was completely different about the girls was the difference of their wealth. Usually you would expect all of the girls to be rich but they weren't. Ann Putnam's family had some money but one of the other girls worked as a maid for another girl in the circle. Their gatherings were very unique and held secret. Susanna wasn't wanted because her family was high class but as soon as Susanna knew what they were doing she wanted nothing to do with them.
The completely interesting and surprising book has been one of my favorites from the wide selection already written by the great historical fiction author. The stories plot, historical correctness, and unique characters make it what it is. I would suppose that the book would be preferred by girls rather than boys and maybe have an interest in the Salem witch trials that occurred in Salem town in the 1900s.
M. Becouvarakis
Truth To Tell.......2006-11-28
This book is a great to read if you want to learn about the Salem Witch Trials. In this book you learn about what happened in the Salem Witch Trials and how it all started. If you enjoy reading historical fiction books you will like this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Salem Witch Trials and wants to learn more about what happened in them. This book is based on a teenage girl who can't tell anyone what she knows. I recommend this book to other teenage girls because they can relate Susanna and her situation.
Ding-Dong, the witch is dead, and so is this book.......2006-11-28
I found this book a bit boring. In the beginning, the book is a little slow, and then the adventure picks up, and then slows down again at the end. I also thought that the book was on the harder side; there are lots of characters to remember and some of them have the very similar names, so sometimes it can become just a little confusing. I would not recommend this book to others because it wasn't interesting and it wasn't a page-turner. Historical-fiction lovers would probably find this to be okay though.
Book Description
Nation of Nations Concise stands apart from the crowd as a brief American Survey Text that has not sacrificed the strength of its narrative to achieve brevity. The Nation of Nations concise version strikes unique balances for a brief text: providing enough contextual detail for the reader to grasp the story and maintaining a balance between narrative and thematic structure. Clear and lively prose, numerous vivid stories, and concrete historical examples all illustrate points of and themes in history. As a result, the original Nation of Nations author team retains the detail of story in a brief package.
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- brings an end to the idea of pure good and pure evil
- An Excellent Window into a Dark Time in History
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Salem Witch (My Side of the Story)
Patricia Hermes
Manufacturer: Kingfisher
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ASIN: 0753459914 |
Book Description
Browsers and young students alike will enjoy these lively question and answer books with their unique mix of realistic illustration and engaging cartoons. The enticing questions will amaze, amuse and inspire, while the highly visual format encourages kids to keep reading.
Customer Reviews:
brings an end to the idea of pure good and pure evil.......2006-12-28
In children's literature, you are led to believe that there are good, and there are evil. The good are always the right ones and that is what you should be. No one ever decides to put themselves in the so-called "evil" side's views. The accused witches really thought they were doing right by protesting their innocence, and the townsfolk thought they were right for getting rid of those terrorizing their town. Though Patricia Hermes strays off at the end, she really does show us the mistakes we have been making, living in the illusion of pure good and evil.
An Excellent Window into a Dark Time in History.......2006-10-15
Salem Witch by Patricia Hermes is the first book that I've read from Kingfisher's My Side of the Story series, and I quite enjoyed it. This series features turbulent times from history (the 1665 London plague, the settling of America, World War II, etc). A story is told from the perspective of a child living during that time. The reader then flips the book over to read another perspective of the same story, told by a different child.
Salem Witch is set, as you might expect from the title, during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Elizabeth is the only child of relatively affluent and educated parents. Her father is a merchant who owns several ships, and her mother, atypical for the time, knows how to read. Because of her slightly unconventional upbringing, Elizabeth is more independent and free-thinking than most of the other Salem girls. Her best friend is a boy named George, the son of a local magistrate. George loves art and drawing, but is being pressured by his father to put aside such frivolous pursuits and take on the more practical career of law. Although the two are close friends, their different views on the witch trials put them at odds with one another.
I've always had an interest in the Salem witch trials, having grown up 20 miles from Salem. I think that Patricia Hermes did a nice job in this book of creating a fictional story, but populating it with actual people and events (and even dialog from trial transcripts) from the time. The story begins as several young girls start having fits, and claiming that witches are tormenting them. The first "witches" accused are social outcasts: a slave, a homeless woman and child, and a cantankerous old woman, all of whom have no one to speak for them. However, as the accusers start to feel more power, and as the climate of fear and dread darkens the community, more mainstream citizens are also targeted.
The outspoken Elizabeth doesn't believe in witches, and is convinced that the accusers are malicious and attention-seeking, part of a conspiracy to stir up trouble. This puts her in danger, and also puts her at odds with George, who is being pressured by his father to believe the accusations. George beseeches Elizabeth to be more careful about what she says, and she starts to wonder if she can trust him at all. This dynamic between the two friends, who care for each other, but aren't sure if they can trust one another, works well in the My Side of the Story format. We leave Elizabeth's story uncertain of George's actions, and only find resolution at the end of his story.
This book is a quick read, but one that tackles a difficult subject. It is not for the faint of heart (hangings, the imprisonment of a four-year-old girl, and references to Indian attacks), although I think that the author did a good job of conveying these events without being sensationalistic. She also does an excellent job with the atmosphere of the books, using the gray Salem weather as counterpoint to the fear and superstition that are ruining people's lives. Elizabeth is a good choice of narrator: young enough to be troubled and frightened by the events, but educated enough not to be swayed by them. George has more of an insider's view, as his father presides over some of the trials, and his story gives some peripheral insight into the influence of other recent events on the trials.
It's amazing in some ways to read this book and think that people were actually killed based on the unproven accusations of a group of discontented girls. But then again, this sort of thing has happened more recently with the epidemic of repressed memories of childhood abuse (though the accused were not generally hanged). I think that it's useful to study the Salem witch trials as a means of understanding and of preventing such out-of-control behavior from happening again.
I think that the Salem witch trials and the My Side of the Story format are a good fit, giving the reader sympathy for the accused and for the frightened majority who went along with the trials. Using a boy and a girl as narrators is also a way to make the book more accessible to boys and girls. I think that this book will be a hit with middle grade kids who enjoy historical fiction, especially those living in New England. I recommend the newly published Salem Witch for this year's Halloween reading.
This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on October 14, 2006.
Book Description
Renowned attorney and bestselling author AlanM. Dershowitz reveals how notable trials throughout our history have helped to shape our nation. The Boston Massacre. The Dred Scott decision. The Chicago Seven. O.J.Simpson. These are some of the trials that have both shaped and fascinated American society since our nation began. Alan M. Dershowitz, who has been either a lawyer, consultant, or commentator on some of the most celebrated cases of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, highlights the trials he believes to be the most significant in our history, and discusses how they were central to the development of America's political and social structure. Offering insights into the human condition, these trials serve as a historical document, chronicling the struggles and passions of their time. Ultimately, AMERICA ON TRIAL reveals what America-and in turn, Americans-are truly about.
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Was Clarence Darrow a hero or a jury tamperer? Was the ""evolution"" taught in the Scopes ""monkey"" trial really disguised racism? Did the Nuremberg trials free more Nazi war criminals than they convicted? Was Mike Tyson really guilty of rape? Great trials not only make great headlines, but also hold the keys to the passions and struggles of their times. In this fascinating and provocative survey, renowned defense attorney and bestselling author Alan M. Dershowitz aims a startlingly fresh spotlight on many of the most significant (and still controversial) cases in our nation's history, from the Salem witch trials to the ""witch-hunting"" trials of the McCarthy era.from the impeachment of Andrew Johnson to that of Bill Clinton.from the Dred Scott decision to Brown v. Board of Education.from Sacco and Vanzetti to the Rosenbergs.from the Lindbergh kidnapping to the McMartin day care scandal.from Lizzie Borden to Jean Harris...from the Nuremberg defendants to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. And he reexamines the high-profile trials of recent decades in which he himself participated: the Pentagon Papers, the Chicago Seven, Claus von Bulow, O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and Bush v. Gore. Through his eyes, we begin to understand how these trials-with their drama and profound legal implications-tell us much about where we as a nation have been, and where we are going. With both the authority of a preeminent legal scholar and the iconoclasm of a celebrated courtroom strategist, he shows how our constitutionally guaranteed rights are often flouted by even the highest courts of law. Defending these rights, sharing his unique insider perspective, and offering insights into both the human condition and the evolution of America through these trials, Alan M. Dershowitz once again is certain to arouse debate and controversy. Ultimately, AMERICA ON TRIAL goes far beyond the legal. It reveals what America-and, in turn, Americans-are truly about."
Customer Reviews:
An Extremely Dishonest Book.......2007-04-03
This book purports to be about famous legal cases. Mostly, it's actually about Alan Dershowitz's politics.
For instance, in the section on the "McCarthy Era," we hear how a poor anti-communist named William Remington made the understandable mistake of committing perjury, was convicted, and was murdered by evil anti-communists in prison. You'd never know from reading Dershowitz that Alger Hiss was in the same prison every single day of Remington's sentence, and was well liked by the prisoners. You'd never know that the reason Remington was tried was because he was accused of being a former espionage agent of the Soviet Union by Elizabeth Bentley, and almost certainly was one. Why did the same prisoners who liked commie perjuror/spy Hiss murder commie perjuror/spy Remington? Who cares! Propoganda wouldn't be served by asking that question.
You also read, in that section, about how the evil FBI got Ethel Rosenberg executed, even though they weren't sure she was even involved in espionage. In fact, in THE SOURCE DERSHOWITZ CITES MOST ON THIS CASE, it is shown that J. Edgar Hoover was opposed to the execution of Ethel. As for her guilt, the VENONA decrypts (which Dershowitz never mentions), show that she was aware of Julius's espionage, and actively helped him recruit Ruth Greenglass, making her guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage, exactly as charged. But why let a little thing like facts stand in the way of encouraging votes for the Democratic party?
In a chapter on the Dred Scott decision, Dershowitz tries hard to suggest that the decision was in line with the original meaning of the Constitution. He doesn't see fit to tell you that many legal scholars disagreed. One of those scholars was Abraham Lincoln, who ripped into Chief Justice Taney and the Dred Scott decision in his famous Cooper Union address, and in a speech in Springfield, Missouri. Lincoln's Cooper Union address showed "The sum of the whole is, that of our thirty-nine fathers who framed the original Constitution, twenty-one -- a clear majority of the whole -- certainly understood that no proper division of local from federal authority, nor any part of the Constitution, forbade the Federal Government to control slavery in the federal territories; while all the rest probably had the same understanding." And in his Springfield speech, Lincoln mentioned one of the dissenting opinions to the decision, which noted that when the Constitution was adopted, five states allowed free black men to vote. This rather makes hash of Taney's arguments that blacks were never citizens, and of Dershowitz's attempt to make those argue that people who oppose his "living Constitution" arguments are hypocrites.
In a chapter on the Jack Ruby trial, he argues that Ruby's trial was unfair, but never says why. Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald on national television, and was seized on the spot. He never disputed he did kill Oswald. His lawyers argued Ruby was insane, and lost. So what was unfair? Dershowitz won't say, but I think it was that he, Dershowitz, disapproves of the death sentence, so any trial that ends by imposing it MUST be unfair.
Concerning the Sacco & Vanzetti case, and the Alger Hiss case, he slanders Francis Russell, author of TRAGEDY IN DEDHAM, and Alan Weinstein ,author of PERJURY: THE HISS-CHAMBERS CASE, implying that Russell and Weinstein were dishonest when they said that they that started out believing that the people they wrote about were innocent, but changed their minds because of the evidence. He doesn't tell you that both Russell and Weinstein expressed themselves in print before their books were writtn, stating their beliefs in the innocence of the defendants they later decided were guilty. Nor does he bother telling you what changed their minds.
I could go on, but you should get the point by now: Dershowitz isn't interested in the facts, he's trying to make political points for an agenda he apparently doesn't dare support openly. If you want to know about famous trials, the only part of this book of value is the table of contents, and the references. They can help you find some honest information.
Good book, bad title.......2007-03-31
When I first saw this book, based on the title I dismissed it as an anti-government screed. Fortunately, I picked it up and looked at it more closely. I concluded that the title was misleading, probably chosen by the publisher to enhance sales. In this regard, it failed with me as I bought it in spite of the title not because of it. A much better, more descriptive, title would have been Great Trials of America. While not an anti-government screed, Professor Dershowitz comes down hard on the more conservative members of the current (as of 2004) Supreme Court. As such, the book may not appeal to those who support the conservative view of how to interpret the constitution. Professor Dershowitz also focuses on prosecutorial, defense counsel and judicial misconduct. Some may support this misconduct as an attempt to bring about the desired outcome (the readers desired outcome), even at the expense of staying within the rules of the court and in some cases the rule of law. While coming down most often against the conservatives who twist (or even break) the law, he does not spare those on the left who did the same thing (particularly Clarence Darrow). I found the discussion of the Scopes trial to be most interesting. Professor Dershowitz points out that much of our view of the trial is based on the play (and later the movie) Inherit the Wind, in which the Bryant character is made out to be somewhat of a fool. In reality, Professor Dershowitz points out that Bryant actually won the case and was not the narrow minded religious conservative depicted in the play and movie. He points out that the book that Bryant was trying to ban (successfully) was a eugenics text, more suited to Nazi Germany than the US.
The book covers important trials starting with the Salem Witch trials and that of Peter Zenger, and ends with the detainees at Guantanamo bay (although as of 2004 when the book was written there has yet to be a trial). This is done by dividing the book into sections, each covering a period of American history (Colonial America, Early History, Civil War, Early Twentieth Century, etc.), with a brief discussion of the trials of that period at the beginning of each section. There are common threads, such as the question of Supreme Court decisions based on a strict interpretation of the constitution versus a looser one allowing for change with the times. The question of freedom of speech is another thread that runs through the book.
I liked the early sections much better than those that dealt with cases that Professor Dershowitz was personally involved. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I was somewhat acquainted with these trials, so I learned less than I did from the early trials with which I had much less knowledge. My chief criticism is that the aim was to cover as many trials as possible (I counted 63), so no trail was covered in very much detail. Rather, the focus was on what the trial tells us about the American judicial system and its legacy. I would have liked to see more about each trail, even if fewer trails were covered.
Excellent - Recommend Buying.......2005-12-24
I had a expected a bit better book but this book is still excellent. If someone else had written the book I might be less ambivalent but it is written by Alan Dershowitz, long time Harvard Law Professor, well known appeals lawyer, media commentator, author of 20 previous books, at least one of which I know was made into a movie, and perhaps one of the most talented living lawyers - so I expected a better book. To give some perspective I recently read the book on Stalin by Montefiore and he must have really toiled to write that book. This book in comparison seems like somewhat less of an effort - see below. Still it ranks 4 or 5 stars and is a great buy.
When I discovered the book at my book store I was ecstatic and bought it immediately. I started to read it as soon as I got home. The first chapter is beautiful. He explains how the early trials of Socrates, and Jesus, and Galileo, and Thomas More, and Mary Queen of Scots, the trial of Louis XVI all have contributed to our legal thinking and how these helped form what became of the current legal system. He quotes from the bible: Adam and Eve, Susanna, Jacob, etc. He references the Federalist Papers, Greek trials, the Romans, etc.
After that chapter I thought this was going to be a legal "tour de force" but it is not. After page 25 and "The Foundations of American Law" we find a compilation of cases - a series of short stories on famous trials - each a few pages long starting with the Salem Witchcraft Trials in 1692 (8 pages long) going through approximately 60 trials in total. We learn the names, the trial date, location, defendants, charge, verdict, and the sentence of each trial. These are grouped into sections with an introduction for each section. Each section has its own notes and the book is almost 600 pages long. The author adds many comments on each case and explains how the trials support basic freedoms and rights, and commenting on how the laws have evolved ( I suppose that is what another reviewer refers to as political bias) and quotes from people such as Justice Brandeis etc.
All the information is interesting and informative and clearly indicates how are laws have evolved; there is a difference between the laws and justice; sometimes laws evolve through the action of juries and bright lawyers and against the wishes of conservative judges and meddling politicians. He does a nice job with Susan B. Anthony and Andrew Johnson's impeachment, and Alger Hiss, and Roe vs Wade and many more. The conspiracy charges against Dr. Spock were chilling to say the least and are almost unimaginable. He goes from Salem to Guantanamo and it all seems well balanced except for the O.J. case where he is not objective, but that was not an important legal trial from a viewpoint of forming or changing laws. It is mostly a wonderful summary of trials and their results but it is not perhaps Dershowitz's "tour de force" culmination of 20 books. Still the trial comments and the end results are good.
I did spot one small error. Hinckley fired at Reagan after he gave his speech to the AFL-CIO and as Reagan went from the Hilton to his limousine, not as the book states that he was entering to give a speech where the author was also speaking (see for example page 428 of "Dutch" by Edmund Morris).
A bit disappointing in some ways but still a good buy, and one of his better books. Clearly an innovative book and a compelling read.
Entertaining not Educational.......2004-11-06
This book was compiled with the assistance of many people (p.xi), and makes for interesting reading of these sixty plus cases. You will be educated in reading this book, but do not assume these stories to be complete and accurate. They are the equivalent of a TV show, meant to be entertaining.
The Boorn Case gets a fuller discussion in Edmund Pearson's "Studies in Murder", who does not discuss the story of a "conspiracy". It defies common sense for a poor farmer in Vermont to have access to a man in New Jersey! The main point is there was no proof of any murder, or that the bones belonged to Russell Colvin. The hanging of a Harvard Professor was based solely on circumstantial evidence, a first in America. The Judge's instructions were in favor of the prosecution (pp.105-6). His story about Lizzie Borden is in error. Edmund Pearson's book was shown in error by Edward Radin's 1961 book, and his in turn. There were no bloodstains on Lizzie or Bridget, and no murder weapon found. Neither were a likely suspect, except they alone were present. David Kent's "Forty Whacks" gives a better treatment of this unsolved murder puzzle. The Judges' instructions correctly favored the defendant. Any story about the "Black Sox" and Shoeless Joe Jackson should refer to Eliot Asinof's 1963 book "Eight Men Out" which covers this story better.
The Alger Hiss trial divided America, "but not along class or party lines". Hiss was convicted of perjury in saying he did not recognize Whittaker Chambers. But a picture taken around 1935 shows Chambers (under his false name) to be around 145 pounds, sandy haired, and with a mustache. Compared to the 1948 Chambers, 300 lbs gray and bald, they do look like two different men. See for yourself. Chambers claimed these papers were a "life preserver", but were worth little without his corroboration. And Hiss, unlike real Soviet spies, never left America after his release. There are problems with the evidence (p.316).
The book "Tainting Evidence" has a chapter on the evidentiary problems in the Jeffrey MacDonald case. This is mentioned on pages 435-6. There is no evidence of any payoff to get MacDonald convicted. One of the most publicized and yet unknown case is the OJ Trial. The limousine driver picked him up at 11pm and drove him to the airport. OJ could not have personally murdered his ex-wife and the visiting waiter. The Medical Examiner who did the autopsies testified that the forensic evidence said they were murdered after 11pm. [The red, liquid blood suggests murder after 11:30pm, just before the bodies were found.] These facts trump manufactured evidence like the planted glove and fabricated blood evidence. In June 1996 the Los Angeles Times reported that the lead detective took away blood samples of the victims before the evidence was turned in for DNA testing. O.J. Simpson escaped the fate of Dr. Sam Shepard (or Tom Mooney). Isn't it true that murders by organized crime are rarely solved by the police?
Justice, Injustice, Legal Shenanigans and Lying Lawyers.......2004-10-13
Professor Dershowitz claims that he has read the original trial transcripts of more criminal cases than anyone else. That's entirely possible because most legal scholars focus on appellate opinions that set new case law. What he found will shake your view of how well the American justice system has been working. But it's well worth having the feet pulled out from under your assumptions that all is well in the legal world. Only in that way can we hope to make needed improvements.
The book is formatted to select a few cases from each period in American history in order to capture the social and legal issues of the day. Each section is preceded by a brief essay summarizing the cases and then followed by mini-essays on some of the cases mentioned in the brief essay. The best of these materials correct popular misconceptions about famous trials, lawyers and judges.
The cases from the last three decades are probably a little too extensive, but because Mr. Dershowitz played a role in many of them, I think he can be forgiven for including so many.
If you are a person who believes that the U.S. Constitution cannot be changed in meaning except by an amendment, you will probably hate this book. Mr. Dershowitz believes that laws need to evolve to match the times and to correct historic wrongs . . . such as slaves being counted as a 3/5 person for purposes of the House of Representatives in the original version of the Constitution, even though the slaves had no right to vote.
If you are a big fan of Justice Scalia, you will definitely hate the book's end where Mr. Dershowitz unloads on the justice in no uncertain terms.
I was glad that I had read the book because I, too, had some misconceptions that I needed to lose. But the gain was modest for the effort. So if you are a lawyer, you might just want to skim the cases that interest you rather than read the whole book.
For someone who isn't a lawyer, I think the book will be very revealing in its exploration of how justice and injustice have been perpetrated in the courts over the last several hundred years in the United States. I think you'll come away pleased that we are trying to make justice better. You will also be disappointed to see that the child molestation cases were sometimes run in ways not different enough from the Salem witch trials. Progress can be slow.
Most books about the grand cases of the law elevate the law and the legal profession with a lot of romanticism. Professor Dershowitz uses bug spray instead to make the cockroaches scatter who are undermining the process. When you agree with his views, you will love the book. When you disagree with his views, you will find the book to be very annoying.
I graded the book down for enormous redundancy between the brief essays and the mini-essays. That problem was less towards the end, but it was a definite annoyance in the beginning.
May we all enjoy the justice we deserve!
Book Description
Salem Story engages the story of the Salem witch trials through an analysis of the surviving primary documentation and juxtaposes that against the way in which our culture has mythologized the events of 1692. Salem Story examines a variety of individual motives that converged to precipitate the witch hunt. The book also examines subsequent mythologies that emerged from the events of 1692. Of the many assumptions about the Salem Witch Trials, the most persistent one remains that they were precipitated by a circle of hysterical girls. Through an analysis of what actually happened, through reading the primary material, the emerging story shows a different picture, one where "hysteria" inappropriately describes the events and where accusing males as well as females participated in strategies of accusation and confession that followed a logical, rational pattern.
Customer Reviews:
Very Informing.......2007-05-05
I have to do a research paper for a college class I'm taking. I chose to do my paper on The Salem Witch Trials, and after buying this book, I must say that it has given me correct, and in-depth information that is far better than the information I could find online.
This is the book to read if you want the factually accurate truth about Salem.
(on a side note, it's can get to be a little slow in parts because every detail is explained, so if you want exciting stories about witches, you're better off with Harry Potter)
Salem Story Has Never Been So Boring.......2002-12-04
I love to read a lot about Witchcraft and about Salem trials as well, however, this book isn't what I expected it to be..
It is VERY hard to read, boring, and disorganized.
There are a lot of great books about the Salem trials, I recommend you to skip this one..
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.......2002-11-15
All I have to say is that this book is VERY hard to stay interested in. I have always found any/all information on the Salem Witch Trails to fascinating...until now! This book is very factual, but seems that it is very repetitious. I think a book CAN be factual and keep ones attention (which is why I purchased the book) but unfortunately, I found this book completely boring.
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.......2002-11-15
All I have to say is that this book is VERY hard to stay interested in. I have always found any/all information on the Salem Witch Trails too fascinating...until now! This book is very factual, but seems that it is very repetitious. I think a book CAN be factual and keep ones attention (which is why I purchased the book) but unfortunately, I found this book completely boring. It seems that I am not the only one that thinks this way from other reviews.
Lots of facts; just add water........2001-03-11
I can't believe I more-or-less read this whole book in a single day. It's not, in the ordinary sense, a page-turner. You would expect an English prof to makes things more interesting than this, but in fact the book is often stilted, repetitive, and a bit pompous, not to mention dry. The author gives you little feel for place or time, or even demographic detail. (How many people lived in these towns he's talking about?) And all his references to the Bible seemed very ignorant. One of the odd things about the Salem trial to me, as a Christian, is that there are no strong parallels to these events in the Bible itself. Another interesting paradox, that the author does bring up, is that the pastors in Salem were mostly against the trials. I was hoping to learn fomr about where the Puritans got their ideas about the devil in the first place, and how they reconciled those ideas with the Bible, but no such information was forthcoming here.
Still, if you want to sort out facts in regard to what happened in Salem, and why, this is a very useful resource. The book is thoughtful, somewhat perceptive, and thoroughly researched. (In terms of American history.) In a book I wrote last year, Jesus and the Religions of Man, I included an appendix, "Crusades, Inquisitions, Pograms, and Witch Hunts," relying on another source for the pages on the Salem witch trials. I now discover, thanks to Professor Rosenthal, that I made a mistake or two (nothing vital) by not having read this book first. This is not such a bad book as some of the reviewers below make out; if you skip a bit, it can be valuable and somewhat interesting. But don't mistake it for a Stephen King novel.
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