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clairedrinkstea's review
4.0
This was a great non-fiction look at magical women and non-binary people within American witch and occult history. It covers a wide spectrum from Salem witch trials, the rise of spiritualism, to the 80s Satanic Panic and digital occultism.
I liked the authors including ostracised or forgotten individuals whose contributions to the occult are fundamental. I also appreciated the inclusive language and calling out the problematic words or behaviours, and not simply writing it off a “that’s how things were back then” but linking it back to the core values of the practice.
It’s a gorgeous book, and I can see it gracing a coffee table. One of the things I enjoyed about it was being able to pick it up and now and then, read one or more entries and put it down. It helped draw out the pleasure of discovery and it has signposted me to individuals I want to learn more about such as Rose Mackenberg and Alice Sparkly Kat.
I liked the authors including ostracised or forgotten individuals whose contributions to the occult are fundamental. I also appreciated the inclusive language and calling out the problematic words or behaviours, and not simply writing it off a “that’s how things were back then” but linking it back to the core values of the practice.
It’s a gorgeous book, and I can see it gracing a coffee table. One of the things I enjoyed about it was being able to pick it up and now and then, read one or more entries and put it down. It helped draw out the pleasure of discovery and it has signposted me to individuals I want to learn more about such as Rose Mackenberg and Alice Sparkly Kat.
ashleyhouse's review
2.0
I've settled on a three for this book because my interest came and went throughout the different parts of this work of non-fiction.
My interest in this book was sparked by learning about women throughout history that were labelled as "witch" because they were challenging the status quo. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, and perhaps my favorite section was about the Public Universal Friend. I also really enjoyed the end of the book, when it discussed the advantages and disadvantages of witchiness being more mainstream. I loved the quote in the section about Sparkly Kat: "If the West is a construct, if the concept of whiteness is a story that we keep telling in order to reinforce it, then we can choose different ways of telling stories while beginning to heal the trauma of those original stories that privilege the West and whiteness" (p. 269). There is so much to discuss there!
That leads me to one of my disappointments with the book - the brevity of some topics. I know it's meant to be an overview of many things within occult history - I'm just disappointed that I couldn't have learned more about paganism, connection to the environment, the Satanic Panic, and women religious leaders. Personally, I do not identify as a pagan or witch - I'm an open-minded, non judgemental, believer in everybody's place in the world, love your neighbour as yourself kind of Christian (we do exist - the right wing "Christians" are just louder). I believe religious practices and beliefs have to evolve over time in order to overcome the awfulness of the world. We have so much to learn from each other. Perhaps this wasn't the right book in order to learn more about what I wanted to learn about (if that makes sense). Also, while interesting for a bit, I became kinda bored in the middle of the book because it just felt like the same thing over and over about psychics and debunking their practices.
Anyway, if anyone is still reading at this point, and would like to point me towards some interesting reading about pagan beliefs regarding our connection to the earth or early women healers or leaders, that would be greatly appreciated!
My interest in this book was sparked by learning about women throughout history that were labelled as "witch" because they were challenging the status quo. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, and perhaps my favorite section was about the Public Universal Friend. I also really enjoyed the end of the book, when it discussed the advantages and disadvantages of witchiness being more mainstream. I loved the quote in the section about Sparkly Kat: "If the West is a construct, if the concept of whiteness is a story that we keep telling in order to reinforce it, then we can choose different ways of telling stories while beginning to heal the trauma of those original stories that privilege the West and whiteness" (p. 269). There is so much to discuss there!
That leads me to one of my disappointments with the book - the brevity of some topics. I know it's meant to be an overview of many things within occult history - I'm just disappointed that I couldn't have learned more about paganism, connection to the environment, the Satanic Panic, and women religious leaders. Personally, I do not identify as a pagan or witch - I'm an open-minded, non judgemental, believer in everybody's place in the world, love your neighbour as yourself kind of Christian (we do exist - the right wing "Christians" are just louder). I believe religious practices and beliefs have to evolve over time in order to overcome the awfulness of the world. We have so much to learn from each other. Perhaps this wasn't the right book in order to learn more about what I wanted to learn about (if that makes sense). Also, while interesting for a bit, I became kinda bored in the middle of the book because it just felt like the same thing over and over about psychics and debunking their practices.
Anyway, if anyone is still reading at this point, and would like to point me towards some interesting reading about pagan beliefs regarding our connection to the earth or early women healers or leaders, that would be greatly appreciated!
pagesofkenzie's review
Riddled with misinformation and the author’s didn’t provided any sources for their work.
hillaaaa's review
3.0
Interesting topics but it felt like info overload and the writing was not intriguing enough to keep me interested.
inthelunaseas's review
4.0
Fun!
Each write up about the (mostly) women who have historically been involved in witchcraft is presented in short sections, usually only a few pages long. It gets straight to the point about their involvement, and why they've left a mark in the history books. The book is grouped into chapters about how the occult has been shaped and politicised, how people have profited from it, and how witchcraft has since become an image and an identity.
Very cute. This is going to my witchcraft/spooky stand.
Each write up about the (mostly) women who have historically been involved in witchcraft is presented in short sections, usually only a few pages long. It gets straight to the point about their involvement, and why they've left a mark in the history books. The book is grouped into chapters about how the occult has been shaped and politicised, how people have profited from it, and how witchcraft has since become an image and an identity.
Very cute. This is going to my witchcraft/spooky stand.
zhoffmeister's review
1.0
How I got tricked into reading a coffee table book for the past 5 weeks I don’t even know
bookfeyreads's review
4.0
An interesting audiobook on the history of the occult in relation to women. It also addresses current gender issues in relation to the topic