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sian_m's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book sad for how easy it was in those days to be charged with such serious consequences when someone is completely innocent of the charge. I’m grateful that we’ve moved on with our legal processing. It’s a simple easy read book.
witpip's review against another edition
2.0
My 12 year old is a better doctor than the ones during the witchcraft scare.
"Why do you have a cat?"
"Must be witchcraft!"
Puritans were.. well let just say.... gullible as shit.
"Why do you have a cat?"
"Must be witchcraft!"
Puritans were.. well let just say.... gullible as shit.
larry_yonce's review
2.0
1692-a good year to stay far away from the colony of Massachusetts
An awkward attempt at writing a children's book chronicling the Salem witch trials. I expected a better result from this esteemed author. What I got was an uneasy mix of fact and speculation. Includes a tacked on Afterword that is heavy-handed and dull. Disappointing.
An awkward attempt at writing a children's book chronicling the Salem witch trials. I expected a better result from this esteemed author. What I got was an uneasy mix of fact and speculation. Includes a tacked on Afterword that is heavy-handed and dull. Disappointing.
lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
a historical acount of the witch trials - follows the trial accounts.
tricapra's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating. Short and to the point. I grew up believing in the (apparently not actually true?) tainted grain theory. I learned more in the 2~ hours it took me to finish this then I did in the entire section we "learned" back in middle school. I wish Jackson had decided to write more non-fiction texts like this, her style really fits the subject matter.
designatedbanana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This is a great overview of what happened at the Salem Witch Trials. Shirley Jackson does a wonderful job of providing religious and social context to help the reader understand how things would have gotten so out of hand so quickly and dramatically. She also dedicates a little time at the end to explore some of the more controversial theories that have since come up. The best part is that she is so surprisingly sassy at times. Her voice as the author is so strong that she's pretty much a character in the book, and when she has an opinion on something/someone she is not afraid to make her stance known. I've come across this in her writing before and I think it adds much needed levity to a depressing story and it makes this book stand out from other books on the same topic.
It's a great read for anyone that doesn't know much about what happened and for those with peanut memories like myself that want a refresher.
It's a great read for anyone that doesn't know much about what happened and for those with peanut memories like myself that want a refresher.