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bluemoosetom 's review for:
An Outbreak of Witchcraft
by Deborah Noyes
I liked the ambition of this project, but I found it a little tricky to follow the narrative. It was particularly confusing how seemingly easy it was for the "afflicted," the purported victims of witchcraft, to accuse other townspeople. The events themselves are just so nonsensical, with such an environment of paranoia, that perhaps there is no way to understand events much later. I am skeptical of all things supernatural, so that made it tougher to get into the mindset of 17th Century religious fanatics.
The story does do a good job of illuminating how people got railroaded in this literal witch hunt. The author also showed how for many individuals, the outcome was better if they made a "confession" of being a witch and then testifying against others. The victims were often the outsiders of the community, such as widows, the poor, the indentured, and enslaved people. This book also has made me interested in trying to watch or read [a:Arthur Miller|8120|Arthur Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201186455p2/8120.jpg]'s [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547467608l/17250._SX50_.jpg|1426723].
I am slightly surprised how most libraries in my consortium catalog this as either teen/young adult or juvenile. The plot seems complicated enough that I would have thought it might be put in adult, but perhaps steering it to a younger audience gets it read more.
The story does do a good job of illuminating how people got railroaded in this literal witch hunt. The author also showed how for many individuals, the outcome was better if they made a "confession" of being a witch and then testifying against others. The victims were often the outsiders of the community, such as widows, the poor, the indentured, and enslaved people. This book also has made me interested in trying to watch or read [a:Arthur Miller|8120|Arthur Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201186455p2/8120.jpg]'s [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547467608l/17250._SX50_.jpg|1426723].
I am slightly surprised how most libraries in my consortium catalog this as either teen/young adult or juvenile. The plot seems complicated enough that I would have thought it might be put in adult, but perhaps steering it to a younger audience gets it read more.