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Death in Salem: The Private Lives behind the 1692 Witch Hunt
During the 1692 witch trials, more than 150 people were arrested. An estimated 25 million Americans—including author Diane Foulds—are descended from the twenty individuals executed. What happened to our ancestors? Death in Salem is the first book to take a clear-eyed look at this complex time, by examining the lives of the witch trial participants from a personal perspecti...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
August 3rd 2010
by Globe Pequot
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I just started part 2 and love this book. I've read a lot on the Salem Witch events but I haven't read a book that is broken down like this one is. If anyone is interested in this part of our History I would say grab it. I found this book at the Salem Witch museum in Salem, Mass and was able to borrow it from my Library.
I just finished this book and would recommend this if your interested in the Salem trials. I love how the Author gave an account of each of the victims and those that accused. I...more
I just finished this book and would recommend this if your interested in the Salem trials. I love how the Author gave an account of each of the victims and those that accused. I...more
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I've always wanted to know more about the trials. History class never spent enough time on it and the books didn't do it justice nor have any of the other real or fictional accounts I've encountered. As a nonfiction book, the prose was very approachable. The breakdown of chapters paints a clear picture of the people who where involved. It's still infuriating that the elite, "Christian" citizens of Salem convicted and executed so many innocents under false, preposterous evidence. I haven't realiz...more
More a compilation of biographical information than a new study, Death in Salem presents brief vignettes about the principals involved in the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692/3. Most of the accused witches were ordinary people who left few clues about how they came to be victimized, but more is known about the ministers and the judges, many of whom were wealthy and well connected politically. Foulds's book is written for a popular rather than a scholarly audience; it can serve as a quick refe...more
Victims, accusers, clergy, judges, the elite all receive a 1-to-3-page biography. Author used a lot of secondary sources, some of which have been updated by other witch-hunt experts and genealogists, and she didn't track that. The bios read like stories. No source citations for facts or conclusions, so not useful as a resource book.
While this book was a little dry, it still was interesting. This book is written in a format to simply tell about each involved in this terrible tragedy. This book assumes you are familiar with the Salem witch trials, so those who have not read other books should do so before picking this up.
The biggest down side to this book is that it assumes to have some background knowledge about the 1692 Salem witch trials. It goes through personal information about a variety of individuals directly involved in the trials. While it was interesting, it was also a little bit boring. I think you’d have to be pretty interested in the trials or at least writing a school paper to really get anything out of this book.
I think I finished this off in two days at the beach. Excellent read for history buffs or those interested in The Salem Witch Trials. Ms Foulds told the story of each person involved-not just the victims, but judges, pastors, accusers.
Jun 22, 2012
Jess
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Given 25 million US citizens descended from the witches hung in Salem, it is a pretty important historical account of how difficult times were under England's rule in the 1600s.
I was intrigued by the stories of the people who were accused of being witches. This book is well written and was recommended by Beth Pfeifle (who is friends of the author).
really enjoy reading the book.found it very intresting since many of my family were accused witches in the witch hunt of 1692. came me insight on what thier hoor they went though
Well done. Small bios of those involved in the Salem Witch Trials. The book is divided into chapters of the accused, the accusers, the judges, the clergy, and the elite. Nothing earth shattering here, but a good glimpse into the big picture of what was happening in the area at the time. A great starting point to begin a study on the topic, some really good insight!
This is very much a research sort of book. It details the lives of several of the accused witches, judges, clergy and elite people of the time. There isn't really a history of the actual trails, but a look into the life of each character.
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