Cry "Witch!": The Salem Witchcraft Trials

by Lawrence Gain (Editor)

Amid a time of turmoil, the "afflicted girls" of 1692 Salem, Massachusetts cried out against scores of accused witches. Smallpox epidemics, drought, and Native American attacks unsettled Puritan society. Witch hysteria arose, then, with charges against a beggar and a slave and later swept up children and respected church members. Within a year, public reaction to the accusations -- and to the deaths of 20 people -- put an end to the witch trials. Court transcripts and contemporary accounts give insight into the events of 1692, from the words of those who lived and died during the trials.

Genres: History

78 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Cristina Bracho Carrillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro cortito en el que se narra brevemente la historia de los juicios de Salem mediante documentos históricos. Profundiza en los procesos de varias de los acusadas e incluye extractos de las actas judiciales, testimonios de familias rotas o empobrecidas o relatos de contemporáneos criticando la crueldad de los métodos y el sinsentido de las pruebas alegadas.

Sabía que las acusaciones eran una auténtica locura y que sirvieron para encubrir muchas envidias y rencillas de la comunidad, pero me ha sorprendido leer varios casos, como el de la mujer que alegó haberse convertido en bruja tras una depresión posparto u otra acusada por transmitir la viruela. Se me ha hecho muy muy escueto, eso sí; es un libro bastante introductorio (aunque muy bien documentado). No deja de suscitar reflexión que "Satán" castigara a los que denunciaban desigualdades socioeconómicas o se moviera por la envidia, el racismo y la misoginia. Vamos, que hemos aprendido poco.

[Teawench · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Because it was so short, it didn't go into a lot of detail but it's probably a good book for someone mildly interested in the Salem witch trials. The one thing I really liked about this book is that it went into more detail about some of the things that happened after the witch trials were over. Something that most books I've read on the subject don't tend to do.