What kid has never been fascinated by the story of the Salem Witch Trials. Unfortunately popular media often portrays a caricature of what happened in Salem Massachusetts in 1682. This carefully researched history draws from diaries, newspaper articles, public record, and letters to give a detailed account of what really happened. One thing I appreciated in this account was that Schanzer resists the temptation to promote a specific idea of what motivated the players in the story. Why did the girls start to act possessed and accuse others of witchcraft? Why did the local religious leaders allow and even promote the execution of so many innocent people? Why did it take so long for "cooler heads" to prevail and stop the slaughter? Schanzer presents different theories but leaves it to the reader to decide. This would be an interesting book to do for a parent/child book group in October. It could lead to some really good discussion about the difference between facts and the interpretation of facts. No wonder it won a Sibert honor in 2012. (2011, 144p)
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Witches:The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer
What kid has never been fascinated by the story of the Salem Witch Trials. Unfortunately popular media often portrays a caricature of what happened in Salem Massachusetts in 1682. This carefully researched history draws from diaries, newspaper articles, public record, and letters to give a detailed account of what really happened. One thing I appreciated in this account was that Schanzer resists the temptation to promote a specific idea of what motivated the players in the story. Why did the girls start to act possessed and accuse others of witchcraft? Why did the local religious leaders allow and even promote the execution of so many innocent people? Why did it take so long for "cooler heads" to prevail and stop the slaughter? Schanzer presents different theories but leaves it to the reader to decide. This would be an interesting book to do for a parent/child book group in October. It could lead to some really good discussion about the difference between facts and the interpretation of facts. No wonder it won a Sibert honor in 2012. (2011, 144p)
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