Short Synopsis
This acclaimed history illuminates the horrifying episode of Salem with visceral clarity, from those who fanned the crisis to satisfy personal vendettas to the four-year-old "witch" who was chained to a dank prison wall in darkness till she went mad.

Full Synopsis
During the bleak winter of 1692 in the rigid Puritan community of Salem Village, Massachusetts, a group of young girls began experiencing violent fits, allegedly tormented by Satan and the witches who worshipped him. From the girls' initial denouncing of an Indian slave, the accusations soon multiplied. In less than two years, nineteen men and women were hanged, one was pressed to death, and over a hundred others were imprisoned and impoverished.

This evenhanded and now-classic history illuminates the horrifying episode with visceral clarity, from the opportunistic Putnam clan, who fanned the crisis to satisfy personal vendettas and greed, to four-year-old "witch" Dorcas Good, who was chained to a dank prison wall in darkness till she went mad. By placing the distant period of the Salem witch trials in the larger context of more contemporary eruptions of mass hysteria and intolerance, the author has created a work as thought-provoking as it is emotionally powerful.

"If you want to immerse yourself in the world surrounding the Witch Trials, this is the audiobook for you." ---Mixed Media Reviews

"Hill reminds us that 'witch-hunts are still with us.'" ---Booklist Starred Review

"An entertaining and suspenseful drama that is also a cautionary tale for our times." ---Boston Globe

"McCaddon's strong voice helps listeners navigate the details of the complex material. She knows when to keep a steady narrative clip and when to slow down and tease out the nuance of a given passage. Listeners will appreciate the guidance." ---AudioFile

Booklist Review