Witch Hunt Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials

Aronson, Marc. Witch Hunt Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003


Annotation: It was mass hysteria. More than 100 people accused, by October 1692, 19 people were executed, one man tortured, and many died in prison for witchcraft.


Justification for rejection: Marc Aronson examines the events in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. A group of young teenage women accused many people of witchcraft. They claimed to have been assaulted by being bitten and pinched by invisible agents, their limbs wracked with pain, “taken dumb” or not being able to talk, uttering foolish remarks, and hiding under chairs. This was witnessed by their families and friends. Once in court upon seeing and hearing the accused try to defend themselves would scream in pain, contort their bodies, and hallucinate. The accused were often odd women who kept to themselves, although some were upstanding women and men of the community and church. It seemed that the same core group of girls made most of the accusations, but neighbors did turn against each other, but mostly as a revenge circumstance. Aronson delivers a brilliant introduction designed to speak directly to teens putting the history in context that sharp teens can grasp. Aronson encourages them to think about how the events connect to their lives and to contemporary culture. He draws parallels between Salem and post September 11th society, writing with an undiminished political bent. The author actively encourages the rethinking and past ideas of the events leading up to the accusations and trials. Some readers may get bogged down in the monotonous he said/she said dialogue, while others may feel that the direct quotes are just. While Aronson trusts the reader to form their own deduction about what happened and why he does caution that while the reader’s interpretation may be valid, a conclusion may not be possible. One of the reasons for my rejection is that this book does not represent all age groups within the young adult arena. It is definitely for the avid reader and would not appeal to the efferent reader. This is for teens who love to debate and dig into history. Aronson shows off his talent for historical interpretation and his purpose as a non-fiction writer as he rebuilds events surrounding the witch trials of 1692. He isn’t afraid to give his opinion throughout the text. To enrich and illustrate the history, he uses a wide array of documented sources and recorded testimonies of the accused and the accusers. The author produces a close view of the tragedy that assesses the theories from deceit and outright fraud to spoiled food that caused hallucinations. The avid reader will appreciate the time line of events, epilogue, and notes & comments section that deals with myths, legends, and misinterpretations. He offers the avid reader a series of questions to think about throughout the book, focusing not only on the accusers, but on the judges, witnesses, jury, skeptics, and other protagonists. Although, he sites contemporary 911 events as a means of encouraging readers to think about relevance in their own lives, but he didn’t develop the theories well enough to inform the reader of why he made the comparison. Another reason for rejection is the pictures accompanying the text have no captions and are often difficult to see. This book did win the School Library Best Book of the Year award, but in my opinion it is only going to stimulate a more mature teen reader.

Genre: Historical/ Non-Fiction/ Mystery/