A Delusion Of Satan: The Full Story Of The Salem Witch Trials

"It was no accident that Satan strode forth from God's house."

Finally, an author that puts the blame on those in charge (Salem's ministers), rather than the girls or the accused or the wars with Native Americans. From the beginning, the "afflicted" girls are manipulated at home for personal gain. They cannot write, they are silent and obedient, with no outlet for growth. Now, combine that with a strict and terrifying religious upbringing, and you have a recipe for a weakened mind with a dark need to assert itself. Then enters the idea of witchcraft, which is introduced and feared at home. After all, if a person is distracted by their neighbor, that's one less pair of eyes on the leadership.

Also,I had no idea how deep Salem factions show more went. In the beginning, Rev. Parris had an unsteady position in Salem, not liked by many. When his daughter Betty and his niece Abigail start having fits and accuse their slave Tituba, it's a bad look for him. So, he invites over his most powerful ally, Thomas Putnam, to have a look. To create a witness and a deflection. Conveniently, Ann Putnam is the next to be bewitched. She is Thomas' daughter and she accuses Sarah Osborne. Osborne's sons were Thomas' nephews. When Sarah contested her son's inheritance, she was basically taking away Putnam family power.

And that' s just one example! Hill shows their skills as a researcher by sharing all dirt laundry in Salem. Land disputes, unpaid debt, marital discord, all of it. A common statement from the "afflicted" was "I saw the apparition of___I did not know her/his name then" until that poor individual is dragged to the courtroom. None of the judges are trained in law, they're church leaders or merchants with personal beefs with the accused. It was a guilty until proven innocent. This book had all the opportunities to be hard to follow, but it wasn't at all. Hills does an excellent job here. show less

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" chained to a dank prison wall in darkness till she went mad. Antonia Fraser called it "a grisly read and an engrossing one."

In 1692, hundreds of people in Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft. 18 were hanged for it, and one was pressed to death when he refused to speak at his own trial. Frances Hill takes a close look at exactly what happened in this Puritan-settled area to allow this to happen.

This was really good. There is so much detail in this book. It starts off by describing the kind of world these Puritans lived in, the politics that was happening at the time as Salem Village was trying to separate from Salem Town, and more. There is quite a bit of information Hill brings forth about the “afflicted” girls and their lives and families, as well as the lives of the accused, some of whom were elderly and/or very upstanding members of the community show more and in the church. With so many people (afflicted and accused) added as it goes on, it can get a little confusing as to who’s who later in the book, but overall, it’s still very good and well worth the read. show less

"This is a well written and well researched narrative of the Salem witch trial in 1692 setting out its early beginnings and lingering ending and everything in between. Hill is clear where some details are uncertain or may be skewed by the origin of the sources as well as linking back some of the events to earlier ones that may have contributed to the accusations made. "

This is an excellent account of the Salem Witch Trials, a book I would recommend to anyone interested in the subject. Beyond recording and analyzing the events of 1692/1693, the author draws interesting paralles to our modern-day witch hunts. There is a timeline at the back of the book (perhaps this should be in the front), which is helpful as Hill tends to skip back and forth in time, which might be confusing for some readers, although it didn't bother me. My one criticism is that while there are copious notes, they are not annotated, a pet hate of mine; otherwise I would have rated it higher.

This was a pretty good book. Inclusive. Tended to skip around a bit, which was really confusing when you were in the middle of the trials and suddenly had to stop to hear the life story of Reverend So-and-so, but it provided thorough, logical reasoning and was overall a good resource. She kept referencing other books I had never heard of, which was kind of annoying, but it proved she had done her research!

I felt it was a bit heavy on psychology and feminism-but I guess a book on the Salem with trials is bound to be. Still , I enjoyed the more mundane explanations for what happened and liked the narrative style.