Library Journal12/01/2013
From early 1692 until mid-1693, accusations of witchcraft, based on fear, prejudice, resentment, and unexplainable illnesses, affected hundreds of lives in and around Salem, MA. After 20 executions, changing public sentiment caused officials to desist, and the frenzy abated significantly. Independent historian and illustrator Roach has produced a book similar to her The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege but that focuses intently on the lives of six women of varied backgrounds—four accused, one accuser, and one mother of an accuser: Bridget Bishop, Mary English, Rebecca Nurse, Tituba, Mary Warren, and Ann Putnam—each trapped in her role by fear and pressure. With minimal analysis or criticism, Roach animates information woven together from court records, trial notes, diaries, vital records, sermon notes, and family lore in a successful attempt to personalize their lives, drawing the reader away from commonly believed stereotypes and sensational folklore.
