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| by Steven L. Stern Bearport Publishing 978-1-936088-00-3 Review copy sent by publisher. |
The Salem Witch Trials are one of those events in history that continue to enthrall readers of all ages. This book gives a concise overview of the events and names associated with it, as well as possible reasons for the girls' behavior and accusations, and the citizens' willingness to believe them.
The book has the aura of wanting to sensationalize or spook readers (and it is, after all, part of a series titled "Horrorscapes"), but nothing in the text was inaccurate or exaggerated. Some of the pictures add nicely to the background information, from photographs of tombstones and a fungus that could have caused hallucinations, to a map showing how politics may have come into play. Other pictures, however, are a bit bizarre, making us think about bad photoshopping, and distracting a bit from the text (pg. 4-5 is a good example).
If your library size or patron interest warrants a good-sized collection of books on this subject, we recommend adding this one, but we wouldn't make it our sole source. We give it a
3 out of 5.
For more reviews of great nonfiction books, click over to Practically Paradise.
Please also consider adding THE AFFLICTED GIRLS A Novel of Salem by Suzy Witten (ISBN: 978-0-615-32313-8) to your collection of books about the Salem witch hunt. Winner of 2010 IPPY Silver Medal for Historical Fiction (for ages 17 and older) "Something terrible happened in Salem Village in 1692 ... but it isn't what you think!" Thank you.
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