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Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1692. When the first girl fell down screaming, the people of Salem Village thought it might just be silliness. Then a second girl started barking. A third and fourth began to shake uncontrollably. A doctor said “an evil hand” had come upon the girls, and everyone knew: They were bewitched.
But who were the witches? Everyone knew that too: the unprotected residents of Salem—the poor, the elderly, the ones who were a little bit strange. Soon more girls were having fits and naming people as witches. The village erupted in accusations, suspicion, and fear. By the time the witch trials ended, dozens of lives had been ruined, and twenty people were dead.
And I saw it all. With a snarky and surprising first-person narrator – a historical figure that played a major role in events – acclaimed writer Katie Kennedy offers a fresh new take on the greatest true-crime story in American history.
About the author
Katie Kennedy once caught her then-nine-year-old daughter reading the Constitution under the covers with a flashlight. As an American history professor, Katie has never been more proud. She is the author of
Did You Hear What Happened in Salem?: The Witch Trials of 1692;The Constitution Decoded: A Guide to the Document That Shapes Our Nation; and
The Presidents Decoded: A Guide to the Leaders Who Shaped Our Nation, as well as several novels. Katie has taught college history and American government for thirty years. She lives in Iowa with her husband and son. Visit her online at katiekennedybooks.com.
Nick Thornborrow is the illustrator of the acclaimed
Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace and works as a concept and storyboard artist in the videogame industry. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Summary
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1692. When the first girl fell down screaming, the people of Salem Village thought it might just be silliness. Then a second girl started barking. A third and fourth began to shake uncontrollably. A doctor said “an evil hand” had come upon the girls, and everyone knew: They were bewitched.
But who were the witches? Everyone knew that too: the unprotected residents of Salem—the poor, the elderly, the ones who were a little bit strange. Soon more girls were having fits and naming people as witches. The village erupted in accusations, suspicion, and fear. By the time the witch trials ended, dozens of lives had been ruined, and twenty people were dead.
And I saw it all.
With a snarky and surprising first-person narrator – a historical figure that played a major role in events – acclaimed writer Katie Kennedy offers a fresh new take on the greatest true-crime story in American history.
