Death in Salem the Private Lives Behind the 1692 Witch Hunt

By Diane Foulds

Salem witchcraft will always have a magnetic pull on the American psyche. During the 1692 witch trials, more than 150 people were arrested. An estimated 25 million Americans-including author Diane Foulds-are descended from the twenty individuals executed. What happened to our ancestors? Death in Salem is the first book to take a clear-eyed look at this complex time, by examining the lives of the witch trial participants from a personal perspective. Massachusetts settlers led difficult lives; every player in the Salem drama endured hardships barely imaginable today. Mercy Short, one of the "bewitched" girls, watched as Indians butchered her parents; Puritan minister Cotton Mather outlived all but three of his fifteen children. Such tragedies shaped behavior and, as Foulds argues, ultimately played a part in the witch hunt's outcome. A compelling "who's who" to Salem witchcraft, Death in Salem profiles each of these historical personalities as it asks: Why was this person targeted?

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1663604592
• ISBN13: 9781663604590
• Release Date: February 2021
• Publisher: Turtleback
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.6"