Death in Salem: The Private Lives Behind the 1692 Witch Hunt

By Diane E. Foulds

Book Overview

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: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762784970
• ISBN13: 9780762784974
• Release Date: August 2013
• Publisher: Globe Pequot Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.4"