Aronson,Marc. Witch-hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials. NewYork: Simon And Schuster, 2003

In reviewing the book Witch-hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials, I found many new and interesting facts about the Salem witch trials. The book gives a detailed account of the accusers, the accused, the judges, and other key players involved in the hysteria that consumed Salem in 1692. Aronson starts out his book not with 1692, but instead with 1688, a year when the four Goodwin children seemed to be possessed by someone or something that was not of this world. The whole of this story is told by Cotton Mather, a well-respected minister of his day. He and his father, Increase Mather would play an important part in the hysteria was to come. He was the one who established the test for accused witches—that is, the ability to recite the Lord’s Prayer perfectly. Ironically, it would be his voice that would stop the hysteria in late 1692. He then compares the hysteria of 1692 to the post-September 11, 2001 hysteria regarding religious fundamentalists. At times, Aronson is a bit preachy, but the narrative moves along, telling vividly of the trials of the accused, and how many recanted their confessions, and even the histrionics of the alleged victims. The story begins with a group of girls practicing some old divination with a West Indian Slave, Tituba. When the experiment goes horribly wrong, the girls begin having spells of illness, and began going into fits. The girls quickly accuse Tituba of bewitching them, and Tituba does not disappoint, confessing to the crime of witchcraft, naming names, if only to save herself. The accusations fly quickly from there, as does the narrative. Aronson moves quickly, telling of the trials and hangings with vivid clarity. One almost feels as though they are in the courtroom, feeling the accusers’ pains, and hearing the plaintiff’s cries of innocence. Aronson also takes us to the jail cells, telling us of witches that recanted to the stenographers charged with taking their confessions. Aronson then talks of the height of the hysteria, when people were being accused at an alarming rate. He does, however, neglect to mention that a total of 20 people were executed, and many more were imprisoned. Aronson ends the Witchcraft trials with a voice of reason. It is the same voice that ended the hysteria 300 years ago. The reason is voiced by people like Cotton Mather, Increase Mather, Thomas Brattle and other esteemed men of the society. He also ties the whole thing together by placing the events in their historical context and giving reasons for the hysteria and for the end of the reign of terror. Overall, he does an excellent job of taking the available resources and turning it into a gripping tale that would take anyone on a wild ride. I personally read this book in two days, I could not put it down. The contemporary comparisons Aronson makes brings the book to relevance to today’s young person while bringing this fascinating historical period to a satisfying, if unsettling conclusion. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of the Salem Witch Trials and their impact on Massachusetts society. I would also recommend it because after reading it, one gets the sense of what a modern day witch-hunt looks like. Hopefully, by reading about this troubling period in American history, we can avoid repetitions of this type of hysteria in the future.