Module 11: Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials

Image from: http://openlibrary.org/books/OL8457771M/Witch-Hunt

Summary:
Many people in Salem were accused of being witches which created trials to determine their fate.  The accusers demonstrated the torment and the torture they went through because of these witches.  Many of these so called witches were mainly poor and women who would have children out of wedlock which at the time was very wrong.  But it is to our surprise that even a very known and rich woman was also accused of witchcraft and the accusers made sure it was known of her wrongful doings.  The author provides the information that was documented at the time and begins to question whether their actions were indeed true.  Placing second thoughts on readers increases the interest to continue reading the book.  


Reviews:
He isn't shy about injecting his own voice in the mix; he often speaks directly to readers, putting the history into a context that sharp teens can grasp and encouraging them to think about how the events connect to their lives and to contemporary culture and politics. To enrich and clarify the history, he quotes from an extraordinary, well-documented array of sources and recorded testimonies (of accused and accuser alike), producing a dense, wide-angle view of the tragedy that evaluates causative theories ranging from deceit and outright fraud to spoiled food that caused hallucinations. The subject will undoubtedly attract readers, but this is not for those in search of spoon-fed fact; rather, it's for teens who love to debate and to dig into what's between the pages of their history books.


Zvirin, S.  (2003, November 1).  Aronson, Marc.  Witch-hunt: mysteries of the Salem witch trials.  [Review of the book Witch-hunt: mysteries of the Salem witch trials, by M. Aronson].  Booklist 100(5), 288.  Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com


Impressions:
Aronson really had me thinking of what could have happened and why didn't it happen in another way during the witch trials.  It is good to encounter with that kind of book to keep my mind thinking.  Although it was very hard for me to keep up with the stories when he would move from one to another.  I needed to take a quick look at the previous pages to remember what names were mentioned before and if they were related to the story I was reading at the moment.

Suggestions: 
Since the author was able to provide his own insight on the witch trials that occurred, this would be a great opportunity to have the students make a book trailer and provide their own personal insight of what is going on.  They might agree with the author or may disagree on his viewpoints using technology as well.
   

Bibliography:
Aronson, M.  (2003).  Witch-hunt: mysteries of the Salem witch trials.  New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.