Escaping Salem
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“Escaping Salem will engage every reader who has fallen under the spell of witchcrafts history in New England. But beware: still deeper enchantment awaits as Richard Godbeer unfolds his riveting tale of how ordinary men and women struggled to make sense of the wonders and terrors at work in their Connecticut village.” Ð- Christine Leigh Heyrman. The author Richard Godbeer is Professor of History at the University of Miami. His books include the award-winning The Devils Dominion: Magic and Religion in Early New England and Sexual Revolution in Early America.
The Salem witch-hunt of 1692 was one of the most famous events in early American history. This was not the only event of this nature to occur in New England that year. Escaping Salem tells about the “other witch-hunt” of 1692 that took place in Stamford, Connecticut. The book takes you into the world of early America, shattering the stereotype of early New Englanders as quick to accuse and condemn. Richard Godbeer talks about Kate Branch, a seventeen-year-old afflicted by strange visions and blood-chilling wails of pain and fright. Branch accused several women of bewitching her, two of them were even put on trial for witchcraft. This book talked about what happened in the courtroom and told about how skeptical the Stamford people were. They didnt know if the pains and symptoms that Kate Branch had were natural or supernatural. They even questioned whether or not she was faking the symptoms. The people of Stamford agreed that witches posed a real and serious threat, but proving witchcraft in court was another matter. Because there was no concrete evidence to prove or disprove witchcraft, the Salem court had become a topic of a lot of controversy. If these two women were found guilty they would be hanged so the stakes were extremely high. This book was a really good book. It had maps, photos and bibliographies. The book was written more like a story than actual