- Paperback: 166 pages
- Publisher: WingSpan Publishing (2 Oct 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1595943226
- ISBN-13: 978-1595943224
- Product Dimensions: 14 x 21.6 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 640,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Justice At Salem: Reexamining The Witch Trials
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Product Description
Product Description
For too long the accepted view of the Salem witch trials has been that the events were caused either by fraud and/or hysteria and that no witchcraft was practiced by the accused. The religious leaders of the day stirred up zealotry and the justice system was either too corrupt or blind to properly administer justice. As a result, all of the convictions were a grave miscarriage of justice. However, there was actual witchcraft practiced in colonial New England and it is likely, although impossible to say with certainty, that its effects were more than merely psychological. And while miscarriages of justice were carried out, especially when the judges abandoned traditional legal protections in order to satisfy the wishes of the masses, guilty people were still among the condemned. As for the religious leaders, for the most part they generally advocated caution in the prosecution of suspected witches. Much of what people know, or think that they know, about the events at Salem in 1692 is wrong. Self-styled experts often make mistakes about many of the basic facts and draw conclusions that are not justified. The witch trials may hold a special place in the imaginations of many people, however, often imagination warps judgment, understanding, and memory. Justice at Salem attempts to set the historical record straight and using the evidence available draws new conclusions about what happened that fateful year in Massachusetts.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic little book that presents an in depth study of the Salem witch trials in 1692 and flips the persecution-of-the-innocent cliché on its head. Although the author doesn't dispute that some innocents may have been hanged (not burned as another cliché might have you believe), he instead focus on the evidence supporting the practice of said craft. (This, of course, is not to say he supports the idea the witchcraft is either real or fake, but only that it was practiced.) Mr. Cooke does this in a well-organized and easy to follow manner by narrowing the focus down to five specific trails which he feels offer the most interesting studies. Each trail occupies its own chapter in the book, weaving effective character driven narratives that could hold up as standalone stories. It should be noted that the author is a practicing lawyer and thus highly qualified to examine and scrutinize such material and he remains both informative and impartial throughout. The book is also extensively footnoted (437 citations to be exact) showing the effort and research put into this.
After reading this, my somewhat passive notions of what happened in Salem were turned upside-down; my belief that their society operated like a Monty Python sketch was transformed into a much clearer understanding of the infinitely more compelling story that actually transpired there.
Highly Recommend.
After reading this, my somewhat passive notions of what happened in Salem were turned upside-down; my belief that their society operated like a Monty Python sketch was transformed into a much clearer understanding of the infinitely more compelling story that actually transpired there.
Highly Recommend.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Which Witch?
14 Mar 2012
Format:Paperback
An interesting book. I found interest in the subject from a related area, a fascination with the early colonial settlements. Author worked hard to take the reader to the mind set of a colonist. The details of trials and relationships can become cumbersome. Overall a great book.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Phenomenal and Eye Opening Study on Salem
26 Dec 2010
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic little book that presents an in depth study of the Salem witch trials in 1692 and flips the persecution-of-the-innocent cliché on its head. Although the author doesn't dispute that some innocents may have been hanged (not burned as another cliché might have you believe), he instead focus on the evidence supporting the practice of said craft. (This, of course, is not to say he supports the idea that witchcraft is either real or fake, but only that it was practiced.) Mr. Cooke does this in a well-organized and easy to follow manner by narrowing the focus down to five specific trails which he feels offer the most interesting studies. Each trail occupies its own chapter in the book, weaving effective character driven narratives that could hold up as standalone stories. It should be noted that the author is a practicing lawyer and thus highly qualified to examine and scrutinize such material and he remains both informative and impartial throughout. The book is also extensively footnoted (437 citations to be exact) showing the effort and research put into this.
After reading this, my somewhat passive notions of what happened in Salem were turned upside-down; my belief that their society operated like a Monty Python sketch was transformed into a much clearer understanding of the infinitely more compelling story that actually transpired there.
Highly Recommend.
After reading this, my somewhat passive notions of what happened in Salem were turned upside-down; my belief that their society operated like a Monty Python sketch was transformed into a much clearer understanding of the infinitely more compelling story that actually transpired there.
Highly Recommend.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Drifts off topic
13 April 2012
Format:Paperback
I found this book while researching Tituba's role in the Salem witch trials and her subsequent representations in retellings and legends surrounding these events. While it does include information that can be backed up with other sources, there were no new theories or ideas presented. Even the last theory, that Tituba really was a witch, is a conjecture found elsewhere, especially in the minds of children reading "The Crucible" in class. My main issue with this book, however, is that it drifts off topic. In the middle of talking about Tituba being beaten by her master, it drifts off into talking about John Proctor's allegations of torture by the authorities, then suddenly to the accusations of torture--specifically water-boarding--in the modern United States. This had nothing to do with the book, and the author even admitted to straying off track, but he continued to talk about how "everyone knows that the US doesn't use torture because torture is illegal" and how water-boarding, therefore, is not torture. There is an attempt to tie this back in by saying that the dunking test used against witches (although not at Salem) is an early version of water-boarding, and therefore not torture. If I wanted to read political ideologies and opinions on investigative tactics, I would search out sources for those. A sentence to help the modern reader identify with history is one thing, entire pages on this were useless to the current argument (that Tituba was a witch). I came to this book for historical analysis, nothing more.
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