Lewis, Mackenzie. Book Review of A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials. By Frances Hill. New York: Doubleday, 1995. The Salem Witch Trials are well known across the United States. Images of women screaming at the stake while being burned, religious leaders yelling about damnation and hellfire, and young girls going into convulsive fits fill the minds of many Americans. Frances Hill takes on the daunting task of sorting through the various information and creating a single book that elaborates more on the tragic events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1690’s, as well as including a detailed index, chapter notes, a total death toll, chronology, and a list of key persons and their ties to the Salem Witch Trials. Hill expertly conveys the true cause of the Salem Witch Trials as well as the outcomes and catalysts in twenty five chapters. Each chapter tackles a
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Between the lack of a clear organizational pattern and the lack of cited sources within the text, the overall book suffered. This lack of outside voices was supposed to create a more fictitious, story-like format. Frances Hill, although her intentions were different, created a read that was seemingly simple for the non-historian, but in reality was difficult to read without more previous background information than a basic high school U.S. History class could provide. Hill’s book will show an increasing importance to how educated people think of the Salem Witch Trials, especially as time goes on and people create new stories about the mass hysteria, whether it be from a fungi in the water that creates LSD type symptoms to legitimate witchcraft. Even now, Hill’s work is seen as beyond acceptable and thorough, showing an importance in clear, concise, and accurate documentation of the Salem Witch
Between the lack of a clear organizational pattern and the lack of cited sources within the text, the overall book suffered. This lack of outside voices was supposed to create a more fictitious, story-like format. Frances Hill, although her intentions were different, created a read that was seemingly simple for the non-historian, but in reality was difficult to read without more previous background information than a basic high school U.S. History class could provide. Hill’s book will show an increasing importance to how educated people think of the Salem Witch Trials, especially as time goes on and people create new stories about the mass hysteria, whether it be from a fungi in the water that creates LSD type symptoms to legitimate witchcraft. Even now, Hill’s work is seen as beyond acceptable and thorough, showing an importance in clear, concise, and accurate documentation of the Salem Witch