About this ebook
Young readers “will be carried along by the sheer excitement of the story” of 17th-century slavery and witchcraft by the million-copy selling author (The New York Times).
In 1688, Tituba and her husband, John, are sold to a Boston minister and sent to the strange world of Salem, Massachusetts. Rumors about witches are spreading like wildfire throughout the state, filling the heads of Salem’s superstitious, God-fearing residents. When the reverend’s suggestible young daughter, Betsey, starts having fits, the townsfolk declare it to be the devil’s work. Suspicion falls on Tituba, who can read fortunes and spin flax into thread so fine it seems like magic.
When suspicion turns to hatred, Tituba finds herself in grave danger. Will she be judged guilty of witchcraft and hanged? Loosely based on accounts of the period and trial transcripts, Ann Petry’s compelling historical novel draws readers into the hysteria of America’s deadly witch hunts.
In 1688, Tituba and her husband, John, are sold to a Boston minister and sent to the strange world of Salem, Massachusetts. Rumors about witches are spreading like wildfire throughout the state, filling the heads of Salem’s superstitious, God-fearing residents. When the reverend’s suggestible young daughter, Betsey, starts having fits, the townsfolk declare it to be the devil’s work. Suspicion falls on Tituba, who can read fortunes and spin flax into thread so fine it seems like magic.
When suspicion turns to hatred, Tituba finds herself in grave danger. Will she be judged guilty of witchcraft and hanged? Loosely based on accounts of the period and trial transcripts, Ann Petry’s compelling historical novel draws readers into the hysteria of America’s deadly witch hunts.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
3 reviews
A Google user
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February 24, 2019
I'm not one to read books that depict historical events but this book was simply magnificent. I've never enjoyed reading a book such as this one. The author did a great job at writing this book.
About the author
Ann Petry (1908–1997) is best known for her novel The Street (1946), which sold over one million copies—an unheard of feat for the work of a female African American author at the time. Born in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, Petry was the youngest of three children. She had dreamed of becoming a writer ever since her high school English teacher praised her work. However, at the behest of her family, she earned a degree from the Connecticut College of Pharmacy in 1931 and began working in the family business. In 1938, she married George D. Petry and moved to Harlem in New York City. There, she wrote articles for newspapers such at the People’s Voice and the Amsterdam News, and published stories in the Crisis. She also worked for an after-school program at PS 10 in Harlem. It was her experiences living in Harlem that inspired The Street.
In 1947, Petry moved back to Old Saybrook, where she continued to write for children as well as adults. Her books for young readers include the biography Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad (1955), and the historical novel Tituba of Salem Village (1955). Her works for adults include Country Place (1947), The Narrows (1953), and Miss Muriel and Other Stories (1971).
In 1947, Petry moved back to Old Saybrook, where she continued to write for children as well as adults. Her books for young readers include the biography Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad (1955), and the historical novel Tituba of Salem Village (1955). Her works for adults include Country Place (1947), The Narrows (1953), and Miss Muriel and Other Stories (1971).
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