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The Salem witchcraft hysteria in 1692 was a time when “a group of individuals acted as a pack to attack and destroy others,” and the question ever since has been how it happened and why. Presenting the best scholarship, various interpretations of the events, and the mysteries that remain, Aronson encourages readers to think for themselves and perhaps discover something new about the trials. Fascinating parallels are drawn to the counterculture of the 1960s, modern terrorism, and current tensions between western countries and Islamic fundamentalists. Not just about the trials but about the study of history itself, the volume includes a superb epilogue, notes and comments on trends in interpreting the events, and a bibliography that offers a “route map” for readers who want to research further. This is excellent history writing that involves the reader in the excitement of discovery and the thrill of recreating the past. (note to the reader, appendix, timeline, index) (Nonfiction. YA)
