The Salem Witch Hunt

A Captivating Guide to the Hunt and Trials of People Accused of Witchcraft in Colonial Massachusetts

By: Captivating History

Narrated by: Edwin Andrews

Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Salem Witch Hunt, then pay attention....

Decades after witch-hunting had begun to die down in Europe, North America was about to witness its bloodiest witch hunt in history. The Massachusetts of 1692 was a very different one to the state we know today. Populated by colonists, many of them a generation or less from life in an England bathed in religious turmoil, Massachusetts was not the safe haven that the fleeing Puritans had hoped it would be. Persecuted for their faith in Europe, the Puritans had pictured a kind of utopia founded on biblical principles. They saw the New World as a new beginning, a kind of second chance for humanity. It would be only 72 years after the arrival of the Mayflower that the events in Salem would make it blatantly obvious that humanity had already blown it again.

This is not the story of the trials. This is the story of its people. This is not an attempt to explain the events of 1692. It is an attempt to bring to life the victims who died so unjustly. In this audiobook, we will walk side by side with the destitute Sarah Good as she realizes that after having lost all she owns, her reputation, her baby, and even her life will still be taken from her. We stand at the bar with Rebecca Nurse, a sweet, little old lady who is sentenced to hang for what she must have perceived to be the most heinous of crimes. We witness George Burroughs at the gallows, a former minister now condemned to die for his supposed alliance with Satan, as he delivers a speech so stirring that it takes quick thinking from his enemies to prevent the crowd from rushing forth to cut him down. We feel our own breaths catching as we watch the cruel and greedy Sheriff George Corwin piling rocks onto the fragile 80-year-old body of Giles Corey, who is determined to die without entering a plea so that his sons will still get the inheritance he promised them.

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©2019 Captivating History (P)2019 Captivating History

I love the the book but......

The Narrator almost killed it for me. Glad I kept on with it, but it took a lot of effort.

Loved it!

Terrific. Well researched and a good listen! I reach History and this will be a great source for a class I am teaching this Fall..

Very interesting

Very interesting story to listen to before or after visiting Salem. It helps put the names and history together. The book was never biased or boring.

I really enjoyed it!

This is a short book about a subject I knew very little about. I think everyone should know how fear can change their thoughts and potentially kill people. I never knew that it was not facts that fueled the trials but bias, greed, and fear. I highly recommend!

Sad story but riveting book

I listened to this book on my 6 hour drive to a Salem MA road trip. I knew some of the stories already but the book put everything together in a harrowing timeline. I was literally brought to tears by the travesty. Definitely recommend this book as a historical account but also in a great story telling audible. It was only 3 hours long.

Surprisingly new things.

Short history exploring witch Hunt outside of the Salem cliche. Looking at a different region, this book still compares situations to Salem to highlight meaningful socio-cultural connections to American society.
Short and easy to understand.

Captivating Guide to the Hunt and Trials

A great look into the curiosity of Hunt and Trials of people accused of Witchcraft in Colonial Massachusetts. Everyone is familiar with the Salem witch hunt, but the witch hunt that took place in Stamford, Connecticut, is little known. Excellent audible.

An introductory brief for the informal historian.

A perfect introduction to a complete perception of the Salem Witch Hunt Crisis. Not as comprehensive as other sources might be, but that isn't the purpose of this book. Instead, this book is an introductory brief for the informal historian.

Good Overview

Good summary of the trials- enjoyable as a jumping off point for further, deeper research. The Audible version was ok, but less enjoyable as the “bass” was too high for many speakers in my home (blurred the words to just a jumble of vowel sounds), and a slight “hiss” in the background when the narrator paused.

Interesting and well put together

Overall this was an enjoyable, quick listen. Succinct but detailed, focused but expansive, this covered exactly what I was looking for. There’s a few errors in the narration (retakes etc) but well done in general. The only thing that took me out of it was the mispronunciation of towns in MA coming from a local - Billerica, for example, does not rhyme with America!!! No big deal, just caught me off guard