Killing the Witches

The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts

By: Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

With over 19 million copies in print and a remarkable record of #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers, Bill O'Reilly's Killing series is the most popular series of narrative histories in the world.

Killing the Witches revisits one of the most frightening and inexplicable episodes in American history: the events of 1692 and 1693 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. What began as a mysterious affliction of two young girls who suffered violent fits and exhibited strange behavior soon spread to other young women. Rumors of demonic possession and witchcraft consumed Salem. Soon three women were arrested under suspicion of being witches—but as the hysteria spread, more than 200 people were accused. Thirty were found guilty, twenty were executed, and others died in jail or their lives were ruined.

Killing the Witches tells the dramatic history of how the Puritan tradition and the power of early American ministers shaped the origins of the United States, influencing the founding fathers, the American Revolution, and even the Constitutional Convention. The repercussions of Salem continue to the present day, notably in the real-life story behind The Exorcist and in contemporary “witch hunts” driven by social media. The result is a compulsively listenable audiobook about good, evil, community panic, and how fear can overwhelm fact and reason.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2023 Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

More than I expected

This was not what I expected. It was more. I was prepared for a book full of political commentary. It was not that. Or at least not in an obvious way. I learned so much about the story of Old Salem and loved the segue into American history and the tie-in to the fascinating story of Ron Hunkler (I likely misspelled that, as I listened to rather than read the book). This was the first of Bill O’Reily’s books I have read/listened to and I doubt it will be the last.

Please read a lot of information in one book.

I always thought it was the young girls that were hung, how wrong was I. This only my opinion,but, we as Americans USA citizens should be very afraid of what it would be like if we lose our Republic Representational style of Government, our fore fathers knew what they were doing. We have freedom of choice, expression, religion and we need to hold on to this freedom and not be let by the noose of the witch hunt. Wonderful read.

Great book.

Very interesting info I had never heard anywhere. Would recommend. Learned about witch hunts still going on today.

Read It

This book by far is the best of the series. So happy I was not disappointed in the long wait for it’s release .

Great book!

This was the first in the “Killing” series I listened to. It’s written with a tremendous amount of historical detail with footnotes and sources. The narrator keeps you interested where I listened to the book in 2 days. It’s written in a way that puts you in the period events occurred with important details of how and why events happened. I highly recommend.

Illuminating

Squabbling is as American
As Apple Pie. Creating our Constitution was as much a Cluster XXXX as selecting a new House Speaker in 2023. God Save These United States ! BTW….Evil will eventually be subdued, only when the Creator’s Christ returns, and not before …..

Another hit for the killing series

Bill uses his unique skills to transform a tragic history into how it still affects society today Excellently written and thought out As the saying goes the truth can be more fascinating than fiction

Absolutely excellent

Excellent excellent excellent. Very interesting and informative. Thank you very much for such a great book.

Very enjoyable

I must say I found the book almost repulsive in the beginning but as it wore on I became very interested in the history behind the book.

How the witch hunts helped form our Constitution.

Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard have delivered another informative and entertaining book in the Killing series. Packed full of historical facts in an easy to understand style of writing. Bill calls himself a simple man and he writes in a way that makes history simple to understand. I have enjoyed all of Bill O’Reilly’s books that I’ve read and this one is now added to that list.