Most of us think of witchcraft as a relic of a hyper-religious past. Most of us also don’t have detailed beliefs about the practice of killing witches in the name of beating the devil – other than it’s wrong. However, the authors make a compelling case that the persecution of “witches” in prior centuries was just patriarchy rearing its ugly head. Seventy percent of accused witches were women; the other thirty percent were often the women’s family members. The book makes a compelling case that vague, unfounded accusations of witchcraft are a feminist issue of the past… and still relevant today.
Of course, the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, are the most famous ones in this historical genre. The colonies soon grew embarrassed by a sense injustice was borne and reformed. In contrast, the trials in Scotland lasted centuries and died out only after a social exhaustion. Since the authors are Scottish, these trials serve as the main focus of this book. When the authors describe the dynamics of picking on society’s most vulnerable and how an accusation brought about basically inescapable death, it reminds us of intractable social situations seen today. People can still be shunned and scapegoated simply for being different.
The authors conclude with a reminder that this past has not died out. Some modern societies still execute accused witches. Today’s right-wing political movements echo patriarchal sentiments many thought died out long ago. Wherever fear runs rampant, false accusations can dominate facts and truth, and fear certainly seems like a prevalent characteristic in today’s world.
This book will find an audience among feminists who worry about the movement’s regress in Western societies. It won’t persuade the “other side” who believe women have a certain social place, but it will equip people to fight anti-woman sentiments. Additionally, to sympathetic men, it can provide a lens into how the female psyche still feels vulnerable in today’s world. It reminds those feelings are not unfounded in the past or today. This book will never be the final word in debates over feminism, but it provides a stern warning of what can recur if we all remained silent.
How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy’s Guide to Silencing Women
By Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell
Narrated by Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell
Text copyright (c) 2025
Sourcebooks
Audio copyright (c) 2025
Tantor Media
ASIN B0FSG1BJCD
Length: 8:17
Genre: Feminism, History
www.amazon.com