A Delusion of Satan

The Salem witch-hunt and trials have captured the attention and imagination of young and old for centuries. Now Frances Hill guides us through the thickets of history and explains in clear and factual terms exactly what went on during that horrifying period between 1691 and 1693 when over one hundred men, women, and children were shackled in the dank prisons of Salem, charged with witchcraft.

Ultimately, nineteen were hanged at Gallows Hill, one was pressed to death under a pile of stones, and many others simply languished in prison for months on end, helplessly losing their families, homes, and possessions. Many lost their lives, not a few their sanity. But what really happened? Were the accused truly evil in some way? And if not, how could a group of teenagers work such a cruel and convincing outcome? Drawing on the insights of modern psychology and feminism, A Delusion of Satan answers these questions and more, and forces us to recognize hints of "witch-hunts" in the McCarthyism of the recent past and in current events like alleged child-abuse cases.