Much can be learned about trends in American politics, religion, social movements, and even science by examining how we have viewed witchcraft in this country. Dr. Gibson is a British literature professor and researcher. She took up the task of examining various aspects of witchcraft in America. Naturally, the events in Salem, MA are examined, but so are the different ways it has been portrayed and explained-whether as a statement about feminism, racism, science, or patriotism-and what it says about the culture at the time those theories were presented. She also examines the various ways witches are portrayed in popular culture: witches in TV shows like Bewitched or Charmed, Wiccans in the media from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The Blair Witch Project, or "witch hunts" portrayed in the Crucible.



Though this book is hardly a page-turner, it is a valuable read for anyone interested in witchcraft history, the history of Wicca in America, or looking for one aspect of pop culture's mirroring of mores and social expectations. It is not a primer on the practice of witchcraft, nor does it promote or denigrate aspects of it. It is not intended to provide a definitive history on the topic of witchcraft, but to be a mirror on what history has said about it.



And just a side beef with this-it's put in the BF section based on Library of Congress classification, which is all wrong. That's where books on the occult go. This is not a book about the occult-you won't find spells or instructions on how to call corners or thoughts about spirituality at all. It is a book about how we as a nation have historically viewed contemporary and historical accounts of occult happenings. It belongs in the E section, in history.