From the Publisher
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Killing the Mob |
Killing the Killers |
Killing the Legends |
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| Dive into America’s #1 bestselling history series | The #1 New York Times bestseller with a surprising, revealing take on the Mob. | The #1 New York Times bestseller about the global war against terrorists. | The #1 bestselling series reveals the larger-than-life stories of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Muhammad Ali. |
Rob St. Clair –
If you’re not hooked on the Killing series by now, you’ve missing a great series. “Killing the Witches” (number 13 in the series) 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 readable book about good, evil, community panic, and how fear can overwhelm fact and reason. Another great read in the “Killing” series. Martin Dugard is a favorite.
mary ann weber –
The Killing series are wonderful history books. There is obviously an enormous amount of research done and the way it is written is captivating. Have read almost all of the series and have enjoyed each and every one ! If you like history, you will love this book.
BettyBuyer –
With the recent issues going on in Ivy League campuses this book while not specifically about the creation of the major universities like Harvard etc. gives an understanding of how we got to where we are. I really enjoyed the history. Those living in Mass. & New England will especially find this interesting.
LLF –
My husband bought me this book right before Halloween and I couldn’t put it down. I’ve read other books about the witch trials, but not one that went into thus much historical detail and now also know that some of the “facts” in other books are simply wrong. I wondered what the second half of the book delved into and was pleasantly surprised! This is a absolutely wonderful book, like so many other books Bill O’Reilly has written.
Cosmo –
This was a very good read. Have read most of the authors kill series books and non havebever disappointed me. I’ve been to Salem and the Witch museum. It was interesting, but to really get a real feel of what these trials were all about, this is the book to read. To think that a couple of kids could actually destroy innocent peoples lives is hard to believe in todays world, will maybe not. There are many details about the actual trials and some of the punishments inflicted on these poor citizen’s. One fellow was pressed to death ( boards were placed on him,then over a period of a few days, they added rocks to the boards( trying to get him to confess to being a witch) Animals didn’t get away either! They actually hung a poor dog! About halfway though the book, the story moves onto our founding fathers and how they and religion and our country all are part of our nations story. It is very eye opening and food for thought. Think of todays cancel culture, our right to speak free, our Constitution and Bill Of Rights, it’s all addressed here and it all blends into the main subject of this book. Oh, and it also addresses exorcism, and yip, the movie The Exorcist.Highly reccommend!
D. Colburn –
I did not know whether to give this book a 5 or 3 star review. Why, you ask? The first part deals with Salem, then the book goes on to tie Salem in with the American Revolution, mainly Franklin and Jefferson. It then covers Excorsism in the 20th century. All three are covered well, which is why the 5 star. I nearly only gave it 3 stars because of parts 2 and 3, which are not specifically about Salem.
R2 –
The historic narrative adds context to the not so simple reality of America’s formative years.We learn how their response to presumed demon possession proved worse than the occult activities. Fast forward to our culture that too often turns to emotional response.The book concludes with a more recent exorcism that brings the seventeenth century closer to the here and now.
Reviewer –
I enjoy the Bill O’Reilly KILLING series of books, and only wish they had been available when I was still in school. I never enjoyed learning history, until I picked up the O’Reilly KILLING series of books.This KILLING books deals with the witch trials of the 1690s. It is family history for me, as my ancestor, Rebecca Nurse (or “Nourse”), was hanged to death in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts after being convicted of being a witch.As an attorney, detailed descriptions of trials, before USA had its Constitution and Bill of Rights, was nothing like a modern trial. There was no right to due process of law, no right of the accused to counsel, no right to cross examine the accusers or present evidence in defense, no Court of Appeals to correct trial court errors. Trials back then were very unfair events. Spectral evidence was permitted – people testified to what they saw in dreams, and that was accepted as factual evidence.
Ralph White –
The phrase “witch hunt” has made a roaring comeback in recent years, giving this book more relevancy and immediacy than it had when we first read about the Salem trials in our younger years and in less politically charged times. The scholarship here is outstanding. The reader can practically see the sheriff leaning a ladder against a tree limb, forcing the condemned to climb, then pushing the ladder away to hang the person accused of being a witch. Also, the antics of the “afflicted” would be laughable if they weren’t used as evidence of a capital crime. No one can read this book without coming away very satisfied that the Constitution has its “establishment clause,” formally separating church and state. Wherever and whenever religion and politics have been linked, both freedom and innocence have suffered.
Eric –
This is my favorite historical narrative! The authors’ writing style places myself, with all of my senses, in Salem during the witch trials. Intricate details I’ve never known until now about their living conditions have further increased my empathy for the accused, and my shock and awe of the ignorance and evil of the accusers. The authors go on to explain how the trials influenced the American Revolution. All of its lessons are relevant today. The mass psychosis of a society can take hold, and deadly hysteria can easily follow. Beautifully written.