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Book

How to kill a witch : the patriarchy's guide to silencing women

Call Number

  • 133.43 V452 (CEN, EAS, OSH)

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Publication Information

Naperville, IL : Sourcebooks, [2025]

Physical Description

xxi, 296 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Summary

"In the summer of 1563, Scotland was in a bad way. The land was poor, the people were poorer; crops failed, and people starved. In times like these, people looked for anyone to blame, and who easier than the Devil himself? Or, better yet, the women the Devil used to perform his evil deeds. It was in these circumstances that the men of Scotland drafted the Witchcraft Act of 1563. The Act had one basic aim: to stop the Devil and his lackeys (mainly women) from wreaking havoc on a country already beset with problems. And it was from there that the witch-hunt craze spread across the world-eventually landing in the USA. With the wit and humor that have been hallmarks of their popular Witches of Scotland podcast, Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi explain the process of identifying, accusing, trying, and ultimately killing a woman as a witch, revealing the inner workings of a world organized to protect the patriarchy and preserve the status quo. HOW TO KILL A WITCH is a feminist take on a piece of deeply misogynistic history, perfect for readers of You Never Forget Your First and Killing the Witches"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes

"Originally published as How to kill a witch in 2025 in the United Kingdom by Monoray, an imprint of Hachette UK."--Title page verso.

Includes reading group guide (pages 277-278).

Contents

  • Part One: The Law of the Land
  • 1: How to Believe in Magic
  • 2: How to Start a Witch Hunt
  • Portrait of the Accused: Euphame MacCalzean
  • 3: Know Your Enemy, Part 1: Newes from Scotland
  • Portrait of the Accused: Allison (or Margaret) Balfour
  • 4: Know Your Enemy, Part 2: Daemonologie
  • Portrait of the Accused: Janet Wishart
  • 5: How to Believe in a Witch
  • Portrait of the Accused: Margaret Aitken
  • Part Two: Building a Case
  • Portrait of the Accused: Agnes Finnie
  • 6: How to Accuse a Witch
  • 7: How to Prick a Witch
  • Portrait of the Accused: Tituba
  • 8: How to Kill a Witch the American Way
  • 9: How to Gather Evidence Against a Witch
  • Portrait of the Accused: The Paisley Witches
  • 10: How to Try a Witch
  • Portrait of the Accused: Janet Horne
  • 11: How to Burn a Witch
  • Portrait of the Accused: Katherine MacKinnon
  • 12: How to Bury a Witch
  • Part Three: A Thing of the Past?
  • 13: How to Lose a Witch
  • Portrait of the Accused: Helen Duncan
  • 14: How to Accuse a Modern-Day Witch, Part 1: The Twentieth Century
  • 15: How to Accuse a Modern-Day Witch, Part 2: The Twenty-First Century
  • Portrait of the Accused: Miss B
  • Afterword: How to Forget a Witch, Then Remember Her.

Subjects

Added Authors

Claire Mitchell