In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial
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- Create Date：2022-03-10 17:23:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mona Chollet
- ISBN：125027141X
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Summary
Mona Chollet's In Defense of Witches is a “brilliant， well-documented” celebration （Le Monde） by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution。
Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America， witches continue to hold a unique fascination for many: as fairy tale villains， practitioners of pagan religion， as well as feminist icons。 Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn， elusive rebel。 But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft？ What types of women have centuries of terror censored， eliminated， and repressed？
Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and persecuted: the independent woman， since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman， since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman， who has always been an object of at best， pity， and at worst， horror。 Examining modern society， Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed。 Rather than being a brief moment in history， the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny， while women today are direct heirs to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions。
With fiery prose and arguments that range from the scholarly to the cultural， In Defense of Witches seeks to unite the mythic image of the witch with modern women who seek to live their lives on their own terms。
Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America， witches continue to hold a unique fascination for many: as fairy tale villains， practitioners of pagan religion， as well as feminist icons。 Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn， elusive rebel。 But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft？ What types of women have centuries of terror censored， eliminated， and repressed？
Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and persecuted: the independent woman， since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman， since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman， who has always been an object of at best， pity， and at worst， horror。 Examining modern society， Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed。 Rather than being a brief moment in history， the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny， while women today are direct heirs to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions。
With fiery prose and arguments that range from the scholarly to the cultural， In Defense of Witches seeks to unite the mythic image of the witch with modern women who seek to live their lives on their own terms。
Reviews
Kari
，
This book was an eye opener to me on how witches were portrayed and came to be back in the days when a woman was thought to be controlled by a Devil just for having or showing dominant traits。What we call feminism today; we all would be considered to be witches。 For speaking our minds， talking too loudly， choosing not to be a mother， being too aware of our own sexuality or even thought to be the cause of suffering of someone else’s health issues could get the women arrested and end up drowned or This book was an eye opener to me on how witches were portrayed and came to be back in the days when a woman was thought to be controlled by a Devil just for having or showing dominant traits。What we call feminism today; we all would be considered to be witches。 For speaking our minds， talking too loudly， choosing not to be a mother， being too aware of our own sexuality or even thought to be the cause of suffering of someone else’s health issues could get the women arrested and end up drowned or burned。 This book is full of information that surprised me and changes the way I think of what the history of witches really was like。 。。。more
Susan
，
If you are interested in the history of witch trials and the status of women through history this is a must read。 I found it informative， enlightening and infuriating。 It shows the reader how far women haven't progressed and that is the infuriating part。 From the history of witches to the current status of women in society， this is a very well researched and very readable book， a book that will keep me thinking about it for a considerable time。My thanks to the publisher， St。 Martin's and to NetG If you are interested in the history of witch trials and the status of women through history this is a must read。 I found it informative， enlightening and infuriating。 It shows the reader how far women haven't progressed and that is the infuriating part。 From the history of witches to the current status of women in society， this is a very well researched and very readable book， a book that will keep me thinking about it for a considerable time。My thanks to the publisher， St。 Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Lauren
，
Mona Chollet’s In Defense of Witches is an adept interweaving of past and present as it explores the connections between the witch hunts throughout history and feminism today。 Chollet focuses on three categories of women who were most often accused of witchcraft: the childless， the elderly， and the unattached。 The parallels between the past and the present are on full display throughout as Chollet weaves a narrative that is both interesting and at times infuriating （if only because we haven’t co Mona Chollet’s In Defense of Witches is an adept interweaving of past and present as it explores the connections between the witch hunts throughout history and feminism today。 Chollet focuses on three categories of women who were most often accused of witchcraft: the childless， the elderly， and the unattached。 The parallels between the past and the present are on full display throughout as Chollet weaves a narrative that is both interesting and at times infuriating （if only because we haven’t come as far as we should have in the intervening years）。 In all， the book is both thought provoking and impeccably researched， and the way that the author weaves the past and the present together is as impactful as it is didactic。 Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jennifer Prior
，
In Defense of Witches gives a brief history of witch hunts around the world， and then moves on to explore the treatment of women since the witch hunts。 The author explores these three main aspects: childless women， elderly women， and independent women。I enjoyed this audiobook。 I thought it was informative and thought provoking。 I wish it included more information on the history of witch hunts; however， it has inspired me to do more research on the topic。Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio In Defense of Witches gives a brief history of witch hunts around the world， and then moves on to explore the treatment of women since the witch hunts。 The author explores these three main aspects: childless women， elderly women， and independent women。I enjoyed this audiobook。 I thought it was informative and thought provoking。 I wish it included more information on the history of witch hunts; however， it has inspired me to do more research on the topic。Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC 。。。more
Hope
，
#InDefenseofWitches by #MonaChollet - narrated by #AlixDunmore - "the legacy of witch hunts and how women are still on trial today。"I listened to this non-fiction audiobook in advance of publication thanks to @macmillan。audio and @netgalley。 This was a 5 star read for me！ The subject matter was not entirely about "witches" but about the demonization of women， particularly the women who strayed from the norm， who learned and healed others， who dared to live alone with out husband or children， or #InDefenseofWitches by #MonaChollet - narrated by #AlixDunmore - "the legacy of witch hunts and how women are still on trial today。"I listened to this non-fiction audiobook in advance of publication thanks to @macmillan。audio and @netgalley。 This was a 5 star read for me！ The subject matter was not entirely about "witches" but about the demonization of women， particularly the women who strayed from the norm， who learned and healed others， who dared to live alone with out husband or children， or who were a threat generally to the powerful men around them。 It spoke of feminism throughout the ages， and how women were made out to a species not to be trusted， that we are all hysterical， too emotional， too unstable。 The book strays from witches and shows how the word is used against older women， detailing the differences between how men are perceived to age vs how women are， how our society worships youth and beauty but only so much as it can control it。 The book speaks of women who choose not to have children， and how society frowns on this as if its not natural， but does not stigmatize men who choose the same。 How society teaches women from childhood that being a woman means to be a mother one day， therefore traumatizing women who cannot bear children or demonizing women who choose not to。 I found the subject of motherhood so interesting because， much like @gloriasteinem I too felt that my mother's life as an artist & traveler was stifled by her choice to be a mother to my sister and I。 I know there are things she gave up for us; i know she felt they were "worth it" but i also think she had a bit of depression &threw herself so completely into the grand patriarchy and taught my sister and I to bend to it， which wasnt quite in our wheelhouse， to say the least。 I wonder at times at women who are childless and couples who choose to be chhildless， how intimate and quiet and serene it must be， how wonderfully free they are。 This book tackles all that， including the treatment of women in medicine， the discussion of the #metoo movement， & so much more。 A fascinating discussion of history and how women are still suffering the effects of patriarchy today。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
camcam
，
J’ai beaucoup apprécié cet ouvrage， j’ai elle hésite à mettre 5 étoiles。 C’est un très bon essai pour celles et ceux qu’il veulent s’initier au féminisme et aller un peu plus loin que les bases。 Le texte de Mona Chollet était complet， elle aborde de nombreux sujets avec une bibliographie très riche， elle cite de nombreuses féministes， autrices， philosophes， scientifiques mais aussi beaucoup de faits historiques， expérience， études… qui viennent pertinemment appuyer ses propos。 J’ai aussi beaucou J’ai beaucoup apprécié cet ouvrage， j’ai elle hésite à mettre 5 étoiles。 C’est un très bon essai pour celles et ceux qu’il veulent s’initier au féminisme et aller un peu plus loin que les bases。 Le texte de Mona Chollet était complet， elle aborde de nombreux sujets avec une bibliographie très riche， elle cite de nombreuses féministes， autrices， philosophes， scientifiques mais aussi beaucoup de faits historiques， expérience， études… qui viennent pertinemment appuyer ses propos。 J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé son écriture et son ton， incisif et parfois sarcastique pour donner plus de poids à ces dires。 Elle arrive efficacement à nous indigner lorsqu’elle raconte ce que subissent les femmes depuis des siècles et à nous faire prendre conscience des choses les plus subtiles。 Néanmoins， elle se base surtout son expérience de femme blanche hétéro。 Par exemple lorsqu’elle parle de la maternité， l’éventualité d’élever des enfants avec une autre femme n’est quasi pas abordé。 On a l’impression que pour les elle les femmes ont deux options : subir la maternité avec un homme ou alors refuser d’avoir des enfants。 Ou sont les lesbiennes ？ De même le vécu des femmes racisées est peu abordé。 。。。more
Marielle
，
This is a translation of a previously published work in French， which makes a lot of sense as many of the author's references are French/based in Europe。I found this book quite interesting。 As someone with a degree in psychology， who learned all about how witchcraft was diagnosed as a mental illness， and as a feminist， this non-fiction narrative hit many of the right notes for me。 It is important to remember that men have always used methods to have control over women and their agency， and witch This is a translation of a previously published work in French， which makes a lot of sense as many of the author's references are French/based in Europe。I found this book quite interesting。 As someone with a degree in psychology， who learned all about how witchcraft was diagnosed as a mental illness， and as a feminist， this non-fiction narrative hit many of the right notes for me。 It is important to remember that men have always used methods to have control over women and their agency， and witches/witch hunts are a prime example of this。 In 1400s it was the Malleus Maleficarum， and in our present date it's。。。 well you can figure it out。In the 1890s， women started to take back the title of witch and transform it into a feminist manifesto。 For example， did you know that in 1939， Frank L Baum created the first "good witch" in Glinda？ Hilary Clinton being labeled a witch during her presidential run ？ Well good， that just means she is powerful。This book utilizes media， pop culture， historical figures， court cases and global practices to demonstrate how women are treated from motherhood to being child free， from how women aren't taken seriously by medical professionals and the invisibility as we age。 From Gloria Steinem and the discourse （and fear of） independent single women to Broad City and women's experience with greying hair， Chlollet takes on a journey of all the ways in which women are still targeted and persecuted for straying from the "norm"。 I do admit that I was hoping for more information about the actual witch trials/history of that period。 Further， many of the references were dated or were European and therefore I didn't relate to this book as much as I had hoped as it wasn't as current/relevant to me， however， overall I think the author sheds light on the very important topic of the treatment of women and has done a great job of researching the facts to support these points。 。。。more
Lore Sánchez
，
J’ai adoré！ Mona Chollet nous invite à revoir l’histoire pour mieux comprendre pourquoi le présente et si difficile pour autant des femmes。J’ai particulièrement apprécié les chapitres sur la maternité， j’ai eu des réponses à mes questions。 À lire absolument ！
Chazza
，
A great collation of feminist debates and struggles that are still so present in a society where some claim that equality has been reached。 I especially loved the chapter on the pressures to have a child due to the fact as someone who， when saying that you have no desire to be a mother， will 9 times out of 10 get the classic 'wait until you find someone/get older etc' Feminism is the freedom of choice， not the freedom to make the same choice as you xxxIt loses the last star on the basis that som A great collation of feminist debates and struggles that are still so present in a society where some claim that equality has been reached。 I especially loved the chapter on the pressures to have a child due to the fact as someone who， when saying that you have no desire to be a mother， will 9 times out of 10 get the classic 'wait until you find someone/get older etc' Feminism is the freedom of choice， not the freedom to make the same choice as you xxxIt loses the last star on the basis that some may not be accessible to everyone。 。。。more
maddie （thenmaddieread）
，
An incredible translation by Sophie R。 Lewis。 Unfortunately， the original text is lacking - it's very White European/American cisgender woman-centric， with very little thought given to trans women or women of color。 Many of the points that Chollet raises are interesting and insightful， but would have only been deepened by thinking about， for example， women who cannot bear children。 I guess that in 2022， I'm pretty tired of "feminist" texts that are really only engaging with the cisgender woman e An incredible translation by Sophie R。 Lewis。 Unfortunately， the original text is lacking - it's very White European/American cisgender woman-centric， with very little thought given to trans women or women of color。 Many of the points that Chollet raises are interesting and insightful， but would have only been deepened by thinking about， for example， women who cannot bear children。 I guess that in 2022， I'm pretty tired of "feminist" texts that are really only engaging with the cisgender woman experience。 And， too， a book that's thinking about the enduring legacy of witchcraft can only be improved by including witches of color - this seems like a major miss。Thank you St。 Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Terri
，
This is a unique book， and very interesting。 It starts with the Witch Hunts， but continues on through today。 Mona's deep look is a look at how the same types on women are still persecuted even today。 This is a fascination and interesting read。 This is a unique book， and very interesting。 It starts with the Witch Hunts， but continues on through today。 Mona's deep look is a look at how the same types on women are still persecuted even today。 This is a fascination and interesting read。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
，
This book traces the progression of patriarchal attacks on female power， from the European witch hunts to the present day。 It's a fascinating and informative text， engaging and easy to read。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 This book traces the progression of patriarchal attacks on female power， from the European witch hunts to the present day。 It's a fascinating and informative text， engaging and easy to read。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Diane Adams
，
Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for this advance digital galley， in exchange for an honest review。 Of note--this was the first time I was actually invited to download a book by the publisher， so I was eager to do so！In Defense of Witches has an interesting thesis， noted in its subtitle “The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial”。 The them is essentially that the witch hunts were all about society’s （men’s） efforts to control women， and misogyny that continues t Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for this advance digital galley， in exchange for an honest review。 Of note--this was the first time I was actually invited to download a book by the publisher， so I was eager to do so！In Defense of Witches has an interesting thesis， noted in its subtitle “The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial”。 The them is essentially that the witch hunts were all about society’s （men’s） efforts to control women， and misogyny that continues today exists as remnants of those efforts。 The book examines this on several levels， in different areas—historically， socially， in the workplace， in specific fields—making many valid， well-documented points。The first two chapters focus heavily on when women choose not to have children and how society treats this choice。 The third looks at the differences between how men and women age， or how society treats them differently as they age。 These sections were clear， organized， focused on the topics。 I was occasionally reminded that the book was written and published in Europe， as it would refer to resources in French， and mention how things were in America。The fourth chapter confused me。 It began very much in the first person， and I wasn’t quite sure what message the author was trying to get across （although it did suggest some authors and works that I have since added to my reading list）。 It seemed to address a potpourri of topics that the author did not want to leave out， including the relationship between women and the natural world， women’s place in academia， women’s place in medicine and how women are treated by the medical profession， and archetypes。And then the book ended—this further confused me， because my electronic version showed me at 66%， and I was expecting more of a conclusion， but the remainder was footnotes。So， to conclude， this book gave me a lot to think about—if I had had a hard copy， I expect that it would now be full of highlighted sections and notes in margins。 I believe it will probably find a home in women’s studies classrooms。 It definitely has a lot to say—perhaps it tried to say a little too much？ 。。。more
Nicole
，
In Defense of Witches was well researched， informative and thought provoking。 Witches have always had a unfair reputation， and have often been persecuted in modern society。 The author does a fantastic job of showing the ways that women still face oppression today。 I definitely recommend this book， it is very impactful。Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion。
Lou | haus + hearth
，
In Defense of Witches is one of the best books non-fiction books I’ve read in years。 This is not lighthearted fare but a well researched， seriously deep dive into the social conditioning of/surrounding women and how we’re perceived， treated， expected to behave/live our lives， etc…The ways we’re conditioned to consider the （mis）treatment of women are so pervasive that we often don’t even notice/acknowledge them consciously until they’re spelled out for us…and this book SPELLS IT OUT in an unflinc In Defense of Witches is one of the best books non-fiction books I’ve read in years。 This is not lighthearted fare but a well researched， seriously deep dive into the social conditioning of/surrounding women and how we’re perceived， treated， expected to behave/live our lives， etc…The ways we’re conditioned to consider the （mis）treatment of women are so pervasive that we often don’t even notice/acknowledge them consciously until they’re spelled out for us…and this book SPELLS IT OUT in an unflinchingly honest way that you can’t ignore or unsee， and I think that’s so important and necessary。The section on motherhood was especially poignant for me and brought up a lot of intense emotions。 I think so many women will find it so relatable， it gives words and life to emotions/feelings/thoughts so many of us have about our experiences that we feel obligated to politely ignore or suppress。 I can’t even begin to count how many sections I highlighted， how many times my eyes filled with tears， or how many times I screamed UGHHHH YESS！ in my head while reading this book。 This should honestly be a must-read for every female identifying person， and probably everyone else besides as well。 I will absolutely be recommending it to all the women in my life and making sure my own daughter reads it when she’s older。Thank you so much to St Martins Press for providing me with this eARC。 。。。more
Pamela Usai
，
CW/TW: mentions of misogyny， sexism， murder， graphic death， gaslighting， micro-aggressionsIf you're looking for an unconventional way to celebrate the achievements of women， then consider reading In Defence of Witches， by Mona Chollet， translated from the original French。 Viewing the fight for women's independence through the lens of withcraft， Chollet deconstructs three achetypes : women who are independent， women who choose to note have children， and women who reject ageism。 Starting from the CW/TW: mentions of misogyny， sexism， murder， graphic death， gaslighting， micro-aggressionsIf you're looking for an unconventional way to celebrate the achievements of women， then consider reading In Defence of Witches， by Mona Chollet， translated from the original French。 Viewing the fight for women's independence through the lens of withcraft， Chollet deconstructs three achetypes : women who are independent， women who choose to note have children， and women who reject ageism。 Starting from the historic witch hunts， and traveling through history to modern day， Chollet highlights the patriarchal underpinnings towards the vilification of women who have sought to define themselves as autonomous individuals。 This book is， despite what the title may suggest， not a ghoulish read。 Rather， it is an opinionated， and candidly feminist take on how history has looked unfavorably on women who have broken social expectations。 The witch， according to Chollet， became a derogatory term to punish those who strayed， whether by refusing to have children， or by speaking their minds。 （Disclaimer: the book predominantly on the historical experiences of cis-gender women， as the historical material examined is from a Western European - Christian lens）。 Thank you to Book Break UK， PanMacmillan UK and Mona Chollet for a copy of this ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Laura Sarah
，
It was a fascinating read but the language way a tad complicated in places which reduced the flow of the book。I did however very much enjoy it
Chloe
，
Il a fait beaucoup de bruit à sa sortie， mais ça ne m’intéressait pas tellement à l’époque （peut être justement à cause de l’engouement médiatique） et je l’ai lu avec un peu en retard。 J’ai regretté qu’il n’y ait en pas plus sur les sorcières， mais ce n’est finalement pas le sujet du livre qui est plutôt quel est l’héritage de la chasse aux sorcières， comment cela s’est ancré dans nos représentations du monde et des femmes， quelles répercussions encore aujourd’hui ？ Comme on a beaucoup parlé - l Il a fait beaucoup de bruit à sa sortie， mais ça ne m’intéressait pas tellement à l’époque （peut être justement à cause de l’engouement médiatique） et je l’ai lu avec un peu en retard。 J’ai regretté qu’il n’y ait en pas plus sur les sorcières， mais ce n’est finalement pas le sujet du livre qui est plutôt quel est l’héritage de la chasse aux sorcières， comment cela s’est ancré dans nos représentations du monde et des femmes， quelles répercussions encore aujourd’hui ？ Comme on a beaucoup parlé - la parution de ce livre ayant alimenté ces débats - des sujets traités， les vieilles femmes， l’injonction à la maternité etc。 rien de bien nouveau mais ça ouvre des portes， des possibilités， des façons de faire et de voir， de se voir， et ça fait du bien。 Et puis ça m’a donné envie de lire gloria steinheim。 。。。more
Miya
，
If you have ever been interested in the witch trials， persecution of women， the stereotypes of women in their own power or connected to nature。。。read this book。 There is so much more to it than that， but to unravel all that is spoken in these pages is difficult。 It is hard to read knowing that there has been so much unnecessary hate and violence。 There are so many emotions and thoughts to process after reading it。 Really makes you pause are rethink things。 It is a much needed book in these times If you have ever been interested in the witch trials， persecution of women， the stereotypes of women in their own power or connected to nature。。。read this book。 There is so much more to it than that， but to unravel all that is spoken in these pages is difficult。 It is hard to read knowing that there has been so much unnecessary hate and violence。 There are so many emotions and thoughts to process after reading it。 Really makes you pause are rethink things。 It is a much needed book in these times。 I am very grateful to have read it。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Nathan Shuherk
，
The narrative of women equating to witches/witch hunts was pretty foundational early on， but lost the thread as the book continues。 Important perspectives on womanhood that focus on multinational perspectives and a lot of very interesting vignettes。 Not perfect for me， but know people will enjoy this quite easily。
Jusepe d’Antares
，
un très grand livre。 j’ai adoré l’approfondir en travaillant dessus。mon préféré de mona chollet :）
lou
，
Such an important and mind blowing book。 Mona Chollet puts the Witch as the idea behind （some cases of） misogyny in an impeccable way， so grateful for her "obsessive" research。 There were some points that I of course already knew of since I'm not new to feminists text， but I've never thought about witches， and the massacre that men did with them， being the origin of these problems。 My favourite chapter was the one connected with motherhood and I think I highlighted everything。 When I finish the Such an important and mind blowing book。 Mona Chollet puts the Witch as the idea behind （some cases of） misogyny in an impeccable way， so grateful for her "obsessive" research。 There were some points that I of course already knew of since I'm not new to feminists text， but I've never thought about witches， and the massacre that men did with them， being the origin of these problems。 My favourite chapter was the one connected with motherhood and I think I highlighted everything。 When I finish the book， i really wanted another chapter because of how immersed I was， it was really approachable and the traduction was really easy to read but at the same time eloquent。 Would love to buy this book for my mom， reading about this and how much it hurts women is a thing， but seeing it in person is heartbreaking and I know she would love and appreciate this book as much as i did。 Hope my self of the future reads this again and remembers how important this is。Thank you netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the access to this eARC。 。。。more
Madelyn
，
"Dès lors， pour une femme， pratiquer le culte de la déesse， se nourrir de ses images， c'est chasser une représentation par une autre。 C'est se recentrer， s'autoriser à être soi-même la source de son salut， puiser ses ressources en soi， au lieu de s'en remettre toujours à des figures masculines légitimes et providentielles。" "Dès lors， pour une femme， pratiquer le culte de la déesse， se nourrir de ses images， c'est chasser une représentation par une autre。 C'est se recentrer， s'autoriser à être soi-même la source de son salut， puiser ses ressources en soi， au lieu de s'en remettre toujours à des figures masculines légitimes et providentielles。" 。。。more
Soizic
，
Fabuleux livre， passionnant de bout en bout。 Il s’emploie à briser les carcans qui enferment les femmes dans des représentations archaïques et le fait de manière à la fois fougueuse et mesurée， si c’est possible。 Et Mona Chollet， en plus， écrit comme une déesse。 Je vais lire tout ce qu’elle a écrit。
Janine Cousins
，
Lower rating due to the academic tier of writing， rendering it more inaccessible for those who long for the knowledge （like myself）I would also have loved to hear more about witchcraft itself dotted throughout the discussion and exploration of women's struggles through history。 Lower rating due to the academic tier of writing， rendering it more inaccessible for those who long for the knowledge （like myself）I would also have loved to hear more about witchcraft itself dotted throughout the discussion and exploration of women's struggles through history。 。。。more
Rebecca Tyeryar
，
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my copy！This book touches on the witch trials in colonial America as well as around the world。 However， it is about the way women are still treated like the women accused。 While I feel the book bounces around a lot， I also feel that everyone should read it。
Abra Kurt
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Nonfiction books about witches typically fall into two categories - the historical horrors of trials and executions or 21st century witchcraft guides for the modern practitioner。 In Defense of Witches is something altogether different in its universality， resonance， and application。 While this book covers significant historical ground， the modern day context is not meant to serve as a how-to guide， but rather as a deep and nuanced exploration of the myriad ways women continue to live in a societ Nonfiction books about witches typically fall into two categories - the historical horrors of trials and executions or 21st century witchcraft guides for the modern practitioner。 In Defense of Witches is something altogether different in its universality， resonance， and application。 While this book covers significant historical ground， the modern day context is not meant to serve as a how-to guide， but rather as a deep and nuanced exploration of the myriad ways women continue to live in a society shaped by centuries-old societal and cultural norms， misogyny， and fear。 "We are the granddaughters of the witches you weren't able to burn，" and yet we continue to live out the sentence in many ways， both veiled and overt。 Scholarly yet accessible， In Defense of Witches opens with the invitation to envision the first witch who captured our attention。 For me， it was Glinda from The Wizard of Oz， and later Samantha of the television show Bewitched - and still later Gillian from Bell， Book， and Candle。 Magical， dynamic， beautiful， smart， and usually with a cat around。 Those characters would shape my perceptions about witches - and inform my own development in profound ways。 The conclusion of this book is a powerful reminder of our own agency and potent to call to action to harness the "joy of audacity" in shaping a new legacy - one of humanity， equity， harmony with nature， and "the untrammeled enjoyment of our bodies and our minds。" So mote it be。 Chollet， a Swiss journalist and author living and working in France， first published this book as Sorcières in French in 2018。 This is its first English translation and is important for U。S。 audiences' understanding of the European historical references vs。 contextualized vis a vis Salem or the like。I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review， and I'll be including it in a TBR round-up for Women's History Month in March。 。。。more
Oumaima Hassoun
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Fiction is more powerful than reality
Loena
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Un livre intéressant qui parle， entre autres， du célibat féminin， des femmes qui choisissent ne pas faire d'enfants， de la vieillesse chez les femmes， et de la relation entre la nature et les femmes， ainsi qu'entre la médicine et les femmes。 Il met en évidence l'oppression des femmes dans tous ces aspects， ce qui est très important， mais peut-être pas ce que je cherchais ou espérais trouver dans ce livre （plutôt des récits sur la puissance invancue des femmes au-delà de / face à cette oppressi Un livre intéressant qui parle， entre autres， du célibat féminin， des femmes qui choisissent ne pas faire d'enfants， de la vieillesse chez les femmes， et de la relation entre la nature et les femmes， ainsi qu'entre la médicine et les femmes。 Il met en évidence l'oppression des femmes dans tous ces aspects， ce qui est très important， mais peut-être pas ce que je cherchais ou espérais trouver dans ce livre （plutôt des récits sur la puissance invancue des femmes au-delà de / face à cette oppression）。 "Elle nous parle plutôt d'un monde où chaque mystère élucidé en fait surgir d'autres et où， selon toute vraisemblance， cette quête n'aura jamais de fin; d'un monde où les objets ne sont pas séparés， mais enchevêtrés les uns aux autres; où l'on a d'ailleurs affaire plutôt à des flux d'énergie， à des processus， qu'à des objets à l'identité stable; où la présence de l'observateur influe sur le déroulement de l'expérience; où， loin de pouvoir s'accrocher à des règles immuables， on constate de l'irrégularité， de l'invisibilité， des sauts inexplicables。 [。。。] La physique moderne confirme les intuitions des sorcières。" 。。。more
Lovely Loveday
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