T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts on + 273 more book reviews
There are few more fascinating and inexplicable cultural phenomena in US history than the story of Salem (or the two Salems, as it turns out), a small, historic town in Western Massachusetts. This (somewhat notorious) town and its substantial history have more layers than an onion, both physically and figuratively. As the premise of the book suggests, its primary claim to fame involved one of the most shameful episodes in US history, a nine-month-long horror known as the Salem Witch Trials, which, if you're interested in this book, probably needs no introduction.
What's fascinating is the seeming life-of-its-own that this travesty took on in later centuries, which morphed from a perplexing and still debated historical phenomenon, one sadly shared elsewhere, particularly the "Witchcraze" fervor in Western Europe in the seventeenth century, which claimed many more victims, to a cultural phenomenon that draws tens of thousands of visitors to an otherwise-largely-unremarkable small but historic town, for weeks of revelry. Salem, in fact, almost inexplicably, is now known as "Witch City," where actual Wicca practitioners gather en masse, but not really simply to honor those falsely accused and wrongly executed for "crimes" they didn't commit. That's just one of the perplexing contradictions to which this confounding phenomenon has given rise.
The book itself is also something if a curiosity. It's the account of the author and his family's month-long immersion into the spectacle that is Salem 'round about Halloween time. The celebrations used to take place just on the day itself, which then turned into Halloween Week, but has now transformed into a month-long October Fest which sees an absolute torrent of curiosities descend on this sleepy coastal town. It's a detailed account of the many features of this small town, which are far more numerous than one might initially imagine. It's particularly useful in that regard, if you're planning a trip to the area, even if not at Halloween, which I personally wouldn't recommend, based on what I've read, here and elsewhere. There are so many fascinating and enlightening things to see and do here, aside from involvement in the hoopla surrounding the holiday, that it would be preferable to visit at another time of year, if you're interested in actually learning something. From a world-class art museum, to open-air museums and historic sites, to museums and remnants which commemorate its nautical (particularly whaling and shipping) past, Salem is a happening place.
Aside from a discussion of the significance of many of the sites you would most want to visit, the most valuable aspect of the book was the inclusion of numerous interviews with Salem locals, each of whom have a story of their own, a contribution to the history of a community with already impossibly-deep roots. What's often lost in "travel" books is the human element, specifically that cities and towns are communities, often comprised of a diverse population with competing interests, in this case, one which still struggles in coming to terms with its past in order to negotiate the present and future. That couldn't be more true of Salem, as most persons interviewed aren't natives, but transplants, and the reasons they decided to relocate there are many and varied, but all interesting and significant. Irrespective of their particular views, I really enjoyed getting to know the actual people associated with the sites, and it's an added bonus if you actually encounter any of them if you happen to visit.
To that end, the author does an admirable job of describing the ambivalence locals have toward their town's reputation. Some celebrate the festivities and appreciate the business, but a (not-surprising) proportion loathes the Halloween madness which ensues each October, to the degree that it has become so unlivable that some long-time residents have simply moved out. Others are frustrated at the whole approach to the town's tragic past. They have a point. On the one hand, the tens of thousands of tourists which descend each Fall bring much-needed revenue (although not as much as some would like; as the book notes, some locals even complain that the ones who come for Halloween aren't really "spenders," as they just seemingly enjoy the free festivities without unloading their pockets, which seems somewhat dubious to me).
On the other hand, this (and the site of much of the actual action associated with the trials, the nearby town of Danvers, which was the former Salem village, where most of the key players actually resided) is essentially the site of a massacre, and should be respected as such. Twenty innocent people were essentially murdered here, and many more died while awaiting their day in court, or after, from the ill-effects of their confinement in the squalid conditions so appalling that many never recovered from their ordeal. The collective trauma was so great that this episode, which occurred in the late seventeenth century, three hundred years ago, is still a household name that few Americans are wholly unfamiliar with. That stands in stark contrast to the carnival-like atmosphere which prevails for not only the entire month of October, but which hangs over the city in perpetuity.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're planning a trip to Salem and vicinity. The prose is very engaging, written with journalistic style, and everyone is for the most part treated fairly and respectfully, which is important when discussing both the weirdness of this place and its zany inhabitants, as well as the tragic history, with which it still hasn't entirely come to grips.
What's fascinating is the seeming life-of-its-own that this travesty took on in later centuries, which morphed from a perplexing and still debated historical phenomenon, one sadly shared elsewhere, particularly the "Witchcraze" fervor in Western Europe in the seventeenth century, which claimed many more victims, to a cultural phenomenon that draws tens of thousands of visitors to an otherwise-largely-unremarkable small but historic town, for weeks of revelry. Salem, in fact, almost inexplicably, is now known as "Witch City," where actual Wicca practitioners gather en masse, but not really simply to honor those falsely accused and wrongly executed for "crimes" they didn't commit. That's just one of the perplexing contradictions to which this confounding phenomenon has given rise.
The book itself is also something if a curiosity. It's the account of the author and his family's month-long immersion into the spectacle that is Salem 'round about Halloween time. The celebrations used to take place just on the day itself, which then turned into Halloween Week, but has now transformed into a month-long October Fest which sees an absolute torrent of curiosities descend on this sleepy coastal town. It's a detailed account of the many features of this small town, which are far more numerous than one might initially imagine. It's particularly useful in that regard, if you're planning a trip to the area, even if not at Halloween, which I personally wouldn't recommend, based on what I've read, here and elsewhere. There are so many fascinating and enlightening things to see and do here, aside from involvement in the hoopla surrounding the holiday, that it would be preferable to visit at another time of year, if you're interested in actually learning something. From a world-class art museum, to open-air museums and historic sites, to museums and remnants which commemorate its nautical (particularly whaling and shipping) past, Salem is a happening place.
Aside from a discussion of the significance of many of the sites you would most want to visit, the most valuable aspect of the book was the inclusion of numerous interviews with Salem locals, each of whom have a story of their own, a contribution to the history of a community with already impossibly-deep roots. What's often lost in "travel" books is the human element, specifically that cities and towns are communities, often comprised of a diverse population with competing interests, in this case, one which still struggles in coming to terms with its past in order to negotiate the present and future. That couldn't be more true of Salem, as most persons interviewed aren't natives, but transplants, and the reasons they decided to relocate there are many and varied, but all interesting and significant. Irrespective of their particular views, I really enjoyed getting to know the actual people associated with the sites, and it's an added bonus if you actually encounter any of them if you happen to visit.
To that end, the author does an admirable job of describing the ambivalence locals have toward their town's reputation. Some celebrate the festivities and appreciate the business, but a (not-surprising) proportion loathes the Halloween madness which ensues each October, to the degree that it has become so unlivable that some long-time residents have simply moved out. Others are frustrated at the whole approach to the town's tragic past. They have a point. On the one hand, the tens of thousands of tourists which descend each Fall bring much-needed revenue (although not as much as some would like; as the book notes, some locals even complain that the ones who come for Halloween aren't really "spenders," as they just seemingly enjoy the free festivities without unloading their pockets, which seems somewhat dubious to me).
On the other hand, this (and the site of much of the actual action associated with the trials, the nearby town of Danvers, which was the former Salem village, where most of the key players actually resided) is essentially the site of a massacre, and should be respected as such. Twenty innocent people were essentially murdered here, and many more died while awaiting their day in court, or after, from the ill-effects of their confinement in the squalid conditions so appalling that many never recovered from their ordeal. The collective trauma was so great that this episode, which occurred in the late seventeenth century, three hundred years ago, is still a household name that few Americans are wholly unfamiliar with. That stands in stark contrast to the carnival-like atmosphere which prevails for not only the entire month of October, but which hangs over the city in perpetuity.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're planning a trip to Salem and vicinity. The prose is very engaging, written with journalistic style, and everyone is for the most part treated fairly and respectfully, which is important when discussing both the weirdness of this place and its zany inhabitants, as well as the tragic history, with which it still hasn't entirely come to grips.
