The Ruin of All Witches

In 1651, Springfield, Massachusetts, bore witness to one of the first witchcraft trials on the American frontier. Religion and superstition merged to create a tragic brew of grievances, anxiety, resentments, and sorrow that transformed into rumors of witchcraft. In inconsolable grief, neighbors turned against each other.

Amid the specter of civil war in England and hardship, disease, and death in the New World, Malcolm Gaskill tells the tale of lives entangled in jealousy and tragedy in a New England town. The witch hunt involved young couple Mary and Hugh Parsons, mayor and magistrate William Pynchon, and other townsfolk who fomented gossip, suspicion, and rage.

Gaskill straddles the nonfiction and historical fiction genres with the page-turner that is The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of American witch hunts during the 17th century. The well-researched volume shares historical facts about the Parsons trial while filling in the atmosphere and texture of life in the early colonies.

Gaskill speculates about the emotional and psychological lives of the early settlers, alternating his focus between the minutiae of the Parsons household and the broader social context of survival in the burgeoning community. He goes beyond simply retelling the story from primary sources, inspiring readers to harbor empathy for human flaws.