The novel, in diary form, tells the story of Dorcas Good, a four year old child accused of witchcraft along with her mother and several other women during the hysteria of 1692. It is, in all probability, the first documented case of child abuse in this country. The saga follows Dorcas through her imprisonment as a young child, to her mother being led to the gallows and on to her young adult years and the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her jailers and especially from her own father. Rose Earhart allows the reader to experience the flavor of life in 1692 Salem including all of the difficulties and struggles of everyday life. She manages to portray with amazing clarity and passion the accounts of the horrific injustices and degrading circumstances of living on the edge of society that Dorcas and her mother, Sarah, had to endure even before the witch hysteria began. The Diary of Dorcas Good finally tells the real story of the savagery and terror of the Salem Witch Trials.
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About the Author
Rose Earhart holds degrees in both Psychology and Philosophy. She has been a principle dancer with the Chicago City Ballet, a teacher, an actress (with stage, TV and movie credits) and a newspaper columnist. She prides herself as beihg an activist for children's rights. The old Victorian house where Rose lives with her family in Salem, Massachusetts, is a nightly haven to Salemites, both ghostly and real.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Burning the Midnight Oil to Finish this Book.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Diary of Dorcas Good, Child Witch of Salem (Hardcover)
Dorcas Good writes her account of the Salem Witch Hysteria as a catharsas for the evil she suffered during the trial. Dorcas was only 4 years old when she, along with her mother, was arrested and accused of witchcraft in Salem, Mass. The little girl sufferered unimaginable abuse by her captors and even people close to her. Through it all she managed to survive the ordeal though she watched her mother taken to the gallows. At first I was a little confused at the style of writing. The writing is that of an adult and not a small child. Once I realized that Dorcas was a young women by the time she managed to put her story on paper, it all fell into place. This is not a pleasant read; for it deals with the subject of child abuse and evil. The ending is a surprise that leaves you contemplating the story of Dorcas Good for days to come.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Touching Story.,
By Mandy (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Diary of Dorcas Good, Child Witch of Salem (Hardcover)
Dorcas Good was born into a violent home where every day her father would beat her and her mother, Sarah. Then at the age of four her life was turned around, and life became much worse for her and her mother. A day after her mother gave birth to her second daughter, Mercy, she was accused of witchcraft and was brought to jail. After a few days of Dorcas living with her abusive father she too was brought to jail. Join Dorcas as she tells you about her normal life before jail, her horrible tales of when she was in jail, the sight of her mother's death (the only accused witch in Salem to be hanged without black cloth covering her face), and life after jail when her father brought her to the bar at night and "sold" her to the sailors and other men. Some people say that Dorcas went crazy after she was freed from Salem prison, she even claims to have met the devil himself. I, personally, enjoyed this book. I would not recommend this book to big criers. As I was reading about the part of Sarah Good's death I was crying so much that the words in the book were all a big blur and I had to stop reading. This book will make you cry with Dorcas as she goes through the deaths of her mother, best friends, and even her very own love, Jack Quelch. It will make you believe the unbelievable stories told to you through the eyes of a `Child Witch of Salem'.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just didn't do it for me,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Diary of Dorcas Good, Child Witch of Salem (Hardcover)
I recently finished this book, and frankly, was very disappointed in its content. The story is supposed to be a "diary" of a child's life, but the book fails to realistically portray the events as they would have been seen from a 4-yr-old's viewpoint. Also, Ms. Earhart should invest in another editor. The book is filled with erroneous punctuation and "typos" which distract from its readability. The author does not realistically combine the mysticism of the witchcraze and the realities of 1692 life in Salem. Perhaps she could have researched more what sexually/physically/emotionally/psychologically abused profiles of children looked like and made Dorcas a more realistic and believable character. If you're into fantasy and crazed witch stories, this is a book for you. If you prefer more accurate historical fiction, don't waste your time.
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