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Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies (American Social Experience)

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This text retells the story we think we know about Tituba of Salem-- you know, the black slave woman who got all that trouble started with her voodoo-esque witchery... this book traces the historical evidence for Tituba actually being a Native American, and the path she would have taken to get to Salem at the time, as well as the story of what happened after she was swept up in the drama of the Puritans' search for the devil in the New World. It's a well-written historical account that is academic, but not so academic that those who are studying this period for fun will be alienated.

Unlike most biographies of the time period, Elaine Breslaw does not simply elaborate on the life of a historically significant figure in Tituba: Reluctant Witch of Salem. In this biographical work Breslaw establishes a clear mission to shed light on the life of a vastly misunderstood individual by dismissing common misconceptions and elaborating on accepted fact. Despite the fact that there is a brevity of sound biography on Tituba, Breslaw succeeds in creating a most complete and convicining portrayal of Massachusettes most infamous 17th century witch.

In the section one Breslaw highlights the cultural and national origins of Tituba, focusing primarily on her Arawak roots on the island of Barbados. Described by the author as an "Amerindian slave," Tituba's journey to the new world is laid in a precise and well documented manner through the employment of colonial records. Breslaw asserts her claims in the second chapter as she reasserts that there exists no other reference to any persons of the name Tituba in any colonial record. Next, the author claims that Tituba most likely arrived in Barbados via South America courtesy of the booming slave trading industry just prior to the time that Samuel Parris returned to America. The third chapter of the biography focuses on slave and plantation life in Barbados at the time of Samuel Parris' stay. Breslaw recalls that African-culture had permeated plantation life, supplying Tituba ample opportunity to observe traditional practices of witchcraft. The author however believed that no amount of time could have given the slave girl a strong enough grasp of the traditions she would be later accused of.

The remainder of the biography focuses on Tituba in the context of 17th century Massachusetts. The beginning of the second section places the subject in the larger context of Amerindian slave life in New England. Chapter five highlights Puritan attitudes toward the sacrilegious practice of witchcraft and begins the narrative showing the sequence of events leading up to the pressured confession that secured Tituba's place in history. "Tituba's protective camouflage as a member of a Purtian household was stripped from her, exposing her as an Indian and demanding another means of resisting persecution." (97) The confessions of Tituba are the focus in the final chapters of the book as Breslaw examines how her testimonies were used against her and how they were perceived at the time by the local Puritan population.

Elaine G. Breslaw spent her academic career as a professor of history at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Following her retirement, Breslaw assumed the position of Visiting Professor of History at the University of Tennessee and also teaches part time at Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Studies. Breslaw is the author of Dr. Alexander Hamilton and Provincial America: Expanding the Orbit of Scottish Culture, part of the Southern Biography Series, and Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies, part of The American Social Experience Series.

Breslaw uses a large amount of varying sources throughout Tituba. Early in the book, the author employs secondary sources pertaining to life in the Caribbean such as The Handbook of South American Indians and The Civilized Life of Barbados: A Social History. In her study of witchcraft in New England, Breslaw cites sources that range from the early 18th century to the 20th century. Written by John Hale in 1702, A Modest Inquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft is consulted as well as 1963's Witchcraft: European and African and 1988's Black Yankees: The Development of an Afro-American Subculture in Eighteenth-Century New England. This biography is as much a study of sociological mechanisms as history, and Breslaw's uses of varying chronological sources, including contemporaries of the time period, add a large amount of credibility to the work.

Tituba remains one of the most misunderstood individuals in American history for a number of reasons. Whatever they may be, there exists a blatant penchant for refusing to recognize plain facts. When studying a phenomenon such as the Salem Witch Trials, there is a tendency to overlook the initial, rational cause of the event and focus on the romance of the situation. If Tituba is made real, if she is revealed for who, not what, she really was, then the fantastic possibility of the event disappears before it even has the chance to develop in the psyche of the researcher. Time and again historic events are sensationalized into what become dramatic interpretations of simple aspect of human nature. Breslaw uses expert research and years of experience to truly reveal what lies at the heart of the madness that occurred in Puritan New England over three hundred years ago.

Elaine G. Breslaw uses precise historical practice and tenacious research to finally reveal the true background on one of the most overlooked figures in American history. Not only does the author dispel misconceptions in Tituba, but she attracts new curiosities and opens up a larger field of research introducing the subject for who she truly was which is, unquestionably, far more interesting.

Thank you for your prompt attention to correcting the mistaken copy received. I appreciated not only your promptness but your gracious handling of the problem.

An interesting, complex and scholarly analysis of Tituba's role in the Salem Witch Trials. Breslaw writes well but has a tendency to try to reinforce her points through repetition -- often at great length -- rather than the presentation of supporting information. She also sometimes presents speculation as fact, without sufficient documentation to support such an approach. Overall, however, the book is quite readable and informative. The appendices are extremely valuable, and the book would benefit from the addition of an appendix addressing the presentation of Tituba in literature, particularly as many readers will first come into contact with her via Arthur Miller's play The Crucible.

Parts of it were redundant. It was slow reading, but it was loaded with facts that were helpful in the course I had to take. It is not a topic I am personally interested in, but for those who are, it is probably a good read.