In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial

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A dense read, but that is primarily because of the academic nature of the writing. There is a lot of very interesting information spread over a wide variety of chapter subjects. And it was fascinating to get more on the witch trials outside of the United States. In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet is an excellent nonfictional account of the history and evolution of the labeling of women through time and the subsequent treatment of the associated victims. Truly fascinating! 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. 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. In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet is a very well-researched yet very accessible look at how the witch hunts and the popular perceptions of witches has persisted to this day in different form but with the same intent.

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. This book is heavier on the feminism aspect than the witchcraft aspect so if you’re coming into this looking more for the history of witchcraft, there are other books that will do this better. While it does discuss it, it is predominantly in the introduction. However, as someone who is two of these three archetypes, and with each year growing closer to the third, this book was interesting, but at times not exactly eye opening. I’ve experienced some of the passive-aggressive commentary myself, thankfully not from my family. While the structure of "In Defense of Witches" may seem loose, it's a book that rewards those who persevere with it through the very end as Chollet's structure really comes to life when seen through the lens of its wholeness and it's Chollet's ability to argue both academically and personally that makes this a particularly impactful and effective work. You may not agree with everything that Chollet writes, and if you're not a feminist you likely won't, but it's practically undeniable that Chollet argues well and she documents precisely and beautifully. Mona makes you realize how hard women had it. She has done extensive research on the witch hunts and trials and it shows.While some would like a Readers Digest version of the book and have it stop after the introduction, it is in the details where the commonalities between witch hunts and current patriarchal restraints, both subtle and blatant, become evident. Just saying it is so does little to convince anyone, but showing instance after instance, interspersed with feminist theory, pulls the rug out from under any doubters. Thank you, NetGalley, Mona Chollet, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book. It releases on March 8th, 2022. Chollet nicely argues, though, in support of self-confidence, that “spells” can also be thought of as casting words, as in “spelling” (to which it is etymologically related) and that writers, artists, and all women are indeed able to effect change by speaking up. True.

The brilliant feminist book “In Defense of Witches: Why Women are Still on Trial'' by Mona Chollet was released in January 2022. She discusses how the women who exist outside of the boundaries of patriarchal control are deemed to be villainous and morally corrupt. This extends from the witch-hunts of the 16th century to more current situations such as the anti-abortion laws the US faces, to the way in which women enter a “villain era”, which is really just self-love. Childless women must be evil witches It always amazed me how many people in America were only aware of the Salem Witch Trials, not the reign of terror that swept Europe for centuries, that claimed the lives of thousands of women. Not only that, they don’t know that witch-hunts still occur today. In Northern Ghana, there are at least six witch camps. In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet analyzes the treatment of women since the witch-hunts and how they contributed to the shaping of our society today. She looks at 3 main aspects: independent women, childless women, and elderly women. Women are not alone in being persecuted as witches. Men have also fallen victim to accusations but they make up a considerably smaller percentage and most men that were accused were more likely to receive a trial. It shows that the witch trials were deeply rooted in sexism and misogyny. Mona explains her initial fascination with witches. It started with Snow white's witch who appears as a warty old woman.Informative and thought-provoking, 'In Defense of Witches' argues that the embers from those burned at the stake continue to light fires in modern day society where women are still under threat from those afraid of her power. I expected the parallels between the reprisals against witchcraft and the restraints against women to stretch through the entire book. Instead, most of the pertinent and thoughtful connections exist in the introduction, and the rest of the book contains only minor notes about witchcraft. For example, in the chapter on women’s aging, the book mentions that gray hair was often associated with witches. And then the text moves on.

This lead to the author having a positive connotation for witches rather than the negative one that society has formed. In Defense of Witches is a non-fiction book about the connections between witch hunts and modern-day feminism. It explores the three types of women who were accused of witchcraft most often: the childless, the elder, the independent. It's easy to notice that these archetypes are also the ones most judged in today's world: our society constantly evaluates women based on their age, their relationship status, and their fertility. Chollet focuses on three traits common to many women then suspected of witchcraft: being elderly, childless, and independent of any man. Such traits among modern women are still suspect, she writes, devoting a whole chapter to vigorously defending the child-free life. While that choice is fundamental (especially at a time when abortion rights are being threatened in the US) mothers need an equally full defense from feminists, especially as the pandemic wiped out their employment gains and consigned them to home for so long.

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Mona Chollet is a Franco-Swiss writer and journalist. She is the chief editor for Le Monde diplomatique and has also written for Charlie Hebdo. She lives in Paris, France. Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and 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 descendants to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions. The subject matter is compelling, as it affects the lives of every woman who’s ever lived since the first witch was born. As a woman who’s experienced her unfair share of oppression, I jumped at the chance to read this book.

This is not a book to be taken lightly. The subject matter and the way it is so thoroughly examined can be exhausting to read. I took it in small doses, as I needed frequent breaks to think about what I’d just read. I suspect this well-researched (there’s 562 footnotes!) book will end up in many Women’s Studies classes. Through time, almost as old as history itself, women have been targeted, ostracized, blamed, and pointed at in times of uncertainty, instability, and change. Women whom have pushed the boundaries, not followed the lines, been slightly “different”, refused to follow societal constraints, or just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Some were easier to blame then others based on many situations and personalities, but nevertheless it seems to be a similar occurrence despite the culture, the time period, or the place…and the author did a great job bringing forth all of these concepts, patterns, and presenting them in a well-researched book that was fascinating, terrifying, and yet incredibly interesting read. The author delves into the past used to vilify and murder independent women, widows and elderly women throughout our culture and still today. As the author moves through the times we see how in today's culture independent single women,, our elderly women and successful women who prefer to live on on their own are vilified by mysogany and hate of women that permeates our lives, the media and culture. I appreciate the detail and case studies the author has inclusive here to mysogany. Not allowing the fun of the imagery to distort history or appropriate other cultural traditions is something to keep in mind, especially since Chollet points out the large number of women of color who were persecuted and how much American witch-hunts were used to target the indigenous. This comes later with the topic of medicine and wellness. ‘ The witch becomes the ‘antimother,’’ Chollet writes, ‘ many of the accused were healers who played the role of midwife—but who also used to help women wishing to prevent or terminate a pregnancy.’ This was during a time women were denied access to medical school and Cholett discusses that part of their eradication was to silence anyone that wasn’t part of the academic cannon. As witchcraft ideas have started to be absorbed or co-opted into wellness communities or other natural health circles, the infiltration of white supremacy in the wellness industry is something that should also be kept in mind too, as well as trying to remember snake oil salesman use the same bad faith marketing as any other big industry so it can sometimes be difficult to parse out what is an effective alternative remedy and what is not. 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.

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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". It is often in the more low-key elements of culture that seeds are planted that grow into the timber that supports the patriarchy, so Chollet offers many instances from popular culture to highlight just how society tries to "keep women in line." If you've read or watched some of the texts discussed, you'll probably want to revisit them. Not only to see what you may have overlooked but to also better understand how to actively engage with other texts in the future.