Witch Child by Celia Rees: Morgan Smerdell

Witch Child

In modern times, a colonial quilt is found. Woven into its threads are hidden pages of a 17th century diary belonging to a young girl named Mary. Witch Child is her story, in her own words written in her diary. 1

It starts with an admission and an account of a terrible event: Mary is a witch. Or rather: the grandchild of a witch who had just been horrendously tortured and hanged in front of Mary’s eyes. Rescued from the same fate by an anonymous benefactor, Mary is given free passage on a ship to Salem in the New World where she hopes to start anew. On the way there, she befriends a middle-aged woman named Martha as well as an apothecary and his son. Together, they form a household and as time pass, their hope to start a new, free life is thwarted by prejudice and the growing suspicion from their Puritan neighbors.

It was also interesting to read about Mary’s voyage to the New World and the details of the ship, the appalling cramped living conditions as well as the psychological outlook of the passengers and the eventual struggle for survival once they arrive.

What prompted me to pick this up was the connection with witch hunting. I thought that Witch Child was able to capture this well. Mary is an outsider to this new society in many ways: she is an orphan and not an official part of any immigrant family; she is a young woman with ideas of her own, with a desire to learn and extreme tolerance for not only different ideas and faiths but also for other peoples. She is immediately open to being friends with a couple of Native Americans.

Knowing the unfairness of her grandmother’s death and being a learned person possibly makes up for a different frame of mind than the majority of those around her. I appreciated the fact she remained religious to the end – although not following the same puritanical bend as the rest of the town.

Once certain events start taking place toward the end of the book, Witch Child reminded me a lot of the historical Salem Witch Hunt. It is hinted that Mary is in fact an actual witch, with healing powers and an ability to see into the future.

 Puritans were mostly characterized as strict, obsessed and intolerant to the point of villainy. There are two Native Americans that appear in the novel: one of them is a Wise Healer and the other one, the romantic interest who was brought up by White people and who speaks English perfectly. Although the portrayal of the Native American characters is undoubtedly a positive one, it is still fairly stereotypical and equally as harmful as a negative portrayal.

 There were definitely good things about it, especially when it came to its main character and I certainly enjoyed it to a point. But there is a sequel to this novel which I do not intend to read.

 

Witch Child-Leilah Gainey

This is a book I the form of a diary by a young witch girl by the name of Mary Newbury who lived in a small English town in 1659 and moved to Massachusetts.

After her grandmother, the woman she lived with all her life, was tried and executed for witchcraft in front of her, she gets a surprise visit from her mother. Mary is told she must leave England and move to America. Disguised as a Puritan girl, she takes a taxing ship voyage with Martha, an old spinster with a healer’s touch, by her side, along with many others, until their arrival at Salem, Massachusetts. From there, they take a trek through the forest, being led by “heathens”. Once they arrive to Beulah, their new Puritan community, Mary’s life becomes centered around God and acting as if from good Puritan upbringing.

Soon though, when the jealous Deborah Vane and her friends become “ill”, it is said to be caused by witchcraft and Mary is the prime suspect. When the same Witchfinder who arrested her grandmother comes to Beulah and accuses Mary, she has to run. This is where the diary ends.

During the seventeenth century in Massachusetts, there was a time when accusing people of witchcraft was common. There was very little evidence needed to prove a person guilty and witches were hanged. All it took to be accused of witchcraft was to have someone dislike you. “Spectral evidence” is enough for a person to be hanged.

“Jethro Vane complains that his hogs sicken. He says that someone has given them the Evil Eye. Mary was seen to come and go from the place where they roam. And she was seen staring at them and shouting, like to cursing…” (164) is an important quote because it shows how paranoid and spiteful people are when they dislike each other. He’s claiming that just because Mary yelled at his hogs, she cursed them. This is the part in the book when people get suspicious about her.

I really liked this book. I thought it was interesting that the book was written in the form of a diary and that it was in first person. I’d recommend this book to anyone that wanted to see how Puritans lived and the way people were accused of witchcraft.

The Prince and the Pauper

 The Prince and the Pauper

             The book that I read was The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. This book was made into many different adaptions, one being by Disney. This is considered an American classic and is a household book name.

            This book is about two boys that were coincidentally born on the same day in London. The first boy is Tom Canty. He was born in Offal Court on Pudding Lane. Tom had wanted to see a prince all his life. He is considered the pauper in this book. His father and grandma are considered drunkards and beat Tom if he comes home empty-handed from a day of begging. The second boy is Edward Tudor. Edward was considered the Prince of England, and son of King Henry VIII. He lives a life of luxury in Westminster with servants abiding to his every will.

            The story starts by Tom Canty becoming curious one day and venturing out to downtown London. "Tom got up hungry, and sauntered hungry away, but with his thoughts busy with the shadowy splendors of his night's dreams." (21) There he saw a mass gathering in front of guarded gates. There he saw a prince at play. As he got closer, a guard struck him and pushed him away. Furious, the Prince ordered Tom in. "How darst thou use a poor lad like that! How darst thou use the king my father's meanest subject so! Open the gates and let him in!" (22) While talking, the prince and the pauper discussed to each other the lives that they lived. Each being curious about the others life, they swapped roles. Suddenly, the Prince noticed a bruise on the hand of Tom and went outside to order that the guard be punished. The guards not knowing that was the Prince, threw him out into the streets. "Then angrily, " Be off, thou crazy rubbish!" (26) He was mocked and chased by dogs back to Offal Court. There John Canty takes his “son” back into his house. There he beats him for not obtaining anything from begging that day.

            Towards the end of the book the “Prince” is named the king after King Henry VIII has passed away. The Prince came back to London and said that he was the real king and that Tom was not. Tom agreed that the statements were true and they had swapped back to their old lives.

            Mark Twain is an American writer famous for stories such as the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

            I really enjoyed this book. I had heard many good things and they were right. I would recommend this book to whoever has not read this book.

Babylonne

        The book "Babylonne" is written by Catherine Jinks. The book is about a sixteen year old girl, Babylonne, who lives in Toulouse, France. She is a poor girl in a poor family in a dominantly poor society. Her mother and father are dead so she is looked after by her aunt, Aunt Navarre. Navarre is a wretched lady with an abusive attitude. "There's air enough in there, Babylonne. Air enough for a sinner like you!"(pg.49).
         Babylonne tries her best to avoid French prosecution and the men in the city who violate the women, especially Roman Priests. "Curse those fat priests! Smite them with the pox of their piddlers!"(pg.7).Babylonne had always been taught that Roman Priests were "skirt-chasers", and she always thought that, until she met one.
        She meets a Roman Priest named Father Isidore. He tells her that he knew her mother and father and that the rumors that she heard about him were lies." I saw them together. There was no fear. No anger of shame. There was only sorrow, and respect, and tenderness" (pg.91) They become close friends when Isidore helps Babylonne escape to serve exiled knights.
        She is running away because Aunt Navarre married her off to some old man. On their journey, Babylonne has to dress up as a boy named Benoit. Father Isidore tries to change Babylonne's bitter heart with the journey, and even though he is not there the whole journey, it works.

The Year of the Hangman - Trey Stevens

The book that I chose was The Year of the Hangman is an alternate history novel about the American Revolution by Gary Blackwood. It takes place during the year of 1777 which characters think looks like gallows, hence The Year of the Hangman. The story follows the main character Creighton Brown, a wealthy English boy, who is abducted and sent to the colonies in an alternate history where the colonists lost the American Revolution. Creighton “was half carried, half dragged from the porch and off into the night” for a voyage to the colonies (14). On the ship, Creighton is confused angry for his predicament. To make matters worse, he learns that it was his own mother who arranged the whole thing. Apparently she could not contain Creighton’s behavior and decided that his uncle, Colonel Gower in the colony of Carolina, could raise him better. At this point Creighton has decided that he will try his very best to be sent back to the colonies, and to him this means seriously bad behavior. Creighton makes it to Charlestown, where his uncle is stationed. He is escorted to his uncle by Lieutenant Hale, the man who has taken care of him for the voyage, whom Creighton considers a good man and a friend. When there, Creighton lies and tells his uncle that it was his own choice to come to colonies, in hopes that this would make it easier for him to return to England. This is the point in the novel where the story really starts to pick up. Apparently, Gower is to be made lieutenant governor of  West Florida, so he and take a voyage there on the very same ship that brought him to the colonies. On the way,[ they are attacked by what appear to be pirates, but are really American Patriots, who seize the ship and capture the Colonel and Lieutenant Hale. Only through Gower’s quick thinking does Creighton not get captured. He is act as a servant of Gower’s in hopes that the Patriots would not ransom him. The plan in fact works as Creighton is “freed” by the Patriots who turn out to be Benedict Arnold and very large boy named Peter. The prisoners and Creighton are taken to New Orleans, the Patriots headquarters. Now for a large portion of the novel it is simply Creighton acclimatizing to these new people and Ideas in the Patriot city.

Creighton is taken to the home of Benjamin Franklin, for he needs a place to stay. There he meets Sophie, Franklin’s French speaking servant, and Benjamin Franklin himself. These new people and the this new environment overwhelm Creighton who still wants to return home. So he decides to sneakily visit Gower in the prison to find a way out of Louisiana and back to England. Gower tells him to spy for it would be far more useful and to bring him a pistol. If he could escape they could, along with Hale return to English territory and have information on the Patriots as well. Creighton reluctantly does as he is told. Creighton listens and learns from the Patriots of New Orleans and he even begins working in Benjamin Franklin’s print shop. He even learns that his dead father, who he believes was killed by patriots, actually helped save them from a massacre in Carolina. This is the beginning of Creighton’s new view on the English.  All the while he spies on them. Greatest of all his discoveries, he finds out that Benjamin Franklin prints a secret Patriot newspaper called The Liberty Tree and that it is written in code. He deduces that it is translated by use if an almanac that only an American would carry. With his information and a recently acquired pistol Creighton frees Hale, and Gower who betrays him. Gower takes his information, hits him over the head leaves him for the patriots, ordering Hale to leave him behind. When he awakens Creighton rethinks his already shifting views on the English.

This occurs throughout the novel however at this point hs views are almost completely shifted to that of the Patriots. He sees the English as aggressive an uncaring for the rights of their people. When Creighton believes he has found peace in New Orleans, the printing shop is attacked by English-hired arsonists. In the ensuing confrontation and destruction of the shop, Benjamin Franklin is killed. With the death of his mentor Creighton is now in support of the patriots. The patriots now want revenge. They are organizing an attack with their allied forces from Spain to hit a major English base. To have this plan work they set up misdirection. Benedict Arnold, Peter, and Creighton travel to Florida where they are to convince the officials there that they are traitors and wish to divulge information to them. Information that is of course false and will send the English to the wrong locations for the attack. During this time Creighton comes to learn that Gower is in fact the official that they need to convince. By doing so, Creighton is even given another code to decipher. He finds that it tells the location of the captured General Washington. As he tries to get the information to Arnold he learns that he has entered a duel with Gower. The duel is fought and Gower is the loser. Needing to escape for having just killed the Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Arnold and Creighton head to the prison where they believe Washington is being held. Once there they are captured due to the fact that they were trying to release a dead prisoner. The prisoner that is really there is in fact Creighton’s own father whom was actually saved by Gower and sent to prison instead of the Gallows. Creighton, Arnold, and his father escape thanks to Peter and return to New Orleans. Thus begins the end of the novel. Arnold launches the attack which turns out to be a colossal failure. Creighton’s father recovers from prison. Creighton, after the events of the novel,  has to rethink his entire way of life, in addition to beginning work in the newly rebuilt print shop.

Creighton realizes that his views on life are aligned with the patriots a theme which has seemingly been in the air for the entire novel. Creighton now has a new perspective on people. In the beginning, he was brash and unkind, now he has learned to be more compassionate and accepting of others. And finally, most important of all Creighton views war differently. He once saw it as a game where one side loses and one side wins. Now he knows the horrors on both sides. He takes Ben Franklin’s words about how “there never was a good war, or a bad peace” (254). The name of the year 1777, The Year of the Hangman, meant little to Creighton before. He knew people died in conflicts, he just never thought of the people as people. Now he sees the years title as a warning of the horrors of war and conflict between men. Having grown in many ways Creighton is not a boy “playing games” now. “[not] any longer” (257).

The Author Gary Blackwood has written previous alternate history before The Year of the Hangman. Which include The Shakespeare Stealer and Shakespeare’s scribe. Both of which have been critically acclaimed. He has even written a theatrical adaptation of The Shakespeare Stealer for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.  So the qualification to write this novel is there. he is praised by critics and worked with the Kennedy Center.

Overall, I really enjoyed the novel. It was interesting to see the Revolution’s ideas from the perspective of an Englishman. It is never usually seen as a violent, evil conflict so the perspective was refreshing. Most important of all was how the world would have been like, had the Americans lost. The Patriots were forced into hiding and the grip of the English on the colonies got tighter. The book’s pacing was slow at points, but the new perspectives on history kept me interested to keep reading despite it. The characters were great. Each historical character felt fully fleshed out. Each had their own strong, developed views. Especially Ben Franklin and Benedict Arnold. Now as an informational historical text, this should not be your first choice. It is of course alternate history, events happening differently than they actually did. Now for an interesting historically themed text this book is perfect. I would recommend the novel as a casual read, but not for a history assignment.  

Come August, Come Freedom The Bellows, The Gallows, and The Black General Gabriel - JeDarius Jackson

Book Trailer

The book I read is called Come August, Come Freedom The Bellows, The Gallows and The Black General Gabriel. It is about a man born into slavery with aspirations to be free. The man’s name is Gabriel.

Since birth even Gabriel’s mother knew that he would be a great man, a free man. For example when Gabriel was just a baby the book says “What Ma believed was this: her youngest son would grow strong free.”(pg. 4) Ma often compared Gabriel to her husband and his father Pa who was sent away for speaking to strongly of freedom. Gabriel grew up with a boy named Thomas Henry Prosser who was the son of the owner of the plantation. Thomas and Gabriel were always good friends and had been close since birth because Ma nursed both of the boys. They remained close until a day when they were kids and Thomas Henry was instructed by his father and Gabriel’s master to strike Gabriel with a wooden board after playing a game with Thomas that got them in some trouble. In the book Mr. Prosser says to his boy, “Don’t be chickenhearted, Son. Gabriel must learn his place, said Mr. Prosser. Are you a man?” (pg. 30) After that Gabriel and  one of his brothers Solomon were sent to Richmon

d (a place of business in the city). In Richmond the boys began working for a blacksmith named Jacob Kent who taught their father how to blacksmith.  As Gabriel grew older he became a great blacksmith just like his father. While in Richmond Gabriel met a girl named Nanny and fell in love with her but, he never really made a move on her. One day she was moved from the city and left Gabriel with an empty space in his heart. He wasn't sure if he would ever see her again until he found her one day when visiting his mother. He finally made his move and she fell in love with him.

The older Gabriel got the more he wanted to be free. Gabriel came up with a plan so that he could marry Nanny then buy her freedom. Gabriel’s plan did not go quite as planned though because he got in some trouble before the wedding. Even though Gabriel’s first plan failed he did not give up on his quest for freedom. So Gabriel decided to lead an uprising of the slaves and he got many people to join in but on the planned night for the revolt there was a terrible storm and it stopped the plan from being carried out. The next day word started getting around to the “white folk” that there was supposed to be a revolt led by General Gabriel and in the blink of an eye Gabriel was a very much wanted man. Gabriel tried to flee to a black general who had already led a rebellion so he could help free his people but he was captured, tried, and hung. Nanny could not watch her husband hang because they hung him in a separate place from where the other men hung. Men that were planning to revolt alongside General Gabriel. The book says “As Nanny witnessed the four men fall, she witnessed Gabriel fall four times over. Whether his name is Sam or George or Gilbert or Frank, his name is also Gabriel.” (pg. 224) Nanny gave birth to Gabriel’s child months after Gabriel’s death.

The author of this books name is Gigi Amateau. Amateau is a Mississippian who lived in Richmond, Virginia for most of her life. This is the place where most of the historical events that inspired Come August, Come Freedom came from. She has wrote 6 other books.

I think Gigi did a great job expressing what it was like for slaves back in those times. The story really gave me a better understanding of the struggles of African American slaves to try and start families. I thought it was really interesting that she based the story with real events that happened in her hometown many years ago. While reading the book I felt like I was General Gabriel himself living in the 1800s and I found myself being so into the book that I would get upset by some of the struggles he went through. I would recommend this book to anybody. Alltogether Come August, Come Freedom was an excellent book with an amazing story.

JeDarius Jackson

The Youngest Templar: Trial of Fate - Carson Gilbert

The author of the book, The Youngest Templar: Trial of Fate, is a man named Micheal Spradlin. The book was released in October of 2009 as a book in a series of three that Micheal published. The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail, published in 2008 was the first book and the third book, published in 2010, was The Youngest Templar: Orphan of Destiny. Micheal Spradliln has written and published several books, most of them belonging to a series of books and he has written books that entertain people of all different ages. 

This book follows the travels of Tristan, Maryam and Robard. A young Templars scribe, a Hashshashin Assassin and a Kings archer. Together they are on a journey to keep the Holy Grail out of the hands of a greedy Templar named Sir Hugh, who only wants the Holy Grail for himself. Along the way they will face many challenges, make some enemies and maybe some new friends all while they are desperately trying to find their way back home to England with the cup safely in their possession.

The book The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate, to me, was a well written and great historical book due to the fact that it didn't bore me. The way that the author chose to follow a boy protecting the Holy Grail, was amazing since the book was sent in a time where being part of the Church and being religious was really important. I think that made the book a great success and a really great read. 

“With trembling hands I opened the satchel. Removing all of my other gear, I flipped open the secret compartment and pulled out the Grail. I removed the linen covering, holding it out so they could see it. No one said anything, because they weren't exactly sure what I was showing them.” – Page 156

I chose this quote because it shows how Tristan has finally decided to show his friends just what he has been hiding in his satchel the whole time. It also shows that he’s willing to share the important job of protecting the Holy Grail with his friends, meaning that he completely trusts them and wants them to know why they are risking their lives by traveling with him.

“I’m with you,” Maryam said. “I will do all I can to help you finish this. I will help you keep the prophet’s cup safe.” – 160

The reason that I chose this second quote is because it shows that even knowing that Tristian has been lying about the reason that they are risking their lives, as well as kept this a complete secret from his friends, they are still with him. Maryam as well as Robard are still going to travel with him to help him go through with his mission.

“No. Sir Hugh was… is a dreadful man. He has committed many violations of our laws. My liege Sir Thomas wrote testimony against him, including sworn statements by many brother knights of our regimento. He entrusted me to deliver them to the Master of the Order in England. I barely made it out of Acre, but Sir Hugh followed me. He’s been chasing me ever since.” – Page 121

This quote tells why and who exactly is after them. It shows about one of the reasons that Sir Hugh is after Tristan and his friends and why the Templar (Sir Hugh) has been trying to track them down.