Book Review:Demonic Possessions on Trial

Demonic Possession on Trial by William W. Coventry was written based on the author’s thesis to earn his Master of Arts in History from the University of Vermont. The book’s purpose is to examine and explore certain witch-craft cases that took place before the Salem witch trials occurred in order to identify the behaviors and ideas that shaped them. It was unclear from reading the book what the author’s views of the cases were; although, he seemed to show sympathy towards the supposed witch’s persecution. His writing was unbiased and covered all aspects of the trials and gave possible reasons for why the women and men seemed to be possessed by “demons”. He discussed the possibility of medical concerns, jealousy, and revenge as reasons why these people seemed to be possessed. He covered each possibility with equal representation. Coventry discussed how “superstitious and frightened townspeople turned against one another” (Coventry 67) and also discussed how ‘power...