I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem (CARAF Books: Caribbean and African Literature Translated from French)

A truly enjoy this fictional story of a woman’s fight to embrace her womanhood and cultural heritage. I understand the authors passion to bring a voice to someone who has forgotten and possibly misunderstood and most definitely mistreated. This author took me on a journey. I will never forget.

If you are interested in the Salem witch trials as well as other cultures, this book is a must. With the focus on an African-American woman who helped others for the good got caught up in the mass hysteria of the witch trials Tituba stood strong through such devastating life events. I blew through this so fast. I really wish there was more books like this.

Call it historical novel or whatever you wish, this is one of the greatest books I have read and paralles in a vague but definitve way some texts of García Márquez. Maryse Conde is a Guadelupean black writer who has lived in a number of Antillean islands, West African countries, England, France and the U.S. She has lectured at prestigious universities on West Indian literature and related topics and has written a number of novels and plays. In the 1980s Ms. Conde found documentation of about the then frequent witch trials conducted in the puritanical New England in the late 17th century, among them a rather laconic mention of a black woman slave Tituba from Barbados who was accused of witchcraft ("hoodoo") in Salem, Mass. 1692, then sold for the price of her prison fees and the cost of chains and shackles. Very little more was known about Tituba. Ms. Conde decided to give life to Tituba, as she said: "a reality that was denied to her because of her color and her gender" and "because a black person is supposed not to have any history except the colonial one". In a fascinating, in places ironic but always highly compassionate thread, Conde recreates Tituba's completely unjust life story as a fictional rendition in the best Condean dreams-on-a-historical-basis format, which carries a heavy reality component to it, as some dreams do. In an almost surrealistic but still in a definite down-to-earth way, the book offers, almost compels, a highly liberating treatment that does not preach or idealize in the slightest but forces the reader into a new rearrangement of her/his mental orientations, be they connected with the unjust human history or its present forms; historical parallels of exploitation, repression and sheer insanity; racism; misogynism; black feminism; spirituality; cultural history; social ethics - - whatever is your angle after having read the unjust life story of an extraordinary woman. The book is furnished with a thoughtful foreword by Angela Y. Davis and an afterword with an enlightening interview of Ms. Conde. The English translation from the original French is a pleasure to read.

It is soo good! Thought it was gonna be boring but ended up loving it

I ordered this book for a college class on Caribbean literature, and this was my favorite read of the semester! The character was so relatable and her story was intense and thought-provoking. I have recommended this book to friends outside of school, and it's found a forever place on my bookshelf! Absolutely an important read. I finished within two days and plan to read it again soon! Slight warning: this novel does deal with very sensitive issues and could be triggering for some. Content includes many instances of r*pe and ab*se, so be warned going into it!

Beautifully written, especially taking the persona of Tituba herself, first person, and creating a possible background of this often overlooked real heroine and victim of the Salem Witchcraft Trials and hysteria. I was totally immersed and thought of so many ways to use parts of this book for teaching pieces in American Lit, for rising above trauma and enslavement, for giving incredible possibilities of this demonized victim whose only crime was that she was a slave forced to serve a cruel Puritan minister and who eventually became another female victim of lies of white girls. More importantly, this book allows the reader to fully imagine and value the humanity of real people whom history has destroyed and devalued. Each teacher of literature, especially American Lit and US History, will find an incredible perspective in relating to the humanity and personal relationship with people from the sidelines who can, through great writing, find voice and power in challenging historic ignorance.

I was a little taken aback by the price, but it was so highly regarded that I decided to splurge. I am so glad I did. I came across it when looking for colonial-era literature and started looking into the Salem witch trials. This book not only goes into the Puritan history and the witch accusations, but it delves very deeply into the slave trade in the Americas. I was unable to put this book down and enjoyed every sentence of Tituba's story.

I really enjoyed this book.

Una historia desgarradora desde una perspectiva femenina sobre los juicios de Salem. Mezcla ficción y realidad muy a su manera.

I was eager to start reading I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem in Philcox's translation rather than in French. As I live in Paris, the easiest & quickest way to get my English book was to order it to Amazon (Although i do not like Amazon's legacy because of the wicked working conditions & insufficiency salaries..)

Superb!!!

Painted a very vivid picture of a distant places and times. A page turner.

This book is AMAZING! Follow Tituba through her life as a witch in Salem and see her grow as a person. Her relationships shape her views of the world around her as she struggles to refind and reconnect with herself through the salem witch trials. I read this book for a class in school and fell in love with it. I re-read it now every year and find a new reflection in it every time. A fantastic read for anyone!