Product Description
In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family histoy, The Sacrifice offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts.
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 Compelling yet incomplete ( dhart222222 )
"The Sacrifice" tells of a Puritan family's difficult circumstances during the Salem witch hysteria, in a manner sure to engage your ten-year-old daughter, as it did mine. It is not entirely one sided, as the [minor spoiler here] overly strict Rev. Dane comes down on the side of his family, common sense, and, one would hope, the proverbial angels.
What is less clear to the youthful reader is that Rev. Dane was not a lone voice crying out against the hangings and injustice. Increase Mather, President of Harvard, was a strong voice of caution, although his better known son defended the harsh punishments. I would caution parents to fill in the historical background, after this book has "caught their attention" with its graphic and emotional details.
It is difficult to ignore a hint of triumphalism in the book: we are SO much more sophisticated than those superstitious Puritans. In fact, New England has far more laws today than during the Colonial era, and many of them are well meaning but foolish or even dangerous in practice. Nor do checks and balances work universally better than during the Salem Witch Trials: in recent years, four Massachusetts judges created new "rights" and placed their personal opinions beyond the reach of legislators and voters. While women have many more opportunities, we're told that rape has soared to an incidence that would've aroused righteous anger, and effective corrective action, among the Puritans. Our response seems limited to exposing our teens and pre-teens to an entire segment of the entertainment industry obsessed with the celebration of street violence and assaults upon women (sometimes by name, as in the case of Eminem). Thankfully, today's Massachusetts prisons are not the sodden, rat infested hell-holes of "The Sacrifice" but the strong prisoners still routinely rape and enslave the weak.
So my qualified recommendation: as your kids come to the obvious conclusion: "we've come a long way" remind them that we have a longer way to go, and much of the path involves humility, and an undoing of the irresponsible individualism that results from the mocking and abandonment of morality.
Salem, ironically, means "peace" May we all have more of the real thing, and less pretending that everything is OK.
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 Great read
My daughter and I read a lot together, she is in 4th grade and more than capable of reading alone, but this is time we enjoy together. What a great time when it is a book that I enjoy and look forward to as much as she does. This book is not a book about witchcraft as much as a book about the time and the persecution of innocents. It opened a lot of discussions for us.
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 THE SACRIFICE ( actiscenei )
As an example of young adult historical fiction, THE SACRIFICE works well enough -- the essence of time and place are strongly conveyed. Situationally, the conflict can teach readers about the Salem witch trials, and the protagonist finds herself right in the middle of it (naturally), having been accused of being a witch herself.
Author Kathleen Benner Duble draws inspiration from her own ancestors' story, and her research seems pretty accurate (bibliography included).
My one big problem with the book is that it puts at its heart a ten-year-old girl who seems to have the wisdom of Solomon and enough fortitude to deliver a speech at her trial that inspires the governor to put an end to this hysteria. Really? After this girl has spent three months in horrendous conditions in jail, with barely enough to survive, she energetically transcends her age to vehemently ask those present to come to their senses, and all listen attentively? It took a ten-year-old to make the governor of Massachusetts resolve a change in the system? I find this just a bit too far-fetched. If Abigail had been older, I might believe the story a little more, and it might make the book work better for an older audience.
As it is, THE SACRIFICE works well as a piece of historical fiction (THE CRUCIBLE-Lite, perhaps) for fifth- and sixth-graders, but it doesn't quite have the polish that makes it one of those books that adults without kids should be reading.
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Great book on Salem Witch Trials
I had to do a report on the Salem Witch Trials so my teacher recommended this book to help me. I enjoyed it and I learned alot about the Trials.
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Salem Witch Trials and Travails ( taminator1 )
The Sacrifice brings the period of hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch Trials to life as we are introduced to Abigail, aged ten, and her family, members of the village of Andover. Abigail is a bit of a rebel in her Puritan village; she sometimes speaks when she shouldn't and runs with her legs exposed when it's not seemly to do so. Nevertheless, she and her family could never fathom being accused of witchcraft until her minister grandfather speaks out against the girls making the accusations; suddenly Abigail's Aunt Elizabeth, her sister Dorothy, and even Abigail herself find themselves jailed and at the mercy of the townspeople. It is at this time that the sacrifice comes into play; Abigail's mother cannot bear to see her young daughters imprisoned and thus makes a bargain that seals all of their fates.
The idea that this particular retelling of the hysteria has some basis in fact helped me to embrace the story. The author discovered that she was a descendent of Abigail Faulkner, and built her story around her research. While I found some of Abigail's actions a bit questionable for a young lady in such a strict Puritan society, I did enjoy her character and felt the author did a good job weaving fiction into the tale. I do believe that this novel is marketed older than its intended audience; the reading style and level clearly work more for pre-teen than for the young adult market. I also at times found the dialogue a bit stilted, though I suspect the author was attempting to capture the atmosphere of the times.
Overall this is an excellent introduction into a time in our nation's history that leaves many of us bewildered at how easily a group of young girls managed to send so many innocents to their deaths. Enjoyable and fast reading.
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