This incident, which sparked Salem's witch trials, is best known through Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

All seems harmless until the girls start convulsing-apparently victims of witchcraft. The novel opens in 1692 on a familiar scene: slave woman Tituba is showing two girls a folk magic trick. Rebecca Blake Eames (1641-1721) was Renner's ninth great-grandmother. Conrad, award-winning author of Shaman 'In the colonial-era tale Puritan Witch, the plight of Rebecca Eames and her family plays out against the backdrop of one of the most intriguing periods in American history.' -Julie Castillo, writer and editor KIRKUS REVIEW Renner's debut novel uses her ancestor's life story to reflect on the paranoia and persecution in Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials. Renner's vast talent as a writer is enhanced by the fact that she's telling the story of her own family, completely captivating from beginning to end.' -Kelly Z. 'Elegantly written, meticulously researched, and historically accurate, the author's work rings true. In this novel based on a true story, a woman wrongly imprisoned during the seventeenth-century witchcraft trials comes full circle where she must determine if she can somehow resume her life, despite all she has endured. After her fate is decided by three magistrates, Rebecca must endure a prison sentence during which she and her fellow captives have no choice but to valiantly struggle to find humanity and camaraderie among dire conditions. When Rebecca Eames makes one careless utterance during a verbal attack on her family, she is falsely accused of witchcraft. Six months later, as news of the girls' strange behavior becomes known, fear and suspicion overwhelm a nearby farming community, pitting neighbors against neighbors and turning friends into enemies.

Suddenly, Salem Village is turned upside down as everyone fears that witches may be involved. On a cold night in 1692, two young girls are caught up in the divining games of a slave woman-and then begin to act very strangely when the game goes wrong.

Puritan Witch by Peni Jo Renner