Mona Chollet

This is a very interesting book on feminism with a lot of information about society, women and history. But that wasn't what I'd been expecting. I had been hoping for a book about wiches. I'd hoped to read a bunch of trials, panic and how it still relates today. I think if I'd been prepared for the book I got instead of the book I had wanted, I would have rated this higher. As it was, I found the title created an idea of what it would be with a story it wasn't.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.… (more)

"The witch embodies woman free of all domination, all limitation; she is an ideal to aim for; she shows us the way."

Mona Chollet presents a very interesting discussion of feminism in light of the history of the witch trials. She discusses how it idea of a witch is a woman (in most cases) who seemingly disregards most if not all societal boundaries. This places her in direct opposition to any patriarchal standards. She spends time discussing how these witch hunts are not as far removed from current history as we would like to think; far from being a distant legacy of the middle ages, these trials occurred closest our current time. In addition, she ties this discussion to the reliance on patriarchal hierarchy even when we push against it. In essence, it takes a great deal of mental and psychological strength to move beyond that hierarchy to a different life. She discusses the sociological fixation on family and marriage to live a fulfilled life. This made this book seem even more timely since this is a debate that is currently happening in media and politics in light of the upcoming election.

Anyone interested in feminism and/or witches would find this book very interesting.… (more)

I’m all the more looking forward to reading Matilda Joslyn Gage’s book Women, Church, and State. It’s on my coffee table, but so are many books.
After (or before, or while) reading this book, I recommend you read these books (many of which are referenced in this book):

Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts by Barstow

Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English

Waking the Witch by Pam Grossman

Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women by Silvia Federici

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit… (more)

There’s so much going on here, and I loved how the author covered it all. She uses the history of women accused and murdered for being witches and then breaks down the perceptions and expectations into four main chapters which cover single women, childless women, old women, and how women are used in nature/science/medicine (I’m still deconstructing that last one). I really should try to get back into some of the French I learned in college as many of the resources cited are in the author’s native French, but I appreciated all her references and hope to learn more from them.… (more)