LitPick Review
Concepion Benavidez has lived in Mexico for all of her life. When she leaves the convent where she is indentured for a better opportunity, a slave ship headed to Salem, Massachusetts, captures Concepion and her friend. Concepion's friend dies during the journey to Salem, the captain of the ship sexually abuses her, and she is almost starved to death. Needless to say, when Concepion arrives at Salem, she is a very different person than she was. Concepion's name is changed to Thankful Seagraves, and sold to Nathaniel Greenwood, who has her take care of his father-in-law. All through these terrifying experiences, Thankful is pregnant. After she gives birth, Thankful and her daughter try to get used to the colonial American ways of life, but have a hard time. Thankful finds solace in talking to Tituba, who is from Barbados and also is an outsider. Then, the Salem Witch Trials arise, and things take a turn for the worse when Hanna names her own mother a witch.
Opinion:
This book was a unique, one of a kind read. I have read many things about the Salem Witch Trials, but never anything like this. The point-of-view was very eye opening, and made me experience this particular time period freshly. Alicia Gaspar de Alba wrote very descriptively, and vividly. I never once questioned the way something looked, or smelled, or felt. The historical research put into this story was immense, and I felt that the author put it into context well.
