The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Goodreads Summary:
"A fresh present-day story infused with an original take on popular history. Forget broomsticks and pointy hats; here are witches that could well be walking among us today. This debut novel flows with poetic charm and eloquence that achieves high literary merit while concocting a gripping supernatural puzzler. Katherine Howe's talent is spellbinding." --Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow and The Dante Club A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history-the Salem witch trials.

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.

My Thoughts:

I read this book as the September pick for my book club. I knew that it would be a rough read for me as I don't generally enjoy historical fiction but I thought that would be a side note, and I think perhaps that was the case for some readers. I was seriously annoyed by the tone and time shift in this book. I wanted to stop reading it several times. I didn't even finish it in time for the book club discussion. Part of that was because of my new 6 days a week work schedule and part of it was a admittedly a motivation issue.

This book read like a grad student's paper (yes I am aware the main character is a grad student) in that it was dry and hard to swallow from time to time while randomly being really good.

As you can tell I didn't love the book. I think if you enjoy historical fiction you might like this read. Also if you have a thing for the Salem Witches you would likely enjoy this read. Be warned though, if you are like me and have PTSD from college, reading way way way too many academic articles you may be annoyed by this book. Also if you don't love it when a book flip flops between time and story lines you might have the same frustrations with this book. 

While writing this review I was listening to absolutely nothing and it was awesome.

Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics by Kay Whitlock and Michael Bronski

Goodreads Summary:

Over the centuries American society has been plagued by brutality fueled by disregard for the humanity of others: systemic violence against slaves, Native peoples, and immigrants. More recent examples include the Steubenville rape case and the murders of Matthew Shepard, Jennifer Daugherty, Marcelo Lucero, and Trayvon Martin. Most Americans see such acts as driven by hate. But is this right? Longtime activists and political theorists Kay Whitlock and Michael Bronski boldly assert that American society's reliance on the framework of hate to explain these acts is wrongheaded, misleading, and ultimately harmful.

All too often Americans choose to believe that terrible cruelty is aberrant, caused primarily by “extremists” and misfits. The inevitable remedy of intensified government-based policing, increased surveillance, and harsher punishments has never worked and does not work now. Stand Your Ground laws, the US prison system; police harassment of people of color, women, and LGBT people; and the so-called War on Terror demonstrate that they themselves are forms of institutionalized violence.

Considering Hate challenges easy assumptions and failed solutions, arguing that “hate violence” reflects existing cultural norms. Drawing upon social science, philosophy, theology, film, and literature, the authors examine how hate and common, even ordinary, forms of individual and group violence are excused and normalized in popular culture and political discussion. This massive denial of brutal reality profoundly warps society's ideas about goodness and justice.

Considering Hate daringly invites readers to think differently—to redefine the meaning of justice within a new framework of transformative imagination, collective responsibility, and civic goodness.

My Thoughts:

I wish I had this book while I was still in college. I loved the challenges posed to every day thinking and the possibilities of changes presented in this book. I can easily see this book working in a wide variety of Social Science classes and I would highly recommend this for an upper division writing course. 

I read the book twice and found myself sharing quotes frequently. Considering Hate makes us all look at ourselves and our institutions with a new lens. While I am not saying you should buy into their ideas completely I do think that taking a different approach to how you look at the world around you is always a worthwhile exercise. The perpetuation of violence is an issue that needs to be tackled on both the large scale and the small. 

This book blew my mind and I am happier for it.

I would recommend this book to everyone, but particularly those looking for a read that is thought provoking, well written, and informative in a way that isn't textbook dry. I think the common person could easily read this book as it doesn't feel like it was written for academics. 

While writing this review I was listening to the calm sounds of the pond outside my door.

I should note that I did receive this book as an ARC but have since pre-ordered the book in hard copy to keep with my textbooks from school.