Book Review: The Sacrifice

What would you be willing to give up in order to save a loved one? Your cell phone? A thousand-dollar shopping spree? Your house, perhaps? What about your own life? Now that's a whole different story! However, that's the story of The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble.

If sacrificing your own life for someone you care about is hard to conceive of, imagine a United States in which there is no free speech, where free trials are nonexistent, and women's rights are a mere afterthought.

While this America seems very far fetched, it did exist in the 17th century, before our founding fathers, before the American Revolution, and before the Constitution. This is the setting in which you'll meet the Faulkners, a typical Christian family during the Puritanical era — a period when everyday life emphasized religion and one's pure and devout faith in the Lord.

I enjoyed this book as a quick read and found it just as enjoyable as The Crucible (you'll read that classic in high school). Though the book uses much of the Old English language, which is a bit different and may take some to getting used to, I thought it was an interesting look at the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of an accused so-called witch.

The Sacrifice conveys the complete insanity, madness, and lies that overcame much of the public during this time in towns such as Andover and Salem, Massachusetts. What makes this makes this story even more compelling is that it is based on a true story. The book accurately details the corruption that took place in the prisons used to house the "witches," the living conditions inside the cells, and the manipulations and complete lies that ensued in and outside of the courtroom against harmless women and young girls.

You're probably wondering, though, what is the "sacrifice" that Duble is referring to? Well, you'll just have to read the book in order to find out.

— Carly M., STACKS Staffer

Comments

[Comment #1]

This is a REALLY great book!! I read it for my book club this year and it was my favorite!!! I hope WHEN they make a movie out of it I can play Dorothy!!
:)

[Comment #2]

I read this book and thought it was very DISTURBING!!!

[Comment #3]

I really liked this book. It was so suspenseful that I read it in almost a day! I'm doing a book report on it. Though it was a bit disturbing, and sad at some points, it's a very good book that shows us, children, about what the people in Salem, MA had to suffer through.

[Comment #4]

this book is amayzing its my favorite and the suspence is just incredible it is very facinating and i gotta say this is the best book ever

[Comment #5]

this book is really good!!
i<3 this book!!!!!!!!!
i read it in my reading class:)

[Comment #6]

IM GONNA READ IT SOON!!!!!!!!
tell me if u like it!

[Comment #7]

i love justin bieber!