genre: historical fiction
subjects: 0slv; 0wom; 0rel;
summary:
From the warm shores of seventeenth-century Barbados to the harsh realities of the slave trade, and the cold customs of Puritanical New England, Tituba, the only black victim of the Salem witch trials, recalls a life of extraordinary experiences and mystical powers. At the age of seven, Tituba watched as her mother was hanged for daring to wound a plantation owner who tried to rape her. Tituba was raised from then on by Mama Yaya, a gifted woman who shared with her the secrets of healing and magic. But it was Tituba's blind, all-consuming love of the slave John Indian that led her from safety into slavery, and the bitter, vengeful religion practiced by the good citizens of Salem, Massachusetts. Though protected by the spirits, Tituba could not escape the lies and accusations of that hysterical time. As history and fantasy merge, Maryse Conde creates the richly imagined life of a fascinating woman in this lush novel.
