Why "The Search for..."?

I got my title from the book The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt. where there is a wonderful quote--

" 'Of course it's silly,' said the Prime Minister impatiently. 'But a lot of serious things start silly.'"

This particular quote stuck out for me as I was reading The Search for Delicious to my kids this past fall, and I put it aside knowing that I would use it somewhere, sometime. It seems like the perfect subtitle to this blog as many of my musing probably are silly, but may turn serious at any moment!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Witches!


Interested in a little New England history?  One of the more fascinating episodes of colonial Massachusetts was the infamous Salem Witch trials.  Rosa Schanzer capitalized on the interest in this fascinating subject in her new book Witches:  The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem.    This short, but interesting book chronicles the circumstances surrounding the young girls who began accusing local Salem citizens of witchcraft.  It’s a story of mass hysteria, revenge, and evil that we should all know.  It’s all too easy to point fingers and blame, but when we do, we need to realize that innocent people often get hurt.  

Primary sources on this topic are available at a number of places on the web, and visiting Salem is an easy day trip from southern Rhode Island.  I recommend this book for all students; you need to know your history!

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