The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although this book is written for young adults, the themes of religion, fitting in, and family are relevant to people of all ages. A 16 year old girl named Kit sails from the tropical waters of Barbados to Puritan New England. Her liberal upbringing clashes with the Puritan culture. 256 pages

American Jezebel by Eva LaPlante

This biography of Anne Hutchison focuses on her trial for heresy and sedition. She was a forty-six-year-  midwife and pregnant with her 16^th child. In 1637, she was tried before judges of the Massachusetts General Court.

At that time, women could not vote or hold public office. They also could not be ministers, and Anne held meetings at her home in which she dared to teach both women and men her interpretation of the scriptures. In that Puritan society, the judges considered her a threat to the stability and well-being of the colony. They excommunicated and banished her for behaving in a manner “not comely for her sex.”

Many historians consider her quest, and that of her followers, at the core of the origins of our modern concepts of religious freedom, equal rights, and free speech.

346 pages

Ghost Ships of New England by Christopher Rondina

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Four centuries of history and folklore have laid the groundwork for this book.  There are also ghosts and ships out there.

Print:  174 pages.

Audio:  4 hrs. 10 min.