Kathryn Nuernberger

This amazingly wise and nimble collection investigates the horrors inflicted on so-called "witches" of the past and considers parallels to present-day questions of social justice.

The Witch of Eye

This amazingly wise and nimble collection investigates the horrors inflicted on so-called “witches” of the past. The Witch of Eye unearths salves, potions, and spells meant to heal, yet interpreted by inquisitors as evidence of evil. The author describes torture and forced confessions alongside accounts of gentleness of legendary midwives. In one essay about a trial, we learn through folklore that Jesus’s mother was a midwife who cured her own son’s rheumatism. In other essays there are subtle parallels to contemporary discourse around abortion and environmental destruction. Nuernberger weaves in her own experiences too. There’s an ironic look at her own wedding, an uncomfortable visit to the Prague Museum of Torture, and an afternoon spent tearing out a garden in a mercurial fit. Her researched material is eye-opening, lively, and often funny. An absolutely thrilling collection.

Sloan, Kara

I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt because I listened to this one and the narrator was a bit overdramatic so it made it hard to appreciate the poetry of some of the work. I'll have to physically read it I think to get a better feel for it. Very intriguing though!

The Witch of Eye

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