Dans Mon Catalogue

288 pages

English language

Published May 11, 2022 by St. Martin's Press.

ISBN:: 9781250271419

(1 review)

In the span of 320 pages, Mona Chollet takes readers on a historical journey that covers how witches have been treated since the beginning of time – and then reveals why they are feminist icons and how the ideas and motivations behind their persecution are very much alive in our time. At once a celebration of womanhood and a sharp dismantling of patriarchy, this is a thought-provoking read that reclaims witches and their radical way of living.

2 editions

emmadilemma reviewed In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet

Profound insight, challenging start

3 stars

If you came for witches, you're going to get a whole lot more. Witch-hunts are demonstrated to be just one of the mechanisms by which women have been and are held down. We're led through pop culture and the image of the 'old hag' that permeates films and Disney cartoons. Then we're taken to hospital for a critical look at medicine and a particular gaze at obstetrics and gynecology.

But first, motherhood. The front half of the book is a polemic against societal norms for mothering and parenting — only a mutant doesn't want kids — that may turn off readers well before she actually converts them. It's a fine line. I can't say pulling punches would have reached more people. I only know I almost didn't make it.