Kathleen Howe

Kathleen Howe, an award-winning historian and novelist, sheds light on the dark history of the Salem Witch Trials. She discusses how two young girls' forbidden games ignited hysteria in a tightly-knit Puritan community. The podcast explores the role of societal fears, religious extremism, and personal grudges that led to 22 executions. Howe also examines the tragic consequences for marginalized women and reflects on the legacy of fear that still resonates today, paralleling it with modern instances of mass hysteria.