What does it mean to be a witch? How does one get started with witchcraft? This list is geared towards answering these questions. If you’re ready to look deeper into witchcraft's history and complicated relationship with society, take a look at these fascinating nonfiction musings from a few brilliant minds. They may also help point you in the direction of becoming a witch yourself.
What does it mean when we say, "witch?" The label has implications in pop culture, politics, art, sexuality, and pretty much any place that women intersect with the public sphere. Engaging, thought-provoking, and wonderfully approachable, this memoir slash cultural commentary is a great place for the magically curious (or feminists, really) to reflect on the big picture of all things Witch-related.
In Teenage Witches: Magical Youth and the Search for the Self by Helen Berger and Douglas Ezzy, an examination of “The Witch” as pop culture character (i.e., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and The Craft) and stereotype created by the American masses (i.e. devil-worshippers, evil, and eater of children) is conducted to expose the truth about who and what a witch truly is. Focused on Neo-paganism, the authors exhibit the development of earth-based religions as conduits to modern magic and medicine, shining a light on the work of witches unnoticed by far too many. Whether you’re a practicing witch or someone looking to learn more about the origins of witchcraft, Teenage Witches is a roadmap to self liberation all of us can follow.
A more academic recommendation, The Witch is a canonical look at witches throughout history, teaching us that, "A belief in witchcraft, and all the horrors that can come in its wake, is demonstrably not a phenomenon that can be tucked up safely in a storybook past. Rather, on the evidence of Hutton’s analysis, it is a set of free-floating anxieties that can be conjured at those moments when the world seems out of joint and there is not quite enough of anything to go round" (The Guardian). Though Hutton may have a Euro-centric viewpoint, his research looks at the global anthropological history of witch hunts--when, where, and why they happen. And the overlaps are eery.
Another recommendation for the scholarly reader, and those interested in integrating perspectives outside of Western culture, The Witch Studies Reader frames “the witch” within contemporary conversations about gender, politics, and resistance. Gathering essays from scholars across sociology, history, religious studies, and feminist theory, editors Soma Chaudhuri and Jane Ward show us how witchcraft, both real and imagined, has been used to marginalize, stigmatize, and, more recently, empower those who exist outside dominant norms. From early modern witch hunts to modern-day spiritual movements and pop culture reclaimings, the anthology traces how the witch evolves as both symbol and practice.
For a break from the grim history of witchcraft, dive into Missing Witches, which will satisfy the worldly, contemporary reader with stories about famous (female) witches of the past. A blend of stories and practices, this book offers a sense of rootedness and ancestry to those practicing magic today.
A witchy, empowering collection of essays by authors on the margins of society: "twenty witchy femmes, queer conjurers, and magical rebels" (Goodreads). This is nonfiction magical realism, witchcraft and manifestation alongside pop culture and modern-day life. An intelligent meditation on fear and power, this book will appeal to those who forge their own paths, wanderers who are tired of being seen as lost, and who would happily take up the title of "witch."
While not strictly about "real" witches, this equal parts frightening and fascinating account of early America sets the stage for the New England witch hunt craze, important historical grounding for anyone interested in witchcraft. What's remarkable is that it manages to generate sympathy for all parties involved: the accused witches, the accusers, and those caught in-between. Because they're all flailing in the same harsh, terrifying soup of early Colonialism, trying their best to survive. Gaskill's book is remarkable context with modern-day resonance.
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