Books like Moi, Tituba, Sorcière…Noire de Salem by Maryse Condé

I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem is a historical novel by Guadeloupean writer Maryse Conde that reimagines the true story of Tituba, a West Indian slave accused of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem trials. The novel expands beyond the brief historical record by inventing Tituba’s childhood, adolescence, and later years, casting her as a resilient heroine who learned the sorcery of obeah. In vivid scenes, Conde portrays her arrest for healing members of the house that owned her, her confinement, and her ultimate release after the 1694 amnesty. The narrative intersperses moments of postmodern irony, including an imagined encounter with Hester Prawn from Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter. By tracing Tituba’s voice, the book exposes Puritan hypocrisy and invites reflection on racism and religious bigotry that echo into contemporary America.

First publish date: 1986