I like Sophie Saint Thomas and I’m very passionate about reproductive rights, but this book was a chore to get through, particularly the first half. She certainly did her research, but I felt like I was reading a term paper at times. I definitely perked up by the 20th century though. The title was a bit misleading in regard to real-life witches, and that was the main reason I wanted to read this book. Saint Thomas writes great witchy pieces, but here she was more focused on packing in all the abortion facts. There were so many pages of citations and resources that my kindle was confused and thought I had 40 minutes of reading left. It is quite timely, so I would recommend it if you want to brush up on your knowledge about the rights that are being yanked from all women. 4 stars because we can’t afford to be ignorant now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

“Reproductive Rites” by Sophie Saint Thomas is a thought-provoking and timely exploration of the intersection between witchcraft, body autonomy, and the ongoing struggle for reproductive rights. As someone interested in these topics, I found the book both engaging and empowering. Saint Thomas skillfully intertwines historical witch hunts with contemporary battles for abortion rights, drawing parallels that deeply resonate with today’s political and social climate. Her portrayal of the strength and resilience of those fighting for autonomy over their bodies is truly inspiring. While some sections felt repetitive, overall, it’s a compelling read that offers a fresh perspective on this important conversation. If you’re passionate about these issues, I highly recommend checking this book out!

***Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for gifting me an eARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A provocative pop history that explores the witches—and witch hunts—in the untold story of abortion, from the days of Socrates through the Salem Witch Trials and the 1980s Satanic Panic, all the way to our fraught present.

Thank you Running Press for making this book available as a Read Now book on Netgalley! I liked this book. The history was really interesting.

Content wise- I'm totally on board, but I felt this was a little to dry to be a quick pop culture reading and too meandering to feel academic. It just didn't land for me.

Sophie Saint Thomas’ latest book tackles reproductive rights, systemic injustices, and lack of bodily autonomy issues for women throughout the ages. According to an old medical papyrus, she writes, it’s been proven that ancient Egyptians used birth control and emmenagogues or abortifacients. Through withdrawal, suppositories, barrier methods, and nature’s own herbal pharmacy, earlier peoples learned by trial and error how to limit or encourage pregnancies as needed.

While misogyny certainly existed back then, it grew exponentially with the Roman Empire converting to Christianity—and controlled by (purportedly) celibate, cloistered men. After all, German monk Martin Luther (95 Theses) said “let [women] bear children to death. … They were created for that.” Although Catholic church policy was against birth control, some leaders like Saint Augustine of Hippo believed abortion was acceptable before a clearly human shape formed or the “ensoulment” of a fetus occurred.

For witches, Saint Thomas includes French midwife, abortion provider, and fortuneteller Catherine Monvoisin, who also provided deadly poisons and performed Black Masses for her clients. She was burned at the stake for witchcraft in 1680. In more modern times, Laurie Cabot (b. 1933) was designated the Official Witch of Salem in 1977 by the Massachusetts governor.

For witch hunts, Saint Thomas relies on Stacy Schiff’s The Witches: Salem 1692—a book lambasted by Jane Kamensky in the New York Times—causing her to repeat debunked information. For example, trial documents refer to Tituba as an Indian servant. After being released from jail, she disappears from the historical record yet later becomes known as Tituba the Black Witch of Salem. Saint Thomas says, “this indicates that she was associated with black magic … [but] it could also have a more straightforward explanation: her skin color.” Fifty years ago, Chadwick Hansen proved that Tituba’s metamorphosis from an Indian to a Black person occurred and was based on prevalent 19th-century racism, which in turn made Tituba the scapegoat for the Salem witch trials (New England Quarterly, March 1974).

For centuries, witches have been associated with Satan, since the (female) witch’s power comes from her pact with the (male) Devil. Between Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan and the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, Saint Thomas shows how wild ideas about devil-worshipping sex groups, Black Masses, and child sacrifices became rampant in the news.

And that’s how the Christian right uses Americans’ fears to demonize any person or movement supporting reproductive rights.

Written in a pop-history style, Saint Thomas makes accessible 4,000 years of health care. With Roe v. Wade overturned in 2022, reproductive justice is on the ballot in 2024. The difference between the Republican and Democratic platforms are starkly different. As a reminder, Saint Thomas points out that Justice Samuel Alito cited 17th-century jurist Matthew Hale when announcing the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision: “Hale asserted that marital rape could not constitute a crime.” Your vote matters.

Thank you, Running Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished Reproductive Rites: The Real-Life Witches and Witch Hunts in the Centuries-Long Fight for Abortion, by Sophie Saint Thomas.

This book, about anti-abortion proponents and other oppressors of women was a tale of two books. The first half or so was an unpleasant read. There was some good information, but it was lost in the writing style. The book read as though it was written by an immature high school, or middle school, student who was writing just for shock value and thought she was smarter than she really is. Then, once the book got into the past couple of centuries, the tone got better, but still had an occassional lapse.

This content would have been a lot better if it was in the hands of a different author. So, I only able to give this book a C. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, a C equates to 2 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I finished reading this on October 14, 2024.

A great topic and interesting content. The writing (organization and the voice/humor) will be a struggle for many - this is best for people who like to meander and feel open to learning historical tidbits. This is not ideal for academics, or folks wanting clear subsections or a tidy historical timeline. The content is so important, so some will appreciate learning about new historical figures.

Not what I thought it would be, the writing was drier than expected and I had a hard time keeping focused and maintaining interest.

This book could benefit from more editing. It felt disjointed and rambling and the author inserted her own point of view at points that disrupted the flow of the narrative.

I really tried my best to make it through this book, because the way it was described sounded incredibly up my alley. As a pro-choice pagan myself, I was very interested in reading information about abortion through the ages, reproductive healthcare, and especially the stories of people who were persecuted as witches as a result of those. In the beginning of the book, the author makes mention of trying to ensure “balanced journalism.” And through most of what I read, that was evident. However, there were several instances in which the author is unnecessarily throwing unwarranted comments (about a former president) that don’t add any value to the information. She’s saying them just to say them.

When you’re speaking about abortion, and women’s healthcare and reproductive rights, I understand it’s pretty much impossible NOT to be political. Unfortunately, we live in a world where politics rules all, and everyone tends to fall on one side or the other. While this author and I don’t seem to fall on the same side, that is OKAY. Because I am still 100% pro choice, which yes, in my political party, is rare. But because I am still 100% pro choice, I thought it would be incredibly beneficial for me to read this book and learn the information.

And don’t get me wrong, this information IS important. It’s need to know. But I wish I could have read the information without it feeling like I was being put down myself. If the comments were made in a way that added value to the story, or were written in a more matter-of-fact way rather than seemingly just opinions, it might have felt different. But in those moments, it didn’t feel like “balanced journalism.”

It was getting more and more difficult to continue on with the story. There is SO much information, so many different stories and examples and opinions, it was a struggle to not have to take breaks in between just to try and digest what I’d previously read.

I want to express, this review has NOTHING to do with my political opinion or the authors, because we actually agree on a LOT of things, including the main topic of this book (pro choice.) I just could not get past the overload of information in a slightly disorganized way, as well as the additional comments thrown in just for the sake of it.