In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends Hannah Tupper, an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft.

From the author of the "New York Times" bestseller "Assassination Vacation" comes an examination of the Puritans, their covenant communities, deep-rooted idealism, political and cultural relevance, and their myriad oddities. To this day, America views itself as a Puritan nation, but author Vowell investigates what that means--and what it should mean. What was this great political enterprise all about? Who were these people who are considered the...

In the small Puritan community of Stoneybrooke, Massachusetts, Susannah wants only a simple life but soon finds herself pursued by the town's wealthiest bachelor and by a roguish military captain sent to protect them. One is not what he seems and one is more than he seems. As the depth, passion, and sacrifice of love is revealed to Susannah, she begins to question the rules and regulations of her childhood faith. In a community where grace is unknown,...

"Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors. But here in the New World, amid this community of saints, Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas, prone to drunken rage, drives a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her life. But in a world where...

After the birth of her child in a harsh Puritian 17th century community Hester Prynne is forced to wear a symbol of her disgrace.

Recounts the religious, political, and social history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and its influence on our lives today.