Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Witches: Radical Figures, Feminist Icons

Inga
Inga

Let’s talk about witches. Marie Laveau, Baba Yaga, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Nancy from the Craft, Willow Rosenberg, the Wicked Witch of the West – you know them, maybe you fear them, but you love them too because they are so undeniably cool!  

Historically villainized and recently reclaimed, witches loom large in many different cultures. Persecuted by patriarchal communities that feared women’s independence, they have long been heroes for the unconventional, the ostracized, and those who wish to live free from society’s constraints.  

The following nonfiction titles explore witches as radical figures and feminist icons, from a painful past of witch trials to a powerful, magical future. 

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In the Catalog

Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft

Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft

Slavic Magic From the Witch of the Woods

Madame Pamita

Discover the fairytale of Baba Yaga and Vasylyna alongside detailed descriptions and guides to Ukrainian folk magic.

From the Catalog
In Defense of Witches

In Defense of Witches

The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial

Mona Chollet

This feminist treatise examines how witch hunts from the 1300s to 1700s targeting single women, childless women, and elderly women made an oppressive impact on those populations that can be felt in the modern day.

From the Catalog
From Libby
From Hoopla
The Mexican Witch Lifestyle

The Mexican Witch Lifestyle

Brujeria Spells, Tarot, and Crystal Magic

Valeria Ruelas

This primer on brujeria, a Mexican-originated spirituality with Afro-Indigenous roots, gives both an overview of this witchcraft culture and a guide to respectfully engaging with the practice.

From the Catalog
The Ruin of All Witches

The Ruin of All Witches

Life and Death in the New World

Malcolm Gaskill

A richly researched portrait of colonial Massachusetts that follows the lives of Mary and Hugh Parsons, a Puritan couple accused of witchcraft.

From the Catalog
From Libby
Toil & Trouble

Toil & Trouble

A Women’s History of the Occult

Lisa Kröger

From the Salem witches to WitchTok, this book documents how women and nonbinary people have historically used magic and the occult to influence, effect change, and find their place in the world.

From the Catalog
Waking the Witch

Waking the Witch

Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power

Pam Grossman

The host of the Witch Wave podcast deconstructs witch stereotypes while analyzing witchcraft’s impact on history and pop culture, from Lolly Willowes to Sabrina the Teenage Witch to Lady Gaga.

From the Catalog
From Libby
Witch Hunt

Witch Hunt

A Traveler’s Guide to the Power and Persecution of the Witch

Kristen J. Sollée

A hybrid travel guide and witchcraft history follows author Sollée as she visits sites of witch persecution across Europe and the United States while investigating the modern rehabilitation of the witch archetype.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
The Witch of the Monongahela

The Witch of the Monongahela

Folk Magic in Early Western Pennsylvania

Thomas White

A history of Moll Derry, also known as the Witch of the Monongahela, a legendary figure in Western Pennsylvania folklore.

From the Catalog
From Libby
From Hoopla
Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, & Hoodoo Saints

Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, & Hoodoo Saints

A Guide to Magical New Orleans

Denise Alvarado

Learn about iconic witches, healers, and saints like Marie Laveau, Papa Legba, Jean St. Malo and Annie Christmas in this magical history of New Orleans.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
Witches

Witches

The Transformative Power of Women Working Together

Sam George-Allen

A celebration of what women can accomplish when they come together, from covens to midwife collectives to teen girl fandoms.

From the Catalog
From Libby