{"product_id":"toil-and-trouble-isbn-9781683692911","title":"Toil and Trouble","description":"\u003cb\u003e​​A celebration of magical women and nonbinary people in American history, from Salem to WitchTok.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeet the mystical women and nonbinary people from US history who found strength through the supernatural—and those who are still forging the way today. From the celebrity spirit mediums of the nineteenth century to contemporary activist witches hexing the patriarchy, these icons have long used magic and mysticism to seize the power they’re so often denied.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOrganized around different approaches women in particular have taken to the occult over the decades—using the supernatural for political gain, seeking fame and fortune as spiritual practitioners, embracing their witchy identities, and more—this book shines a light on underappreciated magical pioneers, including:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e✦ \u003cb\u003eDion Fortune\u003c\/b\u003e, who tried to marshal a magical army against Adolf Hitler\u003cbr\u003e✦ \u003cb\u003eBri Luna\u003c\/b\u003e, the Hoodwitch, social media star and serious magical practitioner\u003cbr\u003e✦\u003cb\u003e Joan Quigley\u003c\/b\u003e, personal psychic to Nancy Reagan\u003cbr\u003e✦ \u003cb\u003eMarie Laveau\u003c\/b\u003e, voodoo queen of New Orleans\u003cbr\u003e✦\u003cb\u003e Elvira\u003c\/b\u003e, queer goth sex symbol who defied the Satanic Panic\u003cbr\u003e✦ And many more!\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eThe Mary Sue \u003c\/i\u003eBook Club Pick\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A charming book full of fascinating historical figures.”—\u003ci\u003eBoingBoing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A rich collection of short biographies of women and nonbinary people who were involved with an influence in the occult.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Feminist Book Club\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fascinating and at times infuriating look at the ways in which women have gained power through the occult, been persecuted by it, and forged relationships with one another through it.”—\u003ci\u003eGeekMom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Anyone who has dabbled in the craft by way of #witchtok will deepen their knowledge immensely by reading this book. And with a final chapter titled “100% That Witch,” you know you’re going to learn a lot and have some fun.”—\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Does an excellent job of exploring the cultural and racial differences concerning occult practices between women and nonbinary people”—\u003ci\u003eBook Riot \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Reclaims and celebrates forgotten foremothers..enjoyable, re-readable references.”—\u003ci\u003eHorror DNA\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fun and informative read for anyone with an interest in women’s history, supernatural topics, or anyone who likes witchy romance and wants to go a little deeper into the world of witchy women.”—\u003ci\u003eSmart Bitches Trashy Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A thorough and efficient study of those who have come before.”—\u003ci\u003eChapter 16\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eLisa Kröger \u003c\/b\u003eis the coauthor of the Bram Stoker and Locus Award winning \u003ci\u003eMonster, She Wrote\u003c\/i\u003e. She holds a PhD in English and her short fiction has appeared in \u003ci\u003eCemetery Dance\u003c\/i\u003e magazine and \u003ci\u003eLost Highways: Dark Fictions from the Road\u003c\/i\u003e (Crystal Lake Publishing, 2018). She cohosts the \u003ci\u003eKnow Fear\u003c\/i\u003e podcast (knowfearcast.com).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMelanie R. Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e is the coauthor of the Bram Stoker and Locus Award winning \u003ci\u003eMonster, She Wrote.\u003c\/i\u003e She is an assistant professor of English at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Her book \u003ci\u003eSpectrality in the Novels of Toni Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e (Tennessee Press, 2013) was a winner of the 2014 South Central MLA Book Prize. She cohosts the \u003ci\u003eKnow Fear\u003c\/i\u003e podcast (knowfearcast.com).In this book, you’ll meet some of the women who helped create or design occult systems and symbols, like the artist behind the most iconic tarot deck and the woman who gave the Ouija board its name—and you’ll also meet women who became professional skeptics or debunkers to hold people accountable, an important role in keeping the occult world ethical. You’ll be introduced to women who used the occult as a stepping-stone to political power, like First Lady Nancy Reagan’s personal psychic, and some who used it to find financial security. And you’ll get to know a wide array of women who have embraced labels like \u003ci\u003ewitch\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003evoodoo queen,\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e Mistress of the Dark\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e     The occult in US history takes many forms: from accusations of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England to the development of Spiritualism in the nineteenth century, to the uses of astrology and fortune-telling in the early twentieth century, to the Goddess movement of the mid-twentieth century, to the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and ’90s, and to our current obsessions with psychics, occult paraphernalia, spells, and crystals. Throughout these tumultuous centuries, women have been connected to the occult by the patriarchy as a way of punishing and policing their behavior (for example, the colonial accusations of witchcraft and satanic revels), and women have grasped the occult as an opening to seize independence and power (for example, how the Spiritualist movement gave women voices to speak out about political issues).\u003cbr\u003e     As we began thinking about women’s relationships with the occult and the power and backlash that can result, we realized that, while we have read a lot of supernatural fiction by women, we’ve never before delved into all the ways women have participated in the occult and been perceived by the larger society for that participation. What follows are the figures we learned about, the larger social and political issues we pondered, and the stories we want to share about how women, primarily in the United States, have related to their political and social environments through the occult. This relationship seems to ebb and flow over the centuries between cultural backlash and a search for empowerment. It’s a vast and complicated history with many twists and turns, but we are excited to lead you on this journey through the occult as it appears in American women’s lives, embodied by some of the extraordinary individuals who have designed, politicized, promoted, investigated, and embraced it.","brand":"Quirk Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299758264549,"sku":"NP9781683692911","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781683692911.jpg?v=1767742761","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/toil-and-trouble-isbn-9781683692911","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}