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Satan's Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch Hunt by Debbie Nathan
mattcolewilson's review against another edition
4.0
A damning statement on America’s criminal justice system and a massive swath of its population!
I read this on the recommendation of the “Satanic Panic” episode of the Behind the Bastards podcast. It’s a very dense and distressing book, full of graphic depictions of outlandish child sex abuse, made possibly even more disturbing by the fact the abuse is seemingly completely made up.
It’s mind-boggling and depressing that so many people’s lives were ruined by such baseless hysteria, while actual abuse was being ignored — and often committed — by the people making the accusations. The whole complicated story feels like a cautionary tale of how good intentions can warp into a full-on national nightmare. A hell of a lot to unpack here. I’m very glad I read this book, but am also relieved to be finished with it.
The subtitle is pretty clear in regards to the book's scope, but I would've loved a bit more writing on the broader culture at the time. It mentions the stigmatization of fringe religious beliefs and heavy metal, but a few pages on other demonized pop culture (such as Dungeons & Dragons) would have been extremely welcomed. Or even some explanation of what members of the Church of Satan actually believe. (They don’t actually worship Satan or even believe he exists, for example. Seems relevant.)
A strong recommendation for anyone who is interested in the subject or in beginning to understand its warped descendant, QAnon. It is a 25+ year old book, though, so there’s likely some out-of-date sociological and scientific understanding. But the authors did their job extremely well. And huge props for commenting on the classism of the whole thing. Fascinating and upsetting stuff. (It does deserve a much better book cover, though.)
I read this on the recommendation of the “Satanic Panic” episode of the Behind the Bastards podcast. It’s a very dense and distressing book, full of graphic depictions of outlandish child sex abuse, made possibly even more disturbing by the fact the abuse is seemingly completely made up.
It’s mind-boggling and depressing that so many people’s lives were ruined by such baseless hysteria, while actual abuse was being ignored — and often committed — by the people making the accusations. The whole complicated story feels like a cautionary tale of how good intentions can warp into a full-on national nightmare. A hell of a lot to unpack here. I’m very glad I read this book, but am also relieved to be finished with it.
The subtitle is pretty clear in regards to the book's scope, but I would've loved a bit more writing on the broader culture at the time. It mentions the stigmatization of fringe religious beliefs and heavy metal, but a few pages on other demonized pop culture (such as Dungeons & Dragons) would have been extremely welcomed. Or even some explanation of what members of the Church of Satan actually believe. (They don’t actually worship Satan or even believe he exists, for example. Seems relevant.)
A strong recommendation for anyone who is interested in the subject or in beginning to understand its warped descendant, QAnon. It is a 25+ year old book, though, so there’s likely some out-of-date sociological and scientific understanding. But the authors did their job extremely well. And huge props for commenting on the classism of the whole thing. Fascinating and upsetting stuff. (It does deserve a much better book cover, though.)
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
Beginning in the early 80's, the US was rocked by several large-scale (and many more smaller-scale) sex abuse scandals. Teachers and aides at preschools and day care centers were being accused of sexually abusing their charges. This alone is frightening enough, but as the cases developed, horrific charges of sadism, Satanism, and ritual abuse and sacrifice emerged. These sparked literal witch hunts, with increasing numbers of community members accused of participation in what was eventually labeled by some as a world-wide conspiracy.
What exactly happened here? How did hundreds of children (some of whom were younger than two) come to make such grotesque accusations, when there appears to have been so little forensic evidence?
Debbie Nathan and Michael Snedeker do an excellent job of outlining the changes in the way cases of sexual abuse of minors were investigated and prosecuted, beginning in the 1970's. Many of the changes are acknowledged as extremely positive; prior to these reforms of the 70's, cases of sexual abuse, particularly incest, were almost impossible to prosecute -- assuming they made it so far as the courtroom. Unfortunately, many of these reforms were twisted to such an extent that in many cases the new philosophy of "believe children who say they have been sexually abused" became "if we [parents, child advocates, law enforcement:] believe children have been abused, we must get them to admit it." It resulted, in some cases, in investigative techniques that were incredibly traumatic to the children involved, and led to false convictions.
Nathan and Snedeker calmly (occasionally a little bit repetitively) describe how this occurred, the outcomes of the cases, and the ways in which (as of the writing of the book in 1994) child advocates, feminists, and law enforcement officals have changed or not changed their policies to avoid such cases in the future.
Both the sociological and real-life implications of these cases are fascinating and enraging, and this is a very well-thought-out book on the subject.
What exactly happened here? How did hundreds of children (some of whom were younger than two) come to make such grotesque accusations, when there appears to have been so little forensic evidence?
Debbie Nathan and Michael Snedeker do an excellent job of outlining the changes in the way cases of sexual abuse of minors were investigated and prosecuted, beginning in the 1970's. Many of the changes are acknowledged as extremely positive; prior to these reforms of the 70's, cases of sexual abuse, particularly incest, were almost impossible to prosecute -- assuming they made it so far as the courtroom. Unfortunately, many of these reforms were twisted to such an extent that in many cases the new philosophy of "believe children who say they have been sexually abused" became "if we [parents, child advocates, law enforcement:] believe children have been abused, we must get them to admit it." It resulted, in some cases, in investigative techniques that were incredibly traumatic to the children involved, and led to false convictions.
Nathan and Snedeker calmly (occasionally a little bit repetitively) describe how this occurred, the outcomes of the cases, and the ways in which (as of the writing of the book in 1994) child advocates, feminists, and law enforcement officals have changed or not changed their policies to avoid such cases in the future.
Both the sociological and real-life implications of these cases are fascinating and enraging, and this is a very well-thought-out book on the subject.
i_ben_fine's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.25
The authors tend to be repetitive.
The "modern witch hunt" angle is a little forced, because the book lacks a good understanding of the original Salem trials.
The authors initially make a good point about the dangers of feminists aligning themselves with the political right, but by the end of the book they are more critical of feminists than those who believe in satanic cults in the first place. That may come from a place of disappointment, though.
The "modern witch hunt" angle is a little forced, because the book lacks a good understanding of the original Salem trials.
The authors initially make a good point about the dangers of feminists aligning themselves with the political right, but by the end of the book they are more critical of feminists than those who believe in satanic cults in the first place. That may come from a place of disappointment, though.
alymac42's review against another edition
5.0
Whoever designed this cover did the author dirty, because when I first got it, I thought it'd be a low-budget opinion piece. I wasn't expecting a well-documented, well-sourced, and well-organized dissertation on the Satanic Panic. Highly recommend (though the section on Autism is pretty dated).
ixxy's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Interesting book about satanic panic and satanic ritual abuse. A very uncomfortable read, exacerbated by the dated terminology and some superfluous detail. Its structure could use improvement, as well as the tone and neutrality. However, its meticulous research and depth of information mostly makes up for this. Has some weird takes and tangents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking
ponydanza's review against another edition
4.0
This book deals with the Satanic Panic, a period in the 80s and 90s where there was an epidemic of caretakers of children abusing them in bizarre ritual scenarios. This book does a really great job of explaining what happened and the kinds of faulty forensic technology that led to so many false accusations, and led to them seeming credible.
I will say, I don't know if this is true for all of the editions, but I got the book on kindle, and there were a decent number of typos. At first that made me distrustful of the quality of information, but it seems to be well researched and well-reasoned.
Overall, this was a fascinating look at the happenings and causes of a truly bizarre period in recent American history.
I will say, I don't know if this is true for all of the editions, but I got the book on kindle, and there were a decent number of typos. At first that made me distrustful of the quality of information, but it seems to be well researched and well-reasoned.
Overall, this was a fascinating look at the happenings and causes of a truly bizarre period in recent American history.
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