Crane, Jakob and Decker, Timothy. Lies in the Dust: A Tale of Remorse From the Salem Witch Trials. Yarmouth, Maine: Islandport Press, 2014.

Honestly, I almost didn’t purchase this for my library because I could only find it in paperback. Isn’t it funny what influences collection development decisions? But a librarian with a limited purchasing budget can likely understand my reserve. I was swayed by the fact that our tenth grade English students study The Crucible. Curricular need trumped budget issues.

I am surely glad that it did. This graphic novel shares the largely untold story of the confession of Ann Putnam, Jr. The stark black and white illustrations of Timothy Decker complement the spare and moving text of Jakob Crane. We see and hear how difficult life is in Salem for Ann in the years that follow the trials and the guilt that tortures her and leads to her public confession. Students will confront the power of their actions and words. The author asks in the introduction, “What is the power of a word? A word crafted into an accusation can be wielded like a dagger.” The power of the words in this graphic novel cannot be denied.

In the years that I that I taught Miller’s play, we never discussed the future of the girls involved in the false accusation and ultimate conviction of the innocent Puritans of Salem in 1692. We discussed all of the factors leading up to the crisis, but never the long term repercussions. Such a discussion would be an important one and is fostered by the content of this book.

I recently read and wrote about Katherine Howe’s Conversion. One of my concerns was with the lengthiness and the somewhat slow build in the Ann Putnam chapters. I am a bit excited to book talk this graphic novel as a companion book. If students read this first, the portions in the other novel will be much more clear.