The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Written and Photographed by Nancy Clover
A Melrose writer has a banned book!
If you ever stopped at the red light at the intersection of Fells and Main Street, you might have noticed a beautiful painting by Sheila Farren Billings on the electrical box, The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I assumed it was a fictional description of Ell Pond because so many blackbirds are around the pond.
I was wrong – it is an illustration based on a book written by an award-winning Melrose author, Elizabeth George Speare. The book was published in 1958 and is historical fiction that takes place in late 17th-century New England.
Elizabeth was born in Melrose in 1908. She lived in New England all her life. A graduate of Boston University, Speare always wanted to write but didn't start until her two children were in junior high school. She won the 1959 Newbery Medal for The Witch of Blackbird Pond. She died at the age of 84.
In 2002, two Connecticut residents petitioned to remove The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Speare from middle school classrooms. They claimed that the book promoted violence and witchcraft as a result the book is restricted in some schools and libraries.
I just finished this excellent book that reflects the issues related to Puritan values and superstitions.
It is a quick read and I have a copy if anyone wants it.
