In this fierce and wrenching memoir, YA and children's author Joy McCullough (Everything Is Poison) recounts being sexually abused as a teenager by the youth pastor at her Presbyterian church in the San Diego suburbs where her father was a pastor. Written in spare, intimate verse, Suffer a Witch recounts how the charismatic pastor McCullough calls "Brett" groomed her during Bible study when she was 14, making her feel valued by listening to her concerns about her body image and self-esteem. During her sophomore year, Brett started using those confidences against her, abusing her emotionally and sexually for three years. McCullough developed an eating disorder and later began cutting herself. It wasn't until she left for college that McCullough was able to reckon with what had happened to her, but her path to recovery was complicated and uneven.
Throughout this disturbing account, McCullough punctuates her evocative, unsparing poetry with prose letters addressed to women and girls accused of witchcraft across history. She draws parallels between her own persecution and that of Abigail Williams, Joan of Arc, and others. This becomes especially poignant when McCullough describes being shut down by her church, community, and father after pressing charges against Brett. Worse, McCullough learned that her older sister had also been abused by Brett and that her father did nothing about it. Through her writing, a nurturing marriage, and several strong relationships, including with the editor of this memoir, McCullough has been able to endure and thrive. This difficult but beautifully written testament to her strength is a gift for readers. --Debra Ginsberg, author and freelance editor