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Toil and Trouble

We are in the middle of a witchy pop culture wave (see: many, many recent witch-themed romance novels, for example). Toil and Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult looks at the roles that women have played in America’s occult history. It’s a very complicated topic, and I admired the authors for being able to present an organized and inclusive, although not comprehensive, look at some of the many ways that women have been active in witchcraft, Wicca, Spiritualism, and other branches of the occult in the arts, pop culture, and politics.

The book presents brief biographies of women, along with some contextualizing commentary, organized by theme instead of by chronology. This works well in terms of making coherent sense out of a broad and convoluted topic. The topics are ‘Shaping the Occult,’ ‘Politicizing the Occult,’ ‘Monetizing the Occult,’ ‘Challenging the Occult,’ and ‘Embracing the Occult.’ The biographies are the perfect length for a quick read and they are entertaining and informative,sprinkled throughout with art and wry humor. The book takes a neutral stance on the reality of any supernatural claims, instead focusing on how women have been able to shape occult culture and maneuver within it to experience and influence life beyond gender norms.

I enjoyed this book and I appreciated that it brought home that all this witchy stuff is actually important to our history and to practitioners today. The book does a good job of defining a lot of complex terms and ideas and illustrating how these concepts have been used both as a tool of oppression against women and as a tool of liberation used by women to break beyond societal expectations. Toil and Trouble is 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.

– Carrie S

This celebration of forgotten magical women, from Salem to WitchTok, is a fascinating and empowering read for anyone interested in occultism or feminist history.

Meet 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, women have long used magic and mysticism to seize the power they’re so often denied.

Organized around different approaches women 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:

• Dion Fortune, who tried to marshal a magical army against Hitler
• Bri Luna, the Hoodwitch, social media star and serious magical practitioner
• Joan Quigley, personal psychic to Nancy Reagan
• Marie Laveau, voodoo queen of New Orleans
• Elvira, queer goth sex symbol who defied the Satanic Panic
• And many more!