Waking the Witch

Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power.  

What do we really mean when we call someone a witch?

For centuries, witches have haunted our stories and shaped our ideas about women, power, danger, and desire. They have appeared as devil-worshippers and femme fatales, fairy-tale villains and rebellious heroines, from folklore and fairy tales to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Harry Potter, and the rise of modern witchcraft.

In Waking the Witch, Pam Grossman explores why this ancient figure continues to fascinate us—and why the witch feels more relevant than ever.

Blending cultural history, pop-culture analysis, and memoir, Grossman traces the witch's evolution from feared outsider to one of our most enduring symbols of female power. Along the way, she examines the stories, stereotypes, and anxieties that have shaped our image of the witch, while recounting her own path toward contemporary witchcraft and the sense of purpose and self-empowerment she found there.

Part cultural history and part personal journey, Waking the Witch asks what the witch represents, why we keep reinventing her, and what happens when we stop fearing her.