Suffer a Witch: A Memoir

by Joy McCullough

For readers of Know My Name by Chanel Miller and fans of Broadway’s John Proctor Is the Villain, a stunning memoir in verse about sexual abuse, survival, and sisterhood from the New York Times bestselling author of Blood Water Paint.

Joy McCullough’s earliest memories are of time spent in church, moments when she climbed the steps to recite from the pulpit, just like her preacher father. But when she was a teenager in San Diego in the 1990s, her connection to her family and church were forever altered when a youth pastor groomed and sexually assaulted Joy. 

In her debut memoir, McCullough pairs achingly raw poems recalling her abuse and its aftermath with hopeful, challenging verses about her life today as she seeks healing and justice in a country that rewards men for sexual abuse and still insists “girls these days will say anything.”  

Among the poems, McCullough also weaves prose letters to historical girls and women—from Joan of Arc to Abigail Williams—whose lives and stories were ignored when they were caught in the maelstrom of witchcraft accusations.

Suffer a Witch shines a bright, unsparing light on one woman’s experience—and on those of generations of women who came before her.

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir, Adult, Biography Memoir

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication August 18, 2026

Reviews

[Jessie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough read, but it was also incredibly powerful and moving. Written in verse, Joy McCullough tells the story of the grooming and sexual abuse she endured by the youth pastor at her church. The book is interspersed with letters to women throughout history that were accused of witchcraft. A heartbreaking, infuriating, and incredibly important read.

Believe women.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a beautiful and raw account of a woman’s experience with navigating/processing her childhood sexual abuse. She also incorporated letters written to women who were accused/accused others during the witch trials, and how their experiences so deeply mirror her own experiences, as well as those of modern day women. It’s a lovely tribute to survivors. I’m looking forward to reading her other works.

[Shannon Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** I received this book as an Advanced Reader’s Copy. I would actually rate it a 4.5, but GoodReads only likes whole numbers. 😁 My review follows.

I had my doubts about reading this book when I received it as an ARC giveaway, but I love novels in verse and memoirs so hunkered down and started reading. For the first 60 pages I was forcing myself to continue and really didn’t think I would finish because my initial impression of the author, Joy McCullough, was that she was so angry and bitter that I could not connect with her. I just “knew” that this book was going to be blaming every man and every church and Christianity in general for what happened to her.

However, I kept reading and suddenly realized that this story felt familiar, like a book I had read back in the fall. I walked over to the novels in verse section of my classroom library and discovered that the book felt familiar because it was familiar. I had read “Blood Water Paint” by Joy McCullough a few months ago. So again, I kept reading. And you know what? I could not put this book down!

I loved the pauses in the narrative for the letters to women throughout history. I loved the connections made between men with power over women not getting what they want and women being accused of being witches. (I thought A LOT about that and even stopped took a little bit of time in class to discuss it with my students.) I loved the emotional struggles I experienced as the author shared her the trauma she experienced. And I loved that as the story continued I no longer felt the bitterness and anger from the beginning of the book but rather the confusion and betrayal the author dealt with.

This book would have been a 5 for me if it weren’t for these two sticking points, which may not be a problem for most people. They are for me though. First, I really, really dislike gross generalization made about institutions that lead to the villainization of churches/Christianity, entire justice systems, etc., rather than placing blame where it is specifically needed (her youth pastor, her father, her church, the specific officer who shared information, etc.). And secondly, I do not want to know the political viewpoints of the author I am reading. We are already so surrounded by political divisions that I don’t want it spilling into my treasured reading time. The political bias was present throughout the book but was overwhelmingly obvious when the author created a lengthy list of women sexually assaulted by powerful men but skipped over likes of the Kennedys and Clintons of the world.

I did love this book and happily give it 4.5 stars, maybe even a 4.75.

[Liralen]

3.5 stars; review to come August 2026

[Ciara Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

📝 ARC Review: This hits hard from the start… the dedication: “To the angry girl, to the girl who tells her truth, to the girl who keeps her truth, if you find yourself in these pages, I'm so sorry. It wasn't your fault.
- I wrote this for you.”

This memoir was extra impactful for me as I love writing and reading poetry, and this was written in poetry & verse. Also, I’ve dealt with childhood SA in my own life and known people who were abused and let down by “church members”.

In between the heartbreaking poems of a girl who was taken advantage of by someone in a position of power and trust, we also have the author writing letters to women in history, mostly from the witch trials time. I appreciated becoming better acquainted with some of these historical figures who were mistreated and even killed because they were women and dared to reach for things men deemed unacceptable.

This memoir is raw and tragic. The author doesn’t hold back her honesty, her shame, her regrets, nor her actions to try and save others from a similar fate and bring attention to strong women from the past.

Topics such as religion, childbirth, “witches”, forced submission of women, rap£, self harm and PTSD are prevalent throughout this memoir.

(I also appreciated the explanation at the end of the book in regard to the importance of the book cover! I had forgotten until this triggered my memory, of the biblical story of Jael, who drove a tent stake through Sisera’s head. The cover made so much sense after the author explained that painting!)

Quote’s 👇
(Taken from an uncorrected proof ARC)

“… too aware the sanctuary was anything but.”

“… my rage at having my body made a thing for someone else’s amusement.”

“… can finally breathe which is wild because I didn’t even know I was suffocating.”

“… if anyone is going to hurt my body it’s going to be me.”

“… the women lost because the world feared their power.”

Genre: Memoir; poetry & verse.
POV: First Person
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5
Release Date: August 18, 2026

Vibes: Heartfelt; Tragic; Bittersweet; Feminine Rage.

Tropes 👇

- Witch trials
- Strong women who were oppressed
- Recounting of religious figure taking advantage of the youth in his care
- Learning how to stand up and fight for yourself & others
- Based on a true story
- Feminine rage

CW’s 👇

- Underage SA
- Grooming by an abuser
- SA from a youth pastor
- Mention of self harm
- Topic of abortion
- Mention of death of an infant/children
- Injustice to women/murder of women
- Injustice in religion
- Failure to protect the innocent
- Pastor/Father turning blind eye to SA
- Complex PTSD/long lasting trauma

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Kate Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy McCullough’s Suffer a Witch: A Memoir was a fantastic read. Here, McCullough uses a hybrid form to combine poetry, memoir and historical non-fiction to create a collection of stories woven into her own, showing the historical links between Eve, the women accused of witchcraft and her own traumas. Joy McCullough was raised in the Presbyterian church and being the pastor’s daughter made her a prominent figure. During her teens she was sadly abused by her youth pastor, a serial offender who has never being brought to justice. She calls this man ‘Brett’ after the well-known sexual offender controversy surrounding Brett Kavanaugh.
She weaves these stories flawlessly, each of them relevant and they examine the horrific abuse of power men held/hold over women when accusing them of magic to punish them. These historical parallels show how men in positions of power are allowed to abuse victims and have the safety net of masculine and religious support to prevent them being prosecuted. What is even more distressing is that McCullough’s father, also a pastor, was complicit in her abuse. Although both her and her sister told him about the grooming and sexual assaults, he was unwilling to support their stories, believing it would put his own position at the church at risk.
This book made me so angry, angry for Eve and her treatment, angry for the women and children who unfairly died at the hands of men, angry for the survivors of sexual assault. These stories are heartbreaking, enraging and informative. The verse language style works incredibly well, it softens the historical content into a format which is more accessible if you aren’t a history reader. I learned the stories of women such as Abigail Williams, Gurtrud Svensdotter and Geillis Duncan, women I was not familiar with but now respect their tragic stories. This book is a brilliant read, showing the damage that sexual assault causes to families and the long term effects of PTSD. The church and so many positions of power are responsible for so much hurt across the world, we can only hope that one day they will be rightly held accountable for their crimes and their support of molesters.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for letting me read this brilliant book in return for an honest review. I'll defiantly be recommending it to others and buying a copy when it is published!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a raw and powerful memoir. McCullough shines a light on her teen years, when she was groomed and abused by her youth pastor. Most heartbreaking is the decision by her father, the senior pastor of their Presbyterian church, to turn a deaf ear to her and her older sister when they attempted to tell him the truth about his youth pastor. In recounting her experiences, McCullough addresses the ongoing nature of trauma (and her father’s admonition that “You can’t play the abuse card forever”). She goes into detail about the guilt she has carried, her rationalizations that she must have somehow encouraged the abuser’s attentions, her eventual understanding of consent and power dynamics and serial abusers and mandated reporters. Interwoven with her own story are letters to mostly-forgotten women from past centuries who were also silenced (and often put to death) when their truths threatened men’s power. Teens will appreciate her candor and her determination to not be silenced. The free-verse format allows readers to feel McCullough is in a close conversation with them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the electronic ARC.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joy McCullough’s brief memoir in verse, Suffer a Witch, packs a heavy punch. In it, McCullough details the years of sexual and emotional abuse she suffered at the hand of her youth pastor. The pastor, who she calls Brett, is a serial offender who was never held accountable for his actions.

In between the poetic descriptions of McCullough’s experiences, McCullough weaves the stories of women pronounced as witches throughout history and her identification with them.

McCullough’s story is heartbreaking and infuriating, made more so by the fact that her father, also a pastor, was complicit in the abuse she experienced. It seems he might have believed McCullough, but refused to confront or validate the claims because it might put his own position and reputation at risk.

Suffer a Witch is a story of trauma, women’s powerlessness in the face of a society that refuses to believe the victim, and also of moving forward with that trauma and grief.

Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Christiana Doucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's memoir follows her through her life as the daughter of a pastor, spiritual abuse at the hands of church leaders, and her battle for truth. Interspersed throughout, Joy McCullough tells the stories of both women accused of witchcraft throughout history, and those who made the accusations. I appreciated so much the historical context she provided. And the extensive research notes at the end (because I wanted to know more). Additionally, her commitment to sharing both those in power who abused her, and those with some level of religious authority who stood by her and continued to believe her through the onslaught of pushback shines. Those who've experienced grooming and sexual predation of minors walk a difficult line as they speak up about what happened to them. And Joy faces this challenge head on, heart ablaze.

As one who has especially appreciated her books Blood Water Paint and Kestrel Takes Flight, the insight into her writing around those books, and the way the stories impacted her especially connected with me.

Well worth adding to your reading list.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joy McCullough grew up in the Presbyterian church as a pastor's daughter. By the time she joined the youth group, she was all into God. And trained to obey adult authority. That's when her youth pastor began grooming her. Eventually, he r*ped and sexually assaulted her over the course of several years. This book is her memoir.
In each chapter, the author shares a part of her story. The chapters also contain stories of witches - women who were accused of crimes and punished. Throughout history, men have wielded power over women - their bodies, their words, their stories. This book is an attempt to win back women's voices, stories, and lives.
Reading this memoir has prompted me to reexamine my own past. I am also prompted to examine my attitudes toward women who say they have been sexually harassed and/or violated. It's too easy to dismiss their stories or blame them. Let's place the blame where it truly belongs and seek to discern the truth and believe women!

[sarah panic · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We stand before the men in power and speak our truths even as they crush our joints.”

I was completely destroyed by Joy’s memoir and the way she incorporated the history of the women that came before us. When I tell you my hand was covering my mouth in distress for the majority of the book, I am not exaggerating in any way. Joy lived a life that so many women live and her voice was silenced time and time again. She walked a path straight to abuse that was forged by someone that was supposed to be a figure of support, guidance, and trust. She was failed to be protected by those around her and when her voice was able to reach the point where it was able to resound with all of her truths, those around her managed to failed her yet again.

While hard to read at times because of the very traumatic subject matter, this book is revolutionary and an absolute must read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Victoria Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suffer a Witch is a heartbreaking memoir told in prose. Upon first reading, I was afraid that the writing style would feel inaccessible as somebody who doesn’t frequently read poetry, but it was pretty simple to follow. It was really only hard to read because the triggering content.

This memoir follows a woman with PTSD after being groomed and sexually abused by a youth pastor. Despite it being a relatively quick read, I had to read it in multiple sittings because it was so unsettling. It is well-written and an important read, but it is not something that I could ever read again. This is why I hesitate to give it five stars, as I tend to only give five stars to books that I plan to re-read. For most readers, I would recommend grabbing a copy from the library rather than owning it, and, before reading, I would recommend anybody with PTSD to search content warnings.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy McCullough does not MISS. This was so lovely and compelling and hard to read (in a moving way). I appreciated her talking about her journey toward writing Blood Water Paint and how she's clearly been spending her whole career trying to get to a point where she could write this book. And like in some of her other work I really loved (and hated because OUCH) reading the historical parallels she excels in drawing, showing the long long global history of PATRIARCHY.

A really powerful book! She is so brave for writing it and I hate that she has to be so brave and I love that this book will be available for teens to read soon.

Also I enjoyed the addition of her editor's notes in parts, as Joy is surprised to learn what parts of her evangelical upbringing were incomprehensible to him.

[Bee Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the kind of book you enjoy reading, but it's one you love, one you think about and hold onto. It's not fun, but it makes you feel something and connects you to the collective rage that binds women together.

This searing memoir is told through poetry and long-form verse, recounting the horrifying accounts of the authors own history, the sexual abuse the church inflicted upon her, the religious indoctrination, and the challenges of surviving it all. She invokes the names of women who have been villainised throughout history, like Dorothy Good and Joan of Arc, with poetic letters reaching through time to speak to them about their own persecution. The writing flows beautifully, moving between streams of consciousness to structured sections - quite simply, it felt like someone spilling their heart on a page and it worked. The style may not always be the easiest to read, whether that's the content or the changing writing, but it's still an undeniable beautiful, vital book.

[Annika Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Suffer a Witch" is hard but important reading about sexual abuse in the church and the ways in which women are blamed, punished, and made to suffer for the sins and abuses of men in authority.

Heavy trigger warning for child sexual abuse and PTSD, execution/death, witchcraft trials, rape, pregnancy and trauma.

The worst part is that the predators are getting away with it, here and now, across churches everywhere, because church leadership does not care to listen to the voices of survivors. Fathers often do not care, pastors do not care, and church boards and supposed impartial reviews and investigations certainly do not care.

A must-read for anyone examining church patriarchy, misogyny, and the enabling of abuse. The way historical accounts of women involved in witch trials are woven into the poetic memoir form is beautiful and tragic. Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc; all opinions are my own.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I simultaneously couldn’t put down, and had to keep taking breaks from reading. A searingly honest, painful memoir that recounts the author’s years of abuse at the hands of a youth pastor, as well as the author’s ongoing attempts to report the crimes committed against her while being repeatedly ignored. Interspersed between the memoir poems are letters to women and girls who were sentenced in witch trials or the accusers themselves, drawing a poignant line between historical and modern abuses enacted against women by men in power. The book seethes with righteous anger, the kind that burns to make things better for women and girls everywhere, and while the ending is (as memoirs so often are) bittersweet, it is also an encouragement for women to claim their own power even when doing so worries powerful men. A truly remarkable read.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

when I was 22 pages in, I knew this would be one of my all time favorite books and it still surpassed my expectations.
there are no words I could write here to fully do this book, this story, these women justice. the prose is beautiful, the way it flows, the way she weaves her own story with those of women thorughout time that have been tried and found guility by 'men of God', reflecting on her experience through theirs. it’s powerful and deeply affecting.
thank you for portraying so clearly, for everyone to experience, what it means to live with sexual trauma, the emotions, the life after.
thank you for writing this book.

a genuine thank you to penguin random house and netgalley for the honor of receiving this eARC.

[Dipali · Rating 4 out of 5]

** A copy of Suffer a Witch was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **

Suffer A Witch cements Joy McCullough’s place in feminist literature. Having read and loved her previous novels in verse (Blood Water Paint; We are the Ashes, We are the Fire; Enter the Body; Everything is Poison), I knew I could expect a powerful, unflinching, caring and explicitly feminist look at sexual violence. Suffer a Witch is a deeply necessary, honest and raw memoir that delves into violence, religion, memory, trauma and resilience. I highly recommend it!

Side note: I loved the full-circle moment with the cover being inspired by a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi!

[Jessica Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad that so many women have had the courage to come forward and tell their stories about the detrimental effects of purity culture and the evangelical movement of the 90s, and to speak out about the men who used their authority in the church to take advantage of girls and women. McCullough is angry, and rightfully so, but she isn't just angry on her own behalf--she's angry on behalf of all the girls and women throughout history who have been (and continue to be) abused and taken advantage of.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy,

I knew you had this in you when I first read BLOOD WATER PAINT all those years ago. However, your story is even darker and more complicated than I could have imagined. It’s an amazing gift you’ve shared with us and a fear to have gotten it onto the page. You’ve done so much work to find your voice and now we can hear it.

Thank you,

Angela

[Chris Worthington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this book, and I am having a hard time composing sentences, so I am going with words.

TRUE. Compelling. Honest. Unflinching. Brave. Heartbreaking. Affirming. Staggering. Brave. Unifying. Haunting. Unforgettable.

Joy McCullough, I just want to thank you and comfort you at once.

[A.R. Hellbender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not expecting to read this in one sitting right before bedtime but I couldn’t put it down. So many great quotes about why these stories are so important, combined with such a suspenseful story that becomes even more urgent when realizing that it’s literally the author’s own story, as if it even had to be to be countless people’s stories as well.

[Meg C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful story about sexual abuse made even more powerful with the spare verse McCollough uses to tell her story, as well as letters to historical "witches" and how they reflect her story. This one will stick with you (and make you rage!)

[Sarah Ressler Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down. Absolute fire and a cautionary tale and a survivor’s memoir with deep insights and all the justifiable rage. Devoured in one sitting and will continue to resonate.

[Nicole Melleby · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is beautiful and brave, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Joy.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW WHAT A BOOK! Full RTC but this one will definitely be staying with me for the indefinite future.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suffer a Witch is THAT book which a vast number of women, and girls, have wanted (knowingly or not) and that the world as a whole needed.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking but this might just touch humans I think more than even McCullough herself could have dreamed. I feel like it should be required reading in maybe junior high even.
I've rarely read anything so glaringly raw and flat out open.
People are going to love this! I'll definitely add it to the go-to Xmas ideas list!
It won't work in any kind of foolproof way but what can we expect? If this opens a few eyes and a few minds that's crazy huge.
Nothing short of impressive!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good and so hard to read.

I was also a pastor's kid whose dad ended up being a real piece of shit so there was a lot of emotions and scenarios that I also experienced. I wasn't abused but so much of her story - the expectations, the silencing, the gaslighting, the dysfunctional family with a narcissistic dad who doesn't care - is so familiar.

I want to give Joy and all the girls in the book a hug. They aren't alone. :(

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes books come into our lives at the exact right moment. I needed to read this close to when I participated in RAINN's CDA.

Told in poems and prose letters, this memoir's format is powerful. The poems speak to the author's experiences, while the letters focus on the history (tradition) of disbelieving girls and women and supporting powerful men who cause harm.

A youth pastor sexually abused the author. The abuse and its aftermath changed the trajectory of her life. The poems explore this, as well as weaving in threads of hope throughout the novel.

This is one of those powerful books that changes the reader. It inspired me, helped me be more courageous, and it mirrored some of my feelings, experiences, etc. I am also a survivor, but it was my upper elementary teacher who perpetrated the abuse.

I highly recommend this book to survivors and allies of survivors.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!