Magical Meredith

One of my most cherished children’s books growing up was the tale of Strega Nona , written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. This folktale tells the story of Strega Nona, alluding to what would be “Grandma Witch” in Italian. However, upon further investigation, the direct translation would actually be “ Nonna Strega ”. Having the protagonist be named Strega Nona with an emphasis on the single “n” implies that her name means “Ninth Witch” in Italian. Moreover, this was an intentional choice placed by the author, and something that went unnoticed as a child but greatly plays a part in the witchcraft movement. The book takes place in Southern Italy in the town of Calabria. It follows Strega Nona who serves as the town’s witch doctor through curing fellow townspeople of their troubles with conjuring successful remedies, aids single women in finding husbands, and clears people of their warts. Strega Nona begins to grow old, so she enlists in the help of a young man named Big Anthony to assi...

While watching and analyzing the movie Beautiful Creatures , I was particularly struck by its exploration of banned books. Set in the fictional small southern town of Gatlin, South Carolina, where everyone knows everybody, the film portrays a community deeply rooted in Christianity, where faith permeates every aspect of life. The townspeople, devout and conservative, lead holy lives and only consume materials that align with their beliefs and bring them happiness. One scene that stood out to me was a classroom discussion in which high school students were debating the summer reading assignment, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird . The conversation takes a turn when a student, Emily Asher, dismisses the book as "banned" and refuses to read it because it goes against her church's teachings. This scene, though fictional, mirrors real-world situations where censorship restricts access to important works that address issues like racism, sexism, and antisemitism. This moment pr...