My aunt knew much more than housework and caring for her children. She took me with her to gather some wild herbs she needed for her medicine box. She taught me to recognize ginseng, butterfly root, and many other wild medicinal herbs. She told me how the different herbs were used. She believed that every plant had a use and there was a cure for every known illness if we could only find it. She would talk of the people that my grandfather had cured and the people of the neighborhood who came to her for remedies. Her medicine box held many herbs, all neatly tied up in clean rags, along with a pair of scissors, some clean cotton cord, and clean pieces of muslin. These were used to cut and tie the cord after she delivered a baby, for she was the midwife for many of the local settlements. ... There were some salves for sores. ... I had a wonderful time and took with me a box of the herbs and an interest in herbs and in folklore that has never left me.

• Cora Anderson

Like her face-to-face teaching, her wisdom and knowledge are here for those who can see them. (From the foreword)

• Michele Jackson, author of "Bones, Shells and Curios"

A delightful, sorrowful, but overall amazing account of a woman’s and a witch’s life. Cora was such a gem to the community and will be greatly missed. An autobiography that any hearth or kitchen witch would love, as at her core, it was who Cora Anderson was. A daughter, a sister, a witch, a professional cook, a wife and mother, Cora’s long life was full of as much joy as it was hardship. Her tales from the Depression caused tears to roll down my cheeks, while others from her childhood had me giggling. ... It is not one fluid story, but instead each chapter is a tale from her childhood, youth, to womanhood. ... A beautiful book full of beautiful tales and wisdom.

• Pagan Bookworm, Book & Media Reviews for the Magical Masses