White Magic: Essays

"White Magic explores iterations of magic and witchiness including everything from the Native rituals that shape Elissa Washuta’s Cowlitz heritage to smudge sticks packaged in plastic. The book unfolds in three mesmerizing acts, like a magic show; across the intertwining essays, Washuta is drawn to magic as a method of healing from a decade of abusive relationships, alcoholism and PTSD, looking for meaning and control. Standouts include an essay about playing the classic computer game Oregon Trail as a coping mechanism, and one on her home state of New Jersey as a “land of genocidal fairy tales.”"