21 March 2025
Writing: Rory (Year 9)
Editing: Adam (Year 12)
On Thursday 21 March, the Year 9s were lucky enough to have a visit from award-winning author William Hussey, organised by the library. William has written over a dozen novels across a range of genres, including horror, crime, thrillers and LGBTQ+ romances. It’s not the first time Hussey has visited Challoner’s, and his talk was once again very popular. His activities were engaging and entertaining while also being thought-provoking and educational.
It might sound odd, but my favourite activity was when Hussey demonstrated some examples of torture from the witch trials that happened in England in the 1600s. One of his most famous books, Witchfinder, is based on those events and he was trying to show us just how horrible the treatment of people could be even if they were obviously innocent. The way he used some of our peers made it even more immersive!
All in all, the Year 9 William Hussey event was extremely fascinating and captivating, showing us that even if the witch trials were nearly 450 years ago, it is still important to reflect on how easily groups of people can be dehumanised and how hatred and hysteria can take hold.