"Finally a history of American Paganism from someone who knows the subject inside and out! Chas Clifton has chosen with this book to lay down some basic parameters for talking about modern Pagan history in America. He has done yeoman's work here and should be highly praised. An essential book for anyone interested in our history, and how that history is shaping the future of modern Paganism. The bar has just been raised."—Jason Pitzl-Waters, The Wild Hunt: Religion, politics, music and culture. A modern Pagan perspective.

"Chas Clifton has provided a foundational step toward the history of a new religion that is still in the process of emergence. He has brought forth figures, movements, and a constructive historical periodization of which future scholars of Wicca and Paganism will take note."—Sean McCloud, Department of Religious Studies, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, H-Net Review (H-Amstdy), September 2006.

"Chas S. Clifton's Her Hidden Children is a pioneering look at the history of Neopagan religions in the U.S. Written with the sensitivity and humor of an insider and the dispassion of an outsider, it traces the early development of one of the fastest-growing religious movements in America today, and its uniquely American use of the trope of "nature" to create its identity. This book should be invaluable to scholars of religion, American Studies, and the burgeoning field of Pagan Studies."—Sabina Magliocco, California State University-Northridge, and author of Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America

"Simply the best single work yet written on the history of American Paganism. It is perceptive, intelligent, sympathetic and persuasive; tactful without sparing scholarly appraisal; personal without losing objectivity; and constantly engaging. It embodies a beautiful mixture of warmth and rigour, and deals strictly with aspects of the subject that can be appraised from precise data, revealing to me- at least- how much more of the latter there was than I had ever thought."—Ronald Hutton, Author of The Triumph of the Moon

"An excellent introduction to contemporary Paganism in North America, and required reading for those who wish to understand the growth and appeal of Wicca and Witchcraft in late modern society. Clifton writes from a wealth of experience as a modern Pagan, but with a critical and insightful eye that is so often missing. He has done stellar service to both the Pagan and scholarly communities."—Douglas E. Cowan, Author of Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet.

"Clifton discusses intersections between Wicca and 1960s pop culture, distinguishing between practitioners of local folk traditions and "family trads," for which he finds no convincing evidence. Pagans are described as members of a tribe that forms around common practices rather than common beliefs. Witchcraft revival in the US, which flourished during the 1980s, was not, according to the author, adolescent rebellion. Paganisms today are molded by mainstream notions of religion, but they differ from other new religious movements (NRMs) because "they lack single charismatic leaders, apocalyptic messages, and rigid separations between 'them' and 'us.'" Instead, they find authority in the land, the cosmic cycles, and the human body. Including a useful timeline and glossary, this volume deserves a place beside Ronald Hutton's The Triumph of the Moon (CH, Nov'00, 38-1508). One only wishes this excellent study went deeper into the subject." *Summing Up:* Recommended. All levels. -- M.R. Pukkila, Colby College, CHOICE, March 2007

Chas Clifton’s Her Hidden Children is a rare gem of contemporary Pagan history and
ethnography. In this book, a successful balance is struck between an unapologetic insider positionality with regard to North American Pagan subculture and rigorous data and source analysis. Culling from sources as diverse as academic studies of Paganism to contemporary Pagan periodicals, popular publications, and interviews, Clifton presents a complex and nuanced history of Paganism and particularly Witchcraft in America, shifting easily between careful analytic outsider to participant and insider in the community he discusses. In addition to Clifton’s engaging style, the effortlessness of this positional shift is a remarkable achievement and adds to the enjoyment of this necessary historical contribution. -- Murphy Pizza, University of Wiscnsin-Milwaukee, The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies 9:2 (November 2007).