THE WITCH DIGGERS (441 pp.) ­ Jessamyn West ­ Harcourt, Brace ($3.50). An Indiana county poor farm swarming with moronic Peeping Toms, addlebrained paupers and unmarried mothers might not be the ...

Growing up, when I would throw a tantrum or be upset, my parents would always tell me not to be "melodramatic," which roughly translated into "stop being a brat." But what if I told you there was a ...