Customer Reviews

American Voudou: Journey into a Hidden World

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's true, as two previous reviewers have noted in panning this book, that American Voudou is neither musicology nor a definitive academic treatise on voudou. But come on, folks -- that's not what it was meant to be. This is a personal travel narrative into a strange subculture that most Americans, white or black, don't know exists. Davis takes us, among other places, to a South Carolina village that is ruled by a king and where polygamy is practiced openly. Wherever he takes us, Davis's writing is vivid, clear-eyed, and compelling. He treats the voudou religion with respect. On its own terms, his book succeeds admirably.

I was immediatly fascinated by the title of this book as I have spent time in Haiti surrounded by voudou (very prevalent and a real fact of life there) and have long been interested about the transferance of African belief systems to the U.S. during the slave diaspora. I was captivated by Mr Davis' temerity and cajones getting himself access to an underworld that often chooses not to reveal itself because of it's historical persecution. I too have spent a little time at Oyotunji, an African based "voudou" commune in South Carolina and thought Mr Davis represented them well. For most people the subject of African based spiritual beliefs are shrouded in fear and superstition, stereotype and ignorance. Mr Davis has done an admirable job of shining a light into a historically dark corner in our Country. This is a book I wish I could have written!

If you are looking for a narrative, somewhat personal report of one man's roadtrip in search of a variety of rituals and understandings of voodoo, this may be the book for you. Though I found the author's thesis creative and insightful on the connection between African religions and American voodoo, in general I found the book lacking in analysis and rigor. It was a fun read, but functions mostly as a gateway book for voodoo studies.

This is a story book about a series of road trips one man made in order to chronicle a set of interesting characters who live in New Orleans, but it is hardly a book that introduces you to "Voudou in America." The journalist got so caught up in the personality of one of the women he followed around that he began to absorb her likes and dislikes. The worst part of the book is the writer's insistence on pitting Black American Voudou practitioners against Cuban/Caribbean Santeria practitioners. I think he just got too caught up in the personality politics of his subjects to be objective in the end.

Basically, good for stories and to get some general insight from someone who is, to say the very least, not prejudiced against the religion -- BUT just take a few notes, jot down a few names (like "Luisah Teish" and "Ava Kay Jones") and move on...

What a great book! The subtitle says it all: "a journey into a hidden world." Davis not only explores the world of voudou, santeria and other incarnations of African religions that are hiding in plain sight from most white Americans-an utterly fascinating realm--but he also provides an engaging perspective on another complex culture: the American South. Aside from it's obvious academic worth, the book is a totally entertaining travelogue from someone who really knows how to write.

Unlike some of the other reviews, I had been there as Rod visited the churches we attended and witnessed the Religion at work. He's about as authentic as it gets for someone not IN the Religion as I am.
His concentration on one particular priestess is focused. Reverend Lorita Honeycutt Gamble is the embodiment of what the mystery is about. She is my madrina.
Rod captured her personality and spirit in as lively a story as possible for an Outsider.
By putting this in context: the survival of African beliefs in the New World colonies under brutal slavery is a recognition of the road that so many have traveled to arrive at freedom. That Voudou is a living tradition and belief system still functioning is a miracle to its power. It is the black snake under Blues music as it spread across the country as from New Orleans. Here is a true story and Rod has done it well.

In Rod's book, "American Voudou", you get imersed into a world that is truely like no other. He clears up many steriotypes and tells it like it is. Say bye to your friends and familly before reading this!

What a great book! The subtitle says it all: "a journey into a hidden world." Davis not only explores the world of voudou, santeria and other incarnations of African religions that are hiding in plain sight from most white Americans-an utterly fascinating realm--but he also provides an engaging perspective on another complex culture: the American South. Aside from its obvious academic worth, the book is a totally entertaining travelogue from someone who really knows how to write.

I was immediately fascinated by the title of this book as I have spent time in Haiti surrounded by voudou (very prevalent and a real fact of life there) and have long been interested about the transferance of African belief systems to the U.S. during the slave diaspora. I was captivated by Mr Davis' temerity and cajones getting himself access to an underworld that often chooses not to reveal itself because of it's historical persecution. I too have spent a little time at Oyotunji, an African based "voudou" commune in South Carolina and thought Mr Davis represented them well. For most people the subject of African based spiritual beliefs are shrouded in fear and superstition, stereotype and ignorance. Mr Davis has done an admirable job of shining a light into a historically dark corner in our Country. This is a book I wish I could have written!

While it's not sensationalistic like some books, the author simply did not do enough research. He confuses Vodou with Santeria, and apparently doesn't realize that the Ibeji Temple in Atlanta is a new religious movement BASED ON Vodou and Santeria, not traditional American practice. There are much, much better books on Vodou and hoodoo out there. Read those.