Customer Reviews

Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica (P.S.)

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In the late 1930s, Zora Neale Hurston toured Jamaica and Haiti on a Guggenheim Fellowship collecting folklore and voodoo materials for this book, published in 1938. The book is in three sections, covering her views of and experiences in Jamaica, people and politics of Haiti, and finally her initiation and participation in the world of Haitian voodoo. Zora maintains her usual stance of the involved, inquisitive participant, and her initiation into the ways of voodoo was, and is, both remarkable and engaging. From sexism in Jamaica to threats about her voodoo investigations, from commentary on her role as ethnographer to criticism of previous white studies of voodoo, the book is wild, and collects a huge range of important black cultural practices. Zora left the field hurriedly in 1938, desperately ill, convinced she might die, and sure that she had been 'hexed' for delving too deep into the world of 'bad' (petro) voodoo...have a read of one of the most important pieces of black folklore research of the 1930s. Parlay cheval ou! Ah bo bo!

Reading this book is like travelling along with Ms. Neale Hurston as she explores life in Haiti. You will meet fanscinating and intriguing people. The practices and beliefs are explained in just enough detail to make you feel like you were there, but all the mystery is retained as even the author is unable to explain or understand the depth of experience and strength of beliefs held by the native Haitians. Finding non-fiction that reads like a novel is a rare and wonderful treasure.

If this book was fiction I would call it one of the most imaginative books I have ever read, but it's real. It is scary, unbelievably deep, and true. A wonderful anthropological gathering of stories, ceremonies , and everyday life. Let me wash my face with Jalapeno rum if I'm not telling the truth about this book being great. You can tell my horse.

The writing of Zora Neale Hurston is fine. The content of the book is, in his second part, is a "first hand" experience of what voodoo was in 1930. This is therefore a classical and valuable source of knowledge. Interesting enough, Zora Neale Hurston took probably part at various voodoo initiations, and we would have been interested to know more about her experiences, feelings, philosophical and religious insights. Unfortunately for us, she respected the "secret de l'arcane" which characterizes most of the so called esoteric societies. There is also hope for Haïti in this book, but it demonstrates also the power of USA to bring some kind of mismatch in the political affairs and economic life of a poor and very small country. Abobo!

This book includes a small section on Jamaica but concentrates mainly on vodou practices in Haiti. I am impressed with Hurston's skill as a travel writer in the section on Jamaica. The images from the island are vivid and written in a lush style. She includes lots of descriptions of Jamaicans' folk culture; the sections on spiritual beings called "duppies" is especially rich. The major focus of the book, however, is on Haiti in general and vodou in particular. Hurston's style is even more impressive in this section. Some passages, such as her blending of mythic images with history, are characteristic of some of her finest writing. The content is equally spectacular, as she writes vibrantly about a range of spiritual beliefs, practices, and rituals. Some of the more fantastical elements, including a description of a corpse that sat upright in a funeral ritual and a photograph of a living zombie seem more like ethnographic fiction than valid social scientific work. As a result, some have dismissed this book as more of a travelogue or even a fictionalized ethnography. In recent years, however, scientific studies have supported Hurston's argument that there is a rationalistic, and perhaps even, a-rationalistic basis for what she observed and discussed. In this respect, her in-depth and sympathetic analysis of vodou is much more interesting and much more relevant to the study of religious experience and folk culture in the islands. It also interesting to think about how she was completing the fieldwork in Haiti while she was also writing other works, including "Their Eyes Were Watching God." That aspect of her life history really adds to an understanding of this book, and it adds to an understanding of her novel and numerous short stories.

This is an essential book on both Haiti and Voodoo. It's the first book I've read by the author and I am now inspired to read more. There are few really insightful books out there on Voodoo and this is one of them. It begins in Jamaica, recounting her experiences there but then quickly moves to Haiti. The section on Haitian politics of the time was the least interesting section of the book. It is brief however, and she quickly moves on to the Haitian people, Voodoo as a religion, and secret societies.

This is a crucial work in the study of zombies as well. Zora met with one and photographed her for the book. She also provides valuable insight into the phenomenon of possession as well.

For an outsider, it is difficult to understand the intricacies of Voodoo. This book is an excellent place to start.

Vital, energizing and most of all factual. No Hollywood metaphors here. This is the real earth-affirming belief and one that can have beneficent effects on those who really research and practice it. A well-written blessing.

This book is as mysterious and thought-provoking as expected from the author. As always, she presents the reader with a point of view that is very personal, and so deeply informed. I don't believe anyone else could have had the range of resources she did on the subjects. I knew very little about Voodoo, or the history of Jamaica and Haiti. I trust Ms. Hurston to have given us an insightful, if brief overview of the state of affairs at that time, in these places. The photos are remarkable.

Tell My Horse provides good descriptions of some aspects of life for descendants of slaves in Jamaica and Haiti during the 1920's and 30's. It is objective without being judgmental. It is based on the author's personal experiences so is a first-hand account and is one of only a few such works in existence on this aspect of Caribbean life during this time period.
While the subject of voodoo is covered thoroughly, Hurston also describes living conditions and some historical events that were relevant to her subject. The book appears to be well-researched and Hurston is sympathetic to her subjects without being overly sentimental.

This book is recommended by almost every Vodouisant I know, and with good reason. Zora gives a personal account of her travels through Haiti and Jamaica, and offers us a beautiful glimpse at Voodoo (Vodou) during the time that she was there. If you are serious about studying Vodou, this is a must read.