Voodoo and Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners [Paperback]

Jim Haskins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1990

Voodoo and Hoodoo tells how these spiritual descendents of African medicine men and sorcerers lay tricks and work their magic and explains the hold these practices have had on their believers, from their Old World origins until today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Scarborough House; First Scarborough Edition edition (July 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812860853
• ISBN-13: 978-0812860856
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read but not really very helpful...., April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Voodoo and Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners (Paperback)

Mr. Haskins grabs you from the "get-go" and delves into a good amount of history in hoodoo's origins but falls short of actually being useful from a practitioners point of view. He hints at various persons techniques and recipes but actually makes more than a few errors in his facts in dealing with various herbs. One dealing with Low John *vs* High John, for example ,could actually be dangerous to the reader. :-( "Recipes" used as examples were somewhat vague and from my point of view I would have liked the completed versions better . But then I don't beleive Mr. Haskins planned on this being a "source" but rather a charming narrative of the world of hoodoo & Voudun. In that sense it seems to fit the bill.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview, March 12, 2006

By 

Konrad Baumeister - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voodoo and Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners (Paperback)

Jim Haskins' book is a great introduction to the study and potential practice of voodoo/hoodoo, which should be the essential building block of any library on the subject.

The book is divided into two parts: the first section deals with the original West African belief systems as practiced at the time of the slave trade (and more or less until today in some areas), the transition to the Americas, and how interaction with whites and other immigrant peoples affected these religions. The roles of the priests of the old religions, the magic workers/conjurers and herbalists are all examined. Haskins has a good grasp of the various contexts in which the white and black religions interacted, between Catholic and Protestant, French vs English or Portuguese, large vs small plantation environments, etc. This is the stronger of the two sections.

The second part is likely the reason most people buy this book, i.e. the actual spells with ingredients and instructions to follow to bring money, justice, luck, or love into (or out of) your life. A chapter each is devoted to bringing ill to others, good to yourself and others, the courts & law, and finally love. Some of these can be done by the reader/individual, others would require an intermediary to 'successfully' complete. Reading the spells, taking up over half the book, is interesting and amusing, and brought to mind nothing to much as Phil Hine's books on (Western and G.D.-based) Chaos Magic, the point being that if you believe it, put enough energy and intensity into it, ANYTHING can be a tool for magic and caused change. My guess is that if you need this kind of instruction manual in the first place, you have no business attempting this kind of work. But no doubt every reader will make up his/her own mind.

The book reads well, and is an excellent primer. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the origins and practice of voodoo.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better to just do some internet research, October 3, 2008

By 

Steven J. Boulware "imnosaint" (still earthbound) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voodoo and Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners (Paperback)

I risk angering Baron Samedi, but really not a great book. More of a folk history than an informative book. I'd channel Marie Laveau before paying out for this one.