First published 1938
Zora Neale Hurston travels to Haiti and Jamaica to study voodoo from within. She undergoes initiation into the religion, learning its secret ceremonies and encountering its supernatural elements firsthand. Hurston meets practitioners who wield mystical abilities and confronts hostile spirits during her research. She discovers a complex web of religious restrictions and encounters both malevolent forces and powerful spiritual leaders. Through her immersion in these Caribbean communities, Hurston reveals how voodoo provides strength and connection for its believers. The book shows how shared faith creates bonds between people and offers them ways to endure hardship. Hurston documents both the frightening and empowering aspects of voodoo practice, demonstrating the religion's deep roots in community life.
Genres: history, 20th-century, african-american, anthropology, folklore, non-fiction, biography-memoir, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, immersive-research
Setting: Haiti, Jamaica
Period: 1804-
Paperback · Turtle Island Books