Product Description
An absorbing, probing look at the conspiracy theories that operate on the sidelines of history and the reasons they continue to play such a seditious role, from an award-winning journalist.

Our age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere- from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, from the assassination of Kennedy to the death of Diana. In this age of terrorism we live in, the role of conspiracy is a serious one, one that can fuel radical or fringe elements to violence.

For David Aaronovitch, there came a time when he started to see a pattern among these inflammatory theories. these theories used similarly murky methods with which to insinu­ate their claims: they linked themselves to the supposed conspiracies of the past (it happened then so it can happen now); they carefully manipulated their evidence to hide its holes; they relied on the authority of dubious aca­demic sources. Most important, they elevated their believers to membership of an elite- a group of people able to see beyond lies to a higher reality. But why believe something that entails stretching the bounds of probabil­ity so far? Surely it is more likely that men did actually land on the moon in 1969 than that thousands of people were enlisted to fabricate an elaborate hoax.

In this entertaining and enlightening book -aimed at providing ammunition for those who have found themselves at the wrong end of a conversation about moon landings or the twin towers-Aaronovitch carefully probes and explodes a dozen of the major conspiracy theories. In doing so, he examines why people believe them, and makes an argument for a true skepticism: one based on a thorough knowledge of history and a strong dose of common sense.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

If only the conspiracy crowd would read and absorb this book....
Excellent book.I won't spend time detailing all the reasons to read it.I'll assume some of the positive reviews here do an adequate job of that.I just wish all those who call Aaronovitch a "disinfo agent" or other such foolishness would step outside their comfortable little bubble for just a little while and try to look at the world objectively and rationally.Perhaps a few of them might wake up.And they could have an impact on a few other conspiracy types, and then a few more, and then....Snowballing sanity.What a wonderful dream!Unfortunately, anyone calling Aaronovitch a disinfo agent is probably hopelessly beyond the reach of objective argument.

Conspiracies are a good thing!
What's wrong with a good conspiracy now and then? It makes us consider things that were heretofore "unconsiderable". Princess Diana dies in a tunnel, unwitnessed by the public...Ruby manages to kill off the prime suspect to a murder before a public trial. Seen from the other side of the coin, conspiracies can keep the truth in proper perspective. After all, Holocaust deniers are conspiracy theorists too; however,their claims refute plain common sense. By clearly arguing the commonly-accepted facts in each case, "Voodoo Histories" effectively makes the point that history begins and ends with evidence; but "Voodoo Histories" vehemently attacks any effort to explain such evidence in context of surrounding events. That's not a very scientific method to me...

Excellent source of sanity
I was at Borders I had just looked at a JFK conspiracy book and then some christian new world order scare book, frustrated I wandered through the history section and accidently came across this gem.Some of the chapters were boring to me because I have little interest in Princess Diana and British politics in general. The author also had an annoying habit of introducing his topic then completely changing the subject for 15 pages until he could bring it back around. For instance the chapter titled "I Want My Country Back" presumably about the Tea Party crowd was actually mostly about Bill Clinton and the Vince Foster conspiracies.But overall a very informative and thought provoking book.

OK, What's the "Role?"Does "Voodoo" mean "doodoo?"
Title meaningless, thesis obvious, reading tedious, onerous; style pompous, ponderous;
rendering circuitous, repetetious.

M. S. Newton ("Skeptic Curmudgeon")

Who Is this guy working for ????
More trash from a British writer, probably MI5. Not only do their movies and humor stink, they can't write books. Basically, the book refutes anything that does not hail from mainstream media; Oswald shot JFK, Swine flu was legit, etc,,,,,makes me want to vomit reading this trash. I am using it for real toilet paper. Richard Pipes wrote a book about conspiracies that was a little better than this, but it was still flaky and easily dismissed. There is a big difference between Elvis working at a fast food restaurant and 2.3 trillion dollars missing from the Pentacon and Rumsfield claiming on C-SPAN that they do not know what happened to it ??? HAAAHAHAHAHA the controlled media has Ameritards grouping any misdeed from Washington into the Wild Conspiracy Theory class and dismissing it. So Grand Theft or SEC fraud gets the same treatment as Elvis in a flying saucer.The USA is doomed. ... Read more

Product Description
The term "voodoo hoodoo" is used by Louisiana locals to describe the unique variety of Creole Voodoo found in New Orleans. In this book, you will find a plethora of authentic Voodoo and hoodoo rituals for love, justice, gambling luck, luck in court, prosperity, health, crossing, hexes, curse removal, and much more. The author has stripped the shroud of secrecy that has always surrounded Voodoo, and provides detailed instructions on everything from making gris-gris, magickal oils, talismans, and powders, to casting hexes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Perfect resource for the budding Voudun
Purchased this as a gift, and the recipient is delighted!Good info, clearly written, and the author has her own site where she teaches and shares more.

Very Informative
Very informative. Easy to read with lots of good material.I recommend this book to beginningpractioners to seasoned practioners.Good book to always have on hand as reference too.

Awesome Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook
Denise Alvarado has got to be the most versed person in the art of voodoo hoodoo~!I love the book, it is smack full of background information, spells, ingredients, etc.Perfect book for anyone beginning to dig into the practice.

Thank you Denise, you are a very good teacher and give of your knowledge so freely.I can't wait to see the next book you write.Anyone who has anything bad to say in reference to Denise's knowledge must be very envious of the knowledge this young lady has acquired from years of study, research and living the life.

Thank you again!

Tzangel

Two Thumbs up!WAY UP!
This is a fantastic book!I really enjoyed reading this book.It is full of helpful and useful information on Voodoo and how you can apply it to your own life.I was literally addicted to reading this book and was sad when it was over.I wanted more!The only complaint I have is I wish Ms. Alvarado would have written another book to accompany this one.She gave a lot in the book however she states that she was holding back guarded "secrets" which only further made my thirst for Voodoo knowledge that much more unquinched.If you have the chance get this book!I have referred back to it repeatedly.The information is truly priceless.Happy reading!

We need more books like this.
This book (thanks to the author) gets you straight down to the business of learning and working some Hoodoo without asking for your mothers maiden name or asking you to drink a cup of chickens blood. The content of the book is enough to get you at least working well on yourself if not others, basically if you can't get some results from the tricks in this book - then Hoodoo is not for you. There are some very funny but true points about the work within the pages, which I won't spoil for you just buy a copy and see. ... Read more

Product Description
Hired by popular television star Jodie Taylor to find the biological parents who gave her up for adoption thirty-six years earlier, Los Angeles private eye Elvis Cole becomes suspicious when other investigators searching for Jodie's parents are killed. Reprint. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (50)

Our satisfying introduction to Crais and PI Elvis Cole !!
"Voodoo" is our first exposure to author Robert Crais, and in short, we were pleased and entertained!Fifth in his series featuring Private Eye Elvis Cole, with pard Joe Pike, we can see why the author is enjoying a nice following with his dozen or so novels to date.

In this story, Cole is hired to track the birth parents of an adopted LA-based TV star, Jodi Taylor, supposedly to gain her medical background.That requires travel to Louisiana, where the remainder of the tale takes place; and we readers are introduced to quite a number of interesting backwoods-type characters in the small towns and bayous in Cajun food territory.Cole soon finds that a local PI, Jimmy Ray Rebenack, may have beat him to the punch - but when a number of shady characters take too much interest in Cole's nosing around, violence and mayhem soon reveal that there is much more going on than meets the eye.Meanwhile, the star's Louisiana-based lawyer, Lucy Chenier (apparently an ongoing character in later books), provides Cole key assistance in solving the mysteries, with a burgeoning serious romance with our leading man providing a fun subplot.Pike, a man of few words but ready physical talents, eventually joins Cole to chase the bad guys...

Crais has a very easy-going writing style that makes the pages turn pleasantly and quickly.His plot is not so complicated that it overshadows his characters and their everyday humanity, and his great sense of humor, evidenced through Cole's repartee in virtually every chapter, only adds to the fun.We can see why these stories find favor with his fans, and we look forward to soon acquiring yet another.Recommended for sure!

Cole Finds Love!
Robert Crais did an excellent job with this novel. Cole meets a lady lawyer that takes a shine to him and nicknames him Studly-Do-Right - behind his back to her girlfriends. Only her young son enlightens Cole and he knows he is in like Flint! As the lawyer and Cole comes together to help a well-known actress find out about her parentage; Pike joins the duo to make sure Cole doesn't get himself killed. Without giving away too much of the story, we get to see what life was like in the South. Being a Southerner myself I know that a good bit of the storyline (the cover ups mostly) borders on truth.

Joe Pike
If you are a Joe Pike fan, buy this book.Joe Pike is a lot like Bruce Willis, except as some pokers players do, he never takes off his sunglasses.Mr. Pike rights ever wrong, and his loyalty to his friends is beyond reproach.Don't let the killings and cold-blooded words stop you from reading this book, Joe Pike and Elvis Cole are quite a team, and we all hope in life to have one good friend like them.Someone who always has your back whether they agree with you or not.I would read all the Robert Crais Elvis Cole books starting from the beginning so you can work up to the Joe Pike books he is currently putting out.Give it a try.These are strong men, but most importantly, they are loyal men and "loyalty" is everything.Trust me.

Elvis charms again
I have always enjoyed the sassy but competent Elvis character Crais has created as well as the somber, enegmatic Joe Pike.Easy to read, some good reparte, an interesting story.

Action and affability in the bayous
It's not hard to see why readers like Crais' work -- his novels have an engaging readability about them, and this is no exception. The private detective with the funny name, Elvis Cole, saunters into the assignment of discovering an adopted TV star's birth parents and soon finds himself knee-deep in the swamps of Louisiana battling people smugglers of a very violent nature.
As the action turns darker, Cole makes the transition from a wise-cracking sleuth to a hard-nosed crime fighter as he stands between the innocent or unintentionally guilty and a mass of vicious and greedy gangsters.
The whole effect is of James Lee Burke in a sunny mood, a novel which keeps you turning the pages without sinking you completely into the murkiest depths of the human condition. Pacey, fun and very readable indeed. ... Read more

Product Description
In a time of dazzling scientific progress, how can we separate genuine breakthroughs from the noisy gaggle of false claims? From Deepak Chopra's "quantum alternative to growing old" to unwarranted hype surrounding the International Space Station, Robert Park leads us down the back alleys of fringe science, through the gleaming corridors of Washington power and even into our evolutionary past to search out the origins of voodoo science. Along the way, he offers simple and engaging science lessons, proving that you don't have to be a scientist to spot the fraudulent science that swirls around us.
While remaining highly humorous, this hard-hitting account also tallies the cost: the billions spent on worthless therapies, the tax dollars squandered on government projects that are doomed to fail, the investors bilked by schemes that violate the most fundamental laws of nature. But the greatest cost is human: fear of imaginary dangers, reliance on magical cures, and above all, a mistaken view of how the world works.
To expose the forces that sustain voodoo science, Park examines the role of the media, the courts, bureaucrats and politicians, as well as the scientific community. Scientists argue that the cure is to raise general scientific literacy. But what exactly should a scientifically literate society know? Park argues that the public does not need a specific knowledge of science so much as a scientific world view--an understanding that we live in an orderly universe governed by natural laws that cannot be circumvented.Amazon.com Review
Scientific error, says Robert Park, "has a way of evolving... from self-delusion to fraud. I use the term voodoo science tocover them all: pathological science, junk science, pseudoscience, andfraudulent science." In pathological science, scientists foolthemselves. Junk science refers to scientists who use their expertiseto befuddle and mislead others (usually juries orlawmakers). Pseudoscience has the trappings of science without anyevidence. Fraudulent science is, well, fraud--old-fashioned lying.

Park is well-acquainted with voodoo science in all its forms. Since1982, he has headed the Washington, D.C., office of the AmericanPhysical Society, and he has carried the flag for scientificrationality through cold fusion, homeopathy, "Star Wars," quantumhealing, and sundry attempts to repeal the laws ofthermodynamics. Park shows why a "disproportionate share of thescience seen by the public is flawed" (because shaky science is morelikely to skip past peer review and head straight for the media), andhe gives a good tour of recent highlights in Voodoo. He has arare ability to poke holes compassionately, without excoriating thosetaken in by their fondest wishes. Park is less forgiving of scientists(especially Edward Teller) when he thinks they've fallen down on thejob, a job that should include helping the public separate thescientific wheat from the voodoo chaff. --Mary Ellen Curtin ... Read more

Customer Reviews (96)

WHY DO WE ACCEPT BAD SCIENCE?
Robert Park
Voodoo Science:
The Road from Foolishness to Fraud

(New York: Oxford University Press, 2000) 230 pages
(ISBN: 0-19-513515-6; hardcover)
(Library of Congress call number: Q175.52.U5P37 2000)

Robert L. Park (no relation to this reviewer) is a professor of physics
--a practicing scientist--who also attempts to bring real science
to people who would never otherwise read a book of science.
The subtitle of this book refers to the very common progression
from a simple, honest error of scientific method
to an intentional scheme to defraud others,
usually for financial gain.

The major pseudo-scientific frauds discussed here include:
cold fusion--the claim to be able to fuse hydrogen atoms
at room temperature, thereby liberating the power that drives the sun.
global warming--projecting dramatic climate change
on the basis of computer models.
'natural' medicine--miracle cures from simple substances.
homeopathy--sugar pills programmed by water than 'remembers'.
magnets--more impossible benefits from a very weak force.
manned space flight vs. more cost-effective scientific instruments.
perpetual motion machines--producing more energy than consumed
by a miracle device that powers itself
as well as produces unlimited power for other uses.
power lines as a cause of cancer.
UFOs at Roswell, New Mexico.
x-ray lasar super weapon--light beam powered by an H-bomb.
(Guess what happens: It blows up.)
the misuse of the language and symbols of science to promote pseudo-science:
"quantum", "uncertainty principle", "vitamin".

The mass media and politicians often get involved in pseudo-science
because they do not have the ability to tell real science
from the exaggerated and impossible claims of hucksters.
Governments have been known to waste millions of dollars
trying to develop something that high school science knows is impossible.

All in all an entertaining and informative book,
which should be read by everyone who has been tempted
by any of the foolish beliefs mentioned above.

Find other books critical of pseudo-science here on the Internet:
"OCCULTISM AND SCIENCE".

James Leonard Park, skeptic.

A Must Read
This should be a 'must read' for all young scientists, engineers or would be technical managers. It clearly highlights dangers to otherwise competent and honest characters associated with preconcieved notions or with a strong 'will to believe' that only a cetain outcome is possible.

Take a voodoo journey
What do science, medicine and magic have in common? Each inspires awe and is potentially fooling you in someway. Voodoo Science, the Road from Foolishness to Fraud is an eye opening journey. Take a look at the intriguing list of chapters and you will get a feel for Park's sense of adventure and creativity: "Only Mushrooms Grow in the Dark", "Placebos Have Side Effects" (Park, Contents). This book will open the eyes and ears of scientists and non-scientists alike. Unquestionably governments use science as the basis to enact legislation.The need to make decisions based upon scientific evidence creates tension between those who trust technology and those who trust it too much.This climate is ripe for the circumventing the scientific process which then gives rise to voodoo science.
Park provides colorful insights into the illusion of Homeopathy. He clearly explains "There is no medicine in the medicine" (Park, 57). The claims that homoeopathists make is preposterous to most scientists. It is clearly a concern and most people would be surprised to learn "Between homeopathy and herbal therapy lays a bewildering array of untested and unregulated treatments, all labeled alternative by their proponents" (Park, 57).
Park weaves statics into each story, such as "Pascal's wager" (Park, 96) or the tendency for people to wager on the impossible.This belief has allowed many people to expend a great deal of time, energy and money.Such is the case with cold fusion.This story will make your skeptical nerve itch forevermore. In fact, cold fusion was researched at some of the most prestigious institutions.
The tales continue on and on, to microwaves and EMFs (Electro Magnetic Fields). The news reports in the early to mid-90s had alarmingly stories on EMFs.Meanwhile, property values dropped from the waves of voodoo science.Park reveals "Epidemiology was dredging for results in the statistical noise" (Park, 160).In 1997 finally the National Cancer Institute released a study with reliable statistics and found no link between cancer and EMFs.The total cost of this scare, including relocating lines and property values was estimated to be in excess of $25 billion.
A health care professional must be aware that statistically, if B follows A, then it does not necessarily mean that B is caused by A.Furthermore, there may not be any connection at all.The story of silicone implants is expertly told. The unwarranted fear and foolishness drove Dow Corning into bankruptcy.All by the alleged connection of health issues and silicon implants.Judges are not scientists and many times voodoo science does end up in the courtroom. Since it takes a considerable amount of time to gather accurate data the animated accusations come to life and too often the damage is already done.
While this book's tales are grim we must learn from the past blunders. If there is anything you gain in reading Voodoo Science, the Road from Foolishness to Fraud it should be to maintain doubt.

Very Enjoyable
Engaging and fun - Bob Park has an easy style and makes genuine issues accessible to the layman.

Really great and fascinating book!
This book is so interesting and gives you a new way to look at science and the media.Very well written and so cool! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Enjoyable Series Continues - Not Voodoo-Related
Greg Herren writes two series of mystery-thriller novels set in the New Orleans area."Vieux Carre Voodoo" continues the series starring Scotty Bradley, a former go-go dancer, who is now a private investigator sharing everything with partner Sobieski, a former FBI agent.

The book is an enjoyable beach read set in New Orleans at Easter-time.The action includes a string of murders, the return of a key character from previous books, hostage-taking, riddles giving clues, and a number of different parties seeking a stolen religious object.It's all good fun.Those who follow the series need not hold back, and those new to the series can read this book without trouble.

My only unhappiness is about the title of the work.While the mystery is physically set in the French Quarter (Vieux Carre) and the Garden District, there is no link at all to Afro-Caribbean culture.Any exotic element is related to the culture of the Himalayas instead.I am disappointed such a good title has been used up so needlessly.

Scotty Sluthing Again
I'm a Greg Herren fan, so I read this book with a positive prejudice. I like the way Greg develops his mysteries, and I liked this book. This was actually my second reading, having read the book when it first came out. I would recommend it to those who like gay (character) mysteries.

The Return of Scotty Bradley
Herren, Greg. "Vieux Carre Voodoo", Bold Strokes Books, 2010.

The Return of Scotty Bradley

Amos Lassen

I am a big fan of Greg Herren probably because he writes about my home town, New Orleans and even more because he is such a good writer. Whenever I read a Greg Herren book I find myself back in New Orleans--his descriptions are that vivid and it helps that I have been to many places that he writes about. I'll have a chance to visit them this week when I go to The Big Easy for the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival.
Our friend and former go-go dancer Scotty Bradley returns inHerren's new novel, "Vieux Carre Voodoo". Scotty is a private detective and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He is by himself as his partner Frank is away on business but Scotty manages to stay busy--especially since he is involved in a worldwide conspiracy that has to do with a missing religious icon--supposedly stolen. Mix this in with fake identities, kidnapping, torture and an unexpected visitor and we get a thrilling piece of writing.
What I love the most about Herren's writing is the way he develops characters and then letting them become involved in situations that are totally real albeit extreme.
The book begins with the apparent suicide of one of Scotty's old family friends and from the moment that Scotty becomes involved, his life moves rapidly forward. Scotty wants to know the reason for the death and what was being looked for when the old friend was killed. Scotty is determined to find this out and as he probes the death, he soon discovers that both his life and his love are in endangered.
I read this turning the pages as fast as I could. This is one of Herren's better books but that is not to say that they all are not good. I have loved everyone of them and I suppose because this one is the freshest in my mind, it seems that much better.

Scotty is back, and - as usual - trouble finds him quickly!
Former go-go boy - turned private detective - Scotty Bradley is back!In post-Katrina New Orleans, temporarily alone while his partner, Frank, is away on business, Scotty soon finds himself in the middle of an international conspiracy involving the theft of a religious icon, assumed identities, torture, kidnapping, murder and the unexpected return of someone he has learned not to trust.

As a major fan of both Herren's "Chanse" and "Scotty" mystery series, I was overjoyed to hear that Bold Strokes agreed to pick up the latter, and this was well worth waiting for.Herren has a knack for developing colorful primary and supporting characters the reader actually cares about, and involving them in realistic though extreme situations that make his books riveting to the mystery purist.Bravo, and five gumbo-stained stars out of five!

- Bob Lind, Echo Magazine ... Read more

Product Description
nonfiction, Haitian, tr R Cross ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Just awful and ignorant
After reading several books to seek more knowledge about the Vodou tradition, this one is by far the worse source of information I have ever encountered. I started reading this book and before I passed the first chapter I was dumbfounded by his definitions and comparisons. So I decided to skim through the book and kept finding inconsistencies as well as some appalling assumptions. I don't know where this author got his information but this book should not be sold or bought because I feel that this book is an insult to such a beautiful religion.

Secrets not explained
As a scholar-practitioner on this topic, I do not mean to disrespect the author, but most notably, he freely injects astrological, Judeo, Ethiopian, and Egyptian beliefs as well as myth that ARE valid underpinnings of Voodoo and all African Traditional religions while trying to explain something else. This means that the author just alludes to these important ideas and their terms quickly throughout the book without giving sufficient definition, background, or support. The result is that the correlations -- "secrets" -- he wants to convey become hard to follow.Thus, I think that, whereas this well-organized work carries a lot of interesting information and shows the author as a deep thinker who is exposed to ideas that many in voodoo and other religions do not know, it fails to allow the reader to understand that information.For example, the author alludes to and uses undefined terms, but never really explains how or why many cultural beliefs or astrology became a part of Vodou -- That is, that the Yoruba (who were among the founders of voodoo) came from Egypt to Ile Ife in about 2000 BC or that the Nile Valley was a super highway back then for the sharing of ideas on the cosmos, medicine, and magic from many, many cultures.This lack of explanation keeps the reader in the dark -- obscures the deep "secrets" to be gained.In addition, some interpretations offered seem to be mis-informed, mistranslated, or unusual at best. These are the reasons for my very low rating of the work.

Here are a few specific examples of problems in the text:
1) Under-explained:The author's citing of esoteric lore about Moses, the asson, and voodoo; his assertions such as that Papa Legba is commonly regarded as the sun and Erzulie as Mawu or the Moon, etc. are not the common understandings in the religion.
2) Inconsistent:His references to Papa Legba as the "King of Kings," "the sun," and still later, as "the son of the sun -- Christ." Legba/Esu is traditionally (in Africa and the Diaspora) seen as a spiritual translator and a spirit force who opens communication between man and spirit via the Poteau Mitan (ceremonial centerpost). When called "poteau mitan" in song, Papa Legba is seen as the very axis of communication by which Lwa enters the peristyle (ceremonial area). In the Fon culture Aida Wedo or the Yoruba Osumare (the rainbow serpent) is called Danbara/Dan bala. In Haiti, the lore presents them as two wedded serpents. Despite differences, they usually represent purity, fertility, and the life force. This book give a variety of unusual interpretations for them.
3) Incorrect:his use and translation of several African words and spirit names, e.g., the names for the most-high God of the Yoruba and Fon people differ.
4)Unsupported:his translation of some African-based words, e.g., the word "Lwa" that he relates to the French word for law. Several scholars give the word Kongo origins (not Yourba),and "Lwa" as a word is the same as Loa and means the same as "Orisha" of the Yoruba or "Vodun" of the Fon -- It means spirit or spirit forces/heads.
5) Dated:referring to Vodou as a cult or set of cults. Voodoo is now the national religion of Benin and Haiti and is struggling to be seen as such. It deserves that status because it possesses the three elements that qualify all religions despite its many variations --a clear priestly lineage, standard elements and orders of ceremony, and basic tenets.

The online article Yoruba Medicine by Tariq Sawandi ormaterial on Sosyete du Marche or into-thedarkness orBrown's MAMA LOLA, Blier's AFRICAN VODOUN, Galembo's VODOU, The vodou portion of Bibbs' HERITAGE OF POWER, Teish's JAMBALA, and even Metraux's older VODOU IN HAITI should be read before this book.These will also give a novice a clearer picture of the common beliefs and practices of Vodou/Voodoo.

Surface view
Although I feel that the title is greatly misleading, there is still some invaluable information to be found in this book. The easiest way to describe this book is this: look at the cover of the book closely...this book is basically going to explain everything that is going on, in said picture. I already have a good bit of information on vodoun so the most valuable thing, for me, was the veves and the vodoun pantheon list. If you want true secrets of vodoun, purchase "The Spider and the Green Butterfly" by E.A. Koetting. There are only 500 copies available, so move quickly. But all in all, this was a good book on the "surface" view of vodoun

Just a college essay on Voodoo
The author is writing for a Euro audience and has taken GREAT creative writing liberties in trying to tie in Voodoo with Moses and ancient Ethiopia or Cush.
This book isn't meant for anyone who is from this heritage and culture.
Some of the things that this author says is just flat out made up and fantasy.
He knows nothing about Louisiana Creole tradition or African American tradition and can't write on it but he has studied some Jewish Kabbalah and mixes voodoo up with other mystical practices in an attempt to root Voodoo in some biblical text-which simply isn't true.

Excellent Voodoo Reference
As an aspiring author myself, I purchased this book to use as reference.
I was pleasantly surprised for the most part.The book was written in the 1950's by a man who was raised in Haiti and thus offers first hand accounts of a few specific ceremonies and how they are performed.It also includes several lovely veves and interesting photographs along with translations of ritual chants used by Haitian practitioners.
Lists of Loas by nation and descriptions of some of the more prominent ones were quite helpful.
I am sure the religion has changed and adapted over the past few decades, and this book covers only the voodoo practiced in Haiti. I am still searching for a fresher take Voodoo practiced in America but this book is a wonderful starting point and I am sure it will help my Mama-Loa character seem much more realistic now that I understand more of the religion and its history. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Great office gift
Need a Secret Santa or grab bag gift..?
This is it!

Creating laughs all around.
Everyone wanted one of their own.

VoodDoo Magic Works!
I bought this as a gift for someone who didn't really care for a coworker. After a few weeks of stabbing it with the included pins, this person actually game notice and left their position. We broke the this open at a friends house where we all laughed as we took turns poking he doll as if it was some crazy ritual. It's a great fun and entertaining product and may actually solve your beef with that "special someone". Give it a shot or should I say "needle" today and see if you can change the future outcome of your selected individual.

Perfect Gag Gift
I bought this for all my office co-workers and it was a great it. The product is a good quality gift and arrived very quickly.

NOT AVAILABLE - DO NOT ORDER!!!!
I ordered this 6 months ago as a Christams gift. Amazon FINALLY emailed me admitting that they do not carry this product, yet it is still list on the website at $9.95????

Comic Genius
Yes, it's a novelty book, but it's absolutely brilliant--rife with pithy observations on humankind in general and office mates in particular. The author is nothing short of a comic genius. I have heard him on the radioand wondered why he hasn't had his own HBO special. ... Read more

Product Description
Voodoo Season revisits the mystical landscape of New Orleans -- and its most famous Voodoo priestess, Marie Laveau -- that Jewell Parker Rhodes introduced us to in her previous novel Voodoo Dreams. This time, the award-winning author of historical fiction sets the story in the here and now.

Meet Marie Levant. The great-great granddaughter of the beloved, tantalizing Marie Laveau, she is compelled by unseen forces to leave her medical career in Chicago behind and return to her roots. But once she arrives in New Orleans, Marie is both seduced and horrified by this mysterious landscape whose slave-holding past merges with the spoils of the twenty-first century. A place where the Quadroon Balls of yesterday are a present reality, and women of color are still being abused and -- even more horrifying -- rendered "undead." Yet through it all, Marie can't help but sense that she's lived here before . . . and that maybe there's more to this city's history -- and her own.

With Voodoo Season, Rhodes once again presents her legions of fans with a heroine of authentic power and an alluring, unforgettable read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not as Good as Voodoo Dreams
Voodoo Season is the 2nd book in the Marie Laveau series by Jewell Parker Rhodes. There is a huge chronological gap from the 1st novel that ended in 1822 to the 2nd novel that takes place in 2005. I wish the 2nd novel was the story of Marie and her baby girl that she had with John. It would have been interesting to see the dynamic between the two women considering Marie murdered her abuser/lover for survival. Voodoo season only teases you with tidbits of information about Marie and her daughter and how the family split in 2. There was obviously a story before this story (voodoo season)that should have been written. The whole drunken chief of medical staff was completely far fetched and insulting to southerners. Dr.DuLac should have been portrayed with more dignity and self-respect considering he was a dark-skin black man who went through medical school and was practicing medicine in a southern state. Overall I give the book a C-.

VooDoo Season
I really enjoyed this book..far more than I did voodoo dreams, in fact I enjoyed this one so much i'm thinking about going back to read the first one (it was just so hard for me to get into) Fortunately, the first book wasn't a must read to understanding this one. Love JPR!

Voodoo Season
Excellent author and very gripping tales. I recommend the whole series if you can find the books!!!!

Stink, Stank, Stunk!
The author has been watching too much of the Blues Brothers movie where they go to Louisiana to compete in a band competition and meet the "Voodoo Queen".The conversations between the characters are choppy and unreadable.The story line in the hospital in ridiculous, with the hospital administrator being a drunk, the nurses being loony and the ONE police figure being unstrung.The ending is so comical, Blues Brother funny and unbelievable that you aren't surprised when she just ....STOPS the book with no plausible ending, leaving all characters, including the dog - just hanging.Please lady --- come back to the real world.If this is what the creole culture in New Orleans is really about it's a good thing they are rebuilding.Look elsewhere to spend $15.00.

Loved It
I've read Voodoo Dreams and fell in love witht this author and she is becoming one of my favorites well my favorite at the moment because I seem interested only in the topics she writes on. :) I really enjoyed this book I couldn't put it down, up late nights and on the train every day deeply into the lives of those in this book.A great read. ... Read more

Product Description
New Orleans in the mid-nineteenth century: a potent mix of whites, Creoles, free blacks, and African slaves, a city pulsing with crowds, commerce, and an undercurrent of secret power.The source of this power is thevoodoo religion, and its queen is Marie Laveau, the notorious voodooienne, worshipped and feared by blacks and whites alike.
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Customer Reviews (32)

Interesting Read
Voodoo Season is an interesting read because it tells the story of Voudun and how it journeyed from Africa to the New World. I love the way the author maintains that Voudun is about healing and something that was taken from African Americans by slave owners yet was practice in secret until Marie Laveau. My only objection is that Marie was protrayed as a weak woman who suffered rape, abuse, and the murder of her Grandmere and husband by her lover/handler John. If Marie could get away with killing a white man in the book, then killing John would have been extremely easy and should have been done a lot sonner. I give the book a B.

garbage
what a pile of trash... so far from the truth of realism and the real Marie. I am so unhappy that I spent my time and money.

Marie Laveux wasn't black
First, Marie Laveaux wasnt black. She was very very light and mostly of Native American, French, Spanish and some black being that she was Creole. Creoles in her days weren't dark in complexion and didnt have the features that this author is showing. Creoles often come under attack from racist Southern whites in telling of New Orleans French Creoles but also of many African Americans who were very jealous and resentful towards Creoles in New Orleans. Marie LeVeaux still has relatives in New Orleans and California and they do not consider themselves African American or black.

Its the author who is talking, not Marie.
First of all it should be mentioned that all historical facts about the time of Marie Lavaeu are successfully dissolved through the flow of the story. The atmosphere of 1800's New Orleans is well reflected with catchy details, significant characters of its time and -of course- burning voodoo spirit of slave culture. Many readers who are unaware of political meanings of voodoo could read the book as an introductory. The stage shows, mockeries, supernatural gossips are represented in a realistic language and it is fascinating to see how people, even so-called well educated whites are ready to belive their own lies in desperate situations.
The most significant flaw of the book is that it is lack of character fiction. Most of the character inner monologues and all the dialogues between them are written in a 20th century Eurocentric tone which becomes more and more irritating as you realise the impossible similarities between the language, vision and action motivations among the characters from completely different cultural, economical and hierarchical layers. The writer tries to tell something and it seems like she uses them as simple tools in order to convince the reader. They don't feel alive.

"Marie could be extraordinarily and ordinarily human."


Marie Laveau is perhaps one of the most recognizable figures in the lore of voodoo in New Orleans. Plying these exotic arts over her long life, the Voodoo Queen sparks fear, reverence and curiosity, her embrace of the dark arts irresistible in the 19th century. A combination of questionable beliefs, blood sacrifice and sexuality give voice to her public's insatiable demands, the darkly thrilling and the profane acted out in ceremonies that invite the presence of Damballa, Marie entwined with the serpent, writhing to the rhythmic drumbeat and the awe of worshippers. New Orleans is the perfect venue, that great melting pot of black, white and all shades- and social classes- in between. In Parker Rhodes' depiction, Marie is isolated throughout childhood, the daughter and granddaughter of skilled voodooiennes. Her mother killed by a hysterical crowd in front of a cathedral, it is Marie's grandmother who raises the girl deep in the Teche bayou.

Formerly a practitioner of voodoo herself, Grandmere has given up old beliefs for the comfort of her Catholic faith. Her questions ignored, Marie senses her grandmother's moral ambivalence and deep-seated fear of eternal damnation. Driven to learn of her mother's fate, Marie eventually abandons her closest kin for those who would teach her the truth, unable to forgive an old woman's lifetime of regrets. Married to Jacques Paris for the sake of fulfilling her destiny, Marie leaves Jacques for a seemingly ageless John, his cheeks marked with the tribal scars of royalty, a man who seduces and disdains, replacing her mother- whom he loved- with the daughter, seeking the power and wealth that can only be his by association: "Women hand sight down through the generations. Mother to daughter." In her hopeless passion for the cruel, demanding John, Marie intuits that her only chance is in wresting freedom from him, claiming that power for herself, the Voodoo Queen: "If she were good, she's stop wanting a man so evil."

Marie's evolution from childhood to the birth of her daughter is the crux of the novel, a mélange of fantasy with reality, diverse characters, white and black, in a lush setting of moral decadence and mindless belief, the shifting landscape of Laveau's life both innocent and dispassionate, urging escape through the enactment of religious ceremonies endemic to the region. Marie is a symbol for the powerless, belief in her an opportunity to rise above the plight of the slave, a challenge to the white man's repression, awakening the fear of the slave master. Cloaked in the myth of voodoo, Marie drifts between ecstasy and terror, a pawn to a violent and jealous man. Gradually resisting his domination, Marie faces her own demon: fear. Skillfully melding myth and historical fact, the author creates a heady brew that reeks of danger, mystery and the forbidden. Whether in fugue state or despair, the young Marie has not yet become the legendary figure of later years, embracing her destiny in a chaotic century where poverty and disease feed on superstition, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of slavery, wielding her magic, offering hope to the hopeless. Luan Gaines/ 2008.
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Product Description
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Customer Reviews (14)

Very Interesting!
I couldn't put this book down.It was originally published in the late 40's early 50's and the writing reflects this but it is so interesting.The book is full of historical anecdotes, newspaper reporting, other references. I have visited New Orleans five times pre-Katrina and I so very much wish I had read this book before going.I love New Orleans for it's marvelous blend of cultures and history.This book also communicates the struggle of Black Americans with mixed heritage. Their genius, strength and determination that is a huge part of American culture. It was a fascinating and enjoyable read.

Brazen
Regardless of what anyone feels about this book , it is a time stamp in Hoodoo history. The man needs credit for attending Hoodoo meetings and facing up to theQueen's of the time for interview requests. It answers some questions and opens big cans of worms with others, some parts are of course folk tales but it leaves many doors open to speculation on a few serious points about Hoodoo &The Original Voodoo Queens of New Orleans.

Informative....but
Not quite what I expected. In fact I read some of the beginning, but then skipped straight to the part about Marie Laveau. It's a very informative book on the history, but not much else worth reading to me.

Sensational, not scholarly
If you are looking for an in-depth, scholarly work on the religion and practices of Voodoo in New Orleans this is, sadly, not the work for you.While interesting in a voyeuristic, sensationalist sense, Tallant's far-too-obvious biases and penchant for letting his interview subjects give sound bites like "Old Marie Laveau looked just like the devil herself, and she's settin' [sic] on a throne in Hell today," means that the image of Voodoo as a religion and/or money-making practice is frustratingly one-dimensional.Tallant seems content to let his interview subjects discuss the "devil-worshipping" without giving a well-rounded picture of what actually was being worshipped.He quotes newspaper articles with an almost pornagraphic fervor, and neglects to analyze the exoticism encoded into their language.

The book is good as a fun, tabloidesque read, and those people who have studied Voodoo religion will be able to puzzle together rites and loa blithely corrupted due to Tallant's distance from actual services.It is also a fine study in biases of the time, but should never be read without a very LARGE grain of salt.

Have not read, but know for fact....
This book is falsified and exaggerated.The press attempted to frighten the public at the time this was published.The Voodoo's also were trying to scare "outsiders" who criticized them away with wild, false stories.Don't believe everything you read in this book.It's a hoax. ... Read more

Product Description

Based on acclaimed author Zora Neale Hurston's personal experiences in Haiti and Jamaica—where she participated as an initiate rather than just an observer during her visits in the 1930s—Tell My Horse is a fascinating firsthand account of the mysteries of Voodoo. An invaluable resource and remarkable guide to Voodoo practices, rituals, and beliefs, it is a travelogue into a dark, mystical world that offers a vividly authentic picture of ceremonies, customs, and superstitions.

Customer Reviews (12)

Tell My Horse
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.

Very Tellin'
I enjoyed reading this book.Ms. Zora is an excellent story teller.Jamaicans and the duppies make me smile. Duppies are like zombies y'all.Those duppies can be some serious pests.When you die, you should stay dead. She also lets us into the world of Jamaicans and Haitians.The power of colonialism and slavery are far reaching into the

Black man's psyche.

Indeed, truth is stranger than fiction
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.

Speaking through the Horse's Mouthpiece
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.

Caribbean life in early 20th century
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. ... Read more

Product Description

The first tarot to celebrate an African-American culture, this book and 79-card deck capture both the spirit and the imagery of Voodoo's African, West Indian, and Catholic influences. Ancient and earth-honoring, Voodoo's practices take on different forms specific to time and place, but its essence remains focused on the loa--the potent spiritual forces of Voodoo that are manifested directly through human beings and their actions.

The authors draw strong parallels between the Waite and Thoth Tarots, the Kabalistic Tree of Life, and the Voodoo tradition as it is practiced in New Orleans. Just as the major and minor arcana of the Tarot represent the archetypes of the human psyche and the natural forces of our world, so do the loa of Voodoo embody the primal energies of the universe. With a variety of spreads and readings, the authors show how the Tarot can be an idea channel through which the loa exercise their powers to teach, advise, and initiate the serious student into their mysteries.

Customer Reviews (27)

Best available
The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot embodies a true and living current of power. One can feel it in the cards just handling them. Mambo Priestess Sallie Ann Glassman has produced a living, viable, and truly fantastic set of cards which can be used for so much more than divination alone. While the cards are wonderful and dead on accurate for divination purposes, they can also be used in works of conjure, devotion, and meditation as well. In the accompanying book the reader is provided with instructions on how to "Birth the Deck", a ritual allowing the owner to connect with the deck on a very personal level. We are also given instructions on how to "Heat up the Deck" before readings and how to "Dress the Deck" when not in use. Mambo Sallie gives the reader several options for different cloths used and explains the draw that a reader may have to either the Rada, Petro, Congo, or Santeria powers which are represented in the cards. We are also given several veve style tarot layouts for reading with this deck.

If you are interested in New Orleans Voodoo, Hoodoo, Conjure, or Spiritualism, I highly recommend getting this deck, reading the accompanying book, and using the information and cards in every way you feel drawn to do.

Better than I thought it would be...
I collect tarot decks and books and was simply adding this one to my collection when I purchased it. I had used the deck via computer generated tarot reading sites a few times and was drawn to the deck due to it's accuracy and dynamic visual energy.
What I had not realized was that this is a complete divination system unique unto itself.The book is large and full of explanatory information regarding the images on the cards as well as the spiritual/esoteric philosophies inherent in the cards as expressed by any type of layout. There are several innovative spreads with suggested interpretive approaches to any given reading.The book is heavily illustrated and the cards are of good quality paper stock.
It has been well worth my time to study the cards and read the book despite having been an avid tarot enthusiast and reader for almost 20 years!The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot book and deck are worth every penny!

Discover the Lwa and Orisha!
This deck is a wonderful tool for working with the Lwa AND Orisha. The text in the book is wonderful, and worth the price of the set alone. The cards open up a path to meeting and working with the spirits of Africa, and is a powerful tool for all, whether interested seekers, intrigued students, or adept Mambos, Houngans, or Santeros.

Filled with beautiful artwork, and a book that talks about Voodoo and simple ceremonies that will aid you in your work with the cards and Spirits, this deck is a powerful personal tool.

I love this deck!
I've used various decks throughout the years a couple I grew some what attached to and others not at all. I found after working with this deck just a couple times that every reading I have done has been extremely accurate. The cards seem to speak to me metaphoricaly speaking of course. No other deck have I found this to be so at least to the same extent. I highly recommend to at least give this deck a try.

Very Intrigueing
I haven't used them yet but am quite pleased with the cards and the book. ... Read more

Product Description
A master work of observation and description about the lives and rituals of the Haitian mambos and adepts, and of the history and origins of their religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

voodoo, Haiti, Diaspora religion
One cannot dispute the scholarship in this work or its basic content. It is a classic and a good primer in many ways. It is a bit dated in its attitude towards voodoo as a collection of cults. Today it regarded as the national religion of Haiti and is seen as valid in that it has a clear core of ceremony, priesthood, and belief with many variations.-a fine book overall.

A gem on Haiti's religion indigène.
Jacques Roumain's old traveling partner penned this thorough and respectful survey of Haitian vodou in 1959. A must for anyone seriously exploring the system of belief.

superb study of voodoo
The most carefully researched and authentic scholarly book on
Voodoo.Reads very well--good in-depth coverage.

Objective and Respectful
Alfred Metraux's study of Haitian vaudou is as comprehensive as one can imagine an outsider can achieve.The book covers the history, social framework, gods, spirits, and loa, rituals, magic, and what The Church thinks.There are antecdotal stories that illustrate the powers and beliefs of vaudou practitioners. Metraux's direct observations are ususally imparted without condescension.I found the writing to be scholarly as well as approachable and entertaining.An excellent resource for those interested in this misunderstood Creole religion.

A Good Place to Start
If you want to learn something about Voodoo, then start with Alfred Metraux's "Voodoo in Haiti".It's the most straight down the line, objective, anthropological study of voodoo that one can find.Often, better editions of the book are accompanied by Metraux's photography, which in itself tells one a great deal about this religion.Factual evidence is the priority here and for that reason alone, it's a respectable book that doesn't tell any lies.Metraux is the classic 'outsider' who is looking in at Voodoo, and his viewpoint is never marred by Western conceits or judgements."Voodoo in Haiti" firmly puts Voodoo in its place alongside every other religion in the world: it has value, merits, problems and practices.Most importantly of all, Metraux does not once mention "Live and Let Die". ... Read more

Product Description
* Bring Back A Lost Lover *Keep Enemies at Bay * Attract Fame and Fortune * See Into the Future * Avert the Evil Eye * Voodoo, in its many guises, has millions of adherents, yet it remains shrouded in secrecy and sometimes fear. With the Voodoo Spellbook, Dr. Snake - a renowned practioner of Hoodoo -guides the reader safely through this shadowy world.Voodoo does not shy away from human passions, but treats them honestly and with respect. Voodoo teaches the acolyte how to fullfil desires, mete out revenge, and gain personal power. With Dr. Snake's simple spells, the reader will learn how to gain love and sex, money and power, and health and well-being. And packaged with each kit is a Lucky Mojo Doll, which can be used as a Voodoo doll or as a mojo charm. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Empowering
Doktor Snake's Voodoo Spellbook is utterly charming, earthy, entertaining, delightfully written and lusciously illustrated. Doc's storytelling style draws you in from the first page with its homey, welcoming warmth and wit. It is instructive and straightforward rather than academic.

Some of the spells call for conditioning oils for which Doc helpfully gives a list of suppliers on page 125. Many of the formulas can be found online, if the reader wants to home-make them. However, some of the basic ingredients may still need to be ordered, like dragon's blood resin. It may just be easier to order them ready-made from the suppliers Doc recommends.

Doktor Snake's Voodoo Spellbook opens the reader to a world of rich experiences, not only of his empowerment, but ours too.
I highly recommend this gem and am hoping Doc treats us to a Volume 2.

Dissappointed
When I read the reviews I was very excited and I quickly ordered a copy. However, when I received it I was entirely disappointed. The book is good based on the interesting stories as well as the fine paper, pictures and printing. But when it comes to the spells which is the main reason I bought this book, no body from the reviewers mentioned that the spells need ingrediets which are only available from magick suppliers. Moreover, these ingrediets are not easily found at your house. So whenever you want to cast a spell you need to order them online which will truely take time and eventually you might get bored or becomeunenthusiastic to do it.I thought that this kind of magick would concentrate mostly on the voodoo doll. I think it is really a waste of money if you are buying this book for the spells. When I received my copy and looked through it and saw how difficult for me to provide the ingredients for those spells, I quickly closed it and tossed it in the drawer.

Good introduction to Voodoo
If you don't know much about Voodoo then this is the book for you!This book is written so you can finish it in one sitting if you so wish.With cute pictures and some very helpfull Voodoo spells I found this book to be a wonderful introductory book into the world of Voodoo. If you are already an expert at Voodoo I would NOT recommend this book.

Good Hoodoo Book
This is more of a book on Hoodoo, rather than Voodoo -- but that is okay, it is packed full of useful spells and information. Truly one of my favorite books.It is also a pretty book too..... lots of great artwork and information.I particuarly like the information and stories shared within! THe information on baths and the Hoodoo altar is nice!

Much Love & Many Blessings,
Thorn Nightwind

Hollywood inspired balderdash
I saw this at the bookstore. There are a million bullscrap books on Vodun, of which none are true, because the true practicners keep it a secret, and have so for generations, and will continue to.

This joke books is designed to feed off the goth/emo craze, preying on gulible and ignorant high schoolers that think they are wizards practicing black magic. They have no idea the truth behind this ancient religion,and are living in a bubble reality while Corprate pigs and scam artists like the author of this book make money off them.

It's non informative crap. You'd think the Dr. Snake title would be a tip off. May the wrath of the loa scourge the writer of this tripe and sent them on the hands and knees, crawling to Samdei. ... Read more

Product Description
Scott Snyder’s protagonists inhabit a playfully deranged fictional world in which a Wall Street trader can find himself armed with a speargun, guarding a Dumpster outside a pawnshop in Florida; or an employee at Niagara Falls (his job: watching for jumpers) will take off in a car after a blimp in which his girlfriend has escaped.But in Snyder’s wondrous imagination there’s a thin membrane between the whimsical and the disturbing: the unlikely affair between a famous actress—in hiding after surgery—and a sporting goods salesman takes an ominous turn just as she begins to heal; an engaged couple’s relationship is fractured when one of them becomes obsessed with an inmate at the women’s prison next door.

Dark, funny, powerful, this debut collection underscores the remarkable gifts of a fiercely original young writer.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Pleased
I was very pleased with the shape the book arrived in and how promptly it was shipped.I would highly recommend buying from Amazon.

short stories from unexpected corners of modern life
Characters with unattractive professions from the corners of modern life -- girl who works as a wax museum doll during the day; boy who helps to save suicide jumpers on Niagara Falls; a ticket clerk at inflatable rubber house in amusement park in dreadful suburbia of Orlando; manager of a car wrecking yard; pilot from 1919 on a barnstorming trip -- serve to populate this collection of short stories.

The plots are suspenseful and captivating, the dynamism of what is happening makes the reading unburdened, it also helps by building easy affinity to the struggles of the characters.

Engaging Start
His writing is beautiful, and most of the stories I found highly original. I thought this was a great debut that left me wanting more, specifically from some of the stories. Many I felt could be developed into full length novels, and all roped you in almost immediately. I did feel some of them ended rather abruptly, but I can only assume that was the writers intent. He's someone to watch.

"Bodies in Flight"
A promising debut collection from Mr. Snyder.Not all the short pieces work (he seems to have a trouble composing endings that satisfy) but the title story is one of the most remarkable tales I've read since Richard Ford's near perfect "Rock Springs".Flight is a theme that recurs frequently--sometimes literally (planes and airships), sometimes more obliquely and metaphorically, people on the run, even it's from themselves. The book is blurbed by Stephen King and I note that in his "Acknowledgments" the author offers thanks to King's son, Owen (another young up-and-comer). There's a hint of nepotism there that makes me cross.Nonetheless, VOODOO HEART could mark the beginning of a distinguished career in letters. Mr. Snyder has all the makings of a author with a bright future...including, it seems, friends in high places.

favorite book of stories
my favorite book of 2006! the stories are dark and wondrous, full of romance and haunting americana. ... Read more

Product Description

Something dead this way comes…

Customer Reviews (2)

4 1/2 Hearts from TRS!
I really enjoyed this story. The author has combined witches, shifters and black magic in some truly inventive ways. There are hot love scenes, tender scenes, humor, and some really exciting zombie slayings. Jemma and Griff are a great couple and the stars of this story, but the hot werewolf Logan and the coven mistress Clarissa steal a few scenes also. The plot is smooth and quick moving and the author really has a gift for description. I now feel I know exactly what it is like to have a zombie breathing down my neck, yuck. There are a couple of interesting plot twists and I look forward to reading more from this author. If all her books are this good, she will be on my autobuy list in no time. - Maura Frankman

Fabulous Read
Jodi Redford has created a rich and entertaining world of magic and mystery.

Jemma Finnegan had no idea what she set in motion when she set out to seduce her best friend Griffin Trudeau. All she knew was that after being around him for ten years, she would have to make the first move if anything was to happen between them. Who knew that sex with Griff would cause a zombie apocalypse?

Jemma discovers that she's a witch, and making love unlocked her powers, powers she has no idea how to control. As if that isn't enough, she also finds out Griff isn't what he seems to be, either. Seems he is her cat familiar, "cat" being a Bengal tiger of course. Seeking help from the coven her Jemma's grandmother founded seems to be the best choice, but things just get stranger when she learns what she has to do to strengthen her power enough to stop the ghost of the voodoo queen who wants her blood.

Can Jemma have sex with both Griff, the lover she has always wanted, and Logan Scott, a wolf in men's clothing? What will Griff's punishment be for breaking the rules with Jemma? Will they be able to stop the zombie uprising before it begins? And who ever heard of a zombie named Bubba?

The characters are all finely crafted and well defined. The air of genteel hospitality and welcome of the coven house is in sharp contrast to the evil of the voodoo queen's plantation home. I loved all of the richly detailed characters, from Jemma and Griff, to Clarissa, Logan and the older women, Mrs. Peach and Gloria. Even the evil voodoo queen, Jemma's great grandmother Antoinette, has a personality, albeit an evil one.

What can I say about Jemma? She starts out determined to seduce her best friend Griffin. She is sassy, and sweet, and determined to be part of whatever it takes to stop Nettie once and for all. Watching her seduce Griff and get her way with him was fun, but watching her grow into her powers and face the consequences of her actions was so much more.

Griff is the tall and handsome lover Jemma wants. He just happens to be her familiar, and a Bengal tiger shifter as well. I love his loyalty to Jemma, and his determination to keep her safe at all costs. He doesn't want to share her with the wolf, Logan, but it may be the only way to save Jemma and stop the zombies and Nettie from mass destruction of the world. And Logan is every bit as yummy as Griff; tall, dark and decidedly a bad boy, but with a soft side he doesn't show to anyone.

This story was a terrific one, with an interesting take on witches and their familiars, and I loved that Ms. Redford gave the witches a governing body, with rules and laws and penalties. If this book is any indication, this world of Southern magic and witchcraft should provide more stories of magic and mystery in the future. I certainly hope it happens soon, as I would love to read more about these characters.

Originally posted at Whipped Cream Reviews ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Perfect LOL gift and stress reducer...
I work out of a home office and there's no water cooler to go hang around near and complain to my coworkers about what the latest thing that weird customer is doing. Things tend to fester a bit, I have some stress relievers, of course, but well... there's just something about sticking a pin into Mr. ABC's kneecap that makes me feel all shiny and happy.

Seriously, it's a little batting-filled person made out of cloth and has little saying on their bodies like "downsized" and you choose a spell from your little book and ram the included pin home. (Just make sure you don't do it too hard with it your hand, it can and will go all the way through it's body).

It's great when you are on the phone with someone that is making you absolutely crazy. I've been known to use it when speaking with certain family members actually. It doesn't make a lot of noise, but as you are talking to them, you wonder if that little hitch in their voice is from you sticking a pin smack in the middle of their eyeball.

Seriously though - this is a great little office toy to give away at the white elephant gift exchange or just because you think someone needed a laugh. It's very small, the guy is only about 3.5" tall (there's a girl on the other side), so it's great for their desk toy collection.

Well worth a gag.

FUN STRESS RELIEVER
This is a great stress reliever.You have to have a sense of humor to relate to the voodoo doll.It's fun!

Perfect gift for coworkers
I bought several of these to give as small but fun gifts for coworkers during the holidays. They all REALLY enjoyed them.

Fun gift
Make sure you give this to someone with a sense of humor, but it is a great gift if not taken seriously.If someone is expecting working voodoo here, this isn't intended for that purpose.It's just a comical way to say you understand when someone else is frustrated in the work place. ... Read more

Product Description
For the first time anywhere, explore the history, mystery, and magick of Voodoo Dolls in this fascinating new book. Tracing the Voodoo doll's roots back in history, author Denise Alvarado provides an intriguing account of the most provocative and mystifying icon of the African-derived healing tradition, dispelling stereotypes and myths, while at the same time showing how to make and use Voodoo dolls to enhance every day living. Learn how to make three kinds of Voodoo dolls, find over 30 spells and rituals to find love, attract wealth, offer protection, and promote healing and happiness.Denise Alvarado was born and raised in the Voodoo and hoodoo rich culture of New Orleans. She has studied mysticism and practiced Creole Voodoo and indigenous healing traditions for over three decades. She is a cultural anthropologist, psychologist, writer, artist, spiritual adviser, and cultural consultant. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Interesting Book but made up historic facts
Not a historian.One of my pet peeves is when people communicate wrong history in Nawlins.I understand Denise Alvarado writes plenty of books and her success is mostly due to the demand on Nawlins or Louisiana Voodoo heritage being way more than the books that are being written and distributed.The best publications on Voodoo aren't even published. The best history books on Louisiana aren't even published mostly due to a movement by the Government to hide Creole history from America, being that having a class of people of color, that lived on the same or almost the same status as whites during slavery takes away from the American Narrative.
Alvarado states that in 1804, Napoleon invaded Cuba, driving out Hispanics from Cuba into Nawlins and this is how Voodoo came about in the city.That's simply untrue.Creoles were always in Louisiana since the founding of the state and Africans were being imported up the Mississippi River from the Congo and Angola, so Africans were already there and being allowed to worship on Sundays in Nawlins Congo Square.Now, where Creole Voodoo came in, was during the Haitian Black Slave Revolt, which didn't just drive out the white French Creole but a huge population of mixed race or mulattoe Creoles, who fled into Nawlins, during the late 1700's to the mid 1800's.In the entire French Quarter of Nawlins, during the 1800's there was only one Cuban Creole businessman who owned a cigar shop.The mixed race Creoles of middle class status, who monopolized the commerce, publications and businesses were the keepers of Creole Voodoo and not the one of two that came from Cuba. So Creole Voodoo in Nawlins predates her 1804 starting point.
Spain and Spanish heritage is not a huge part of Nawlins except for some of the architecture but many Creoles of Color from Cajun Country or Lower South West La. State keep trying to make Louisiana some Spanish colony when it was dominated by the French (99.9%)-so saying that Cubans ushered in Creole Voodoo couldn't be further from the truth. And just to be real about it, Voodoo dolls aren't really a staple to La. Voodoo but more of a creation of whites and Hollywood.I know plenty of people who practice Voodoo, like almost all of my ancestors, and dolls are definitely over hyped up but she is selling a book even though many of her attempts to lay out the history of dolls in Voodoo are shaky and her history on the practice of Voodoo isn't well connected to any legit history.
You can use dolls but Voodoo stems from the practice of ancestor worship, which predates ancient Egypt and goes back to Cush or Ethiopia, which had an empire that stretched into the Southern U.S.-which many Creoles are of Choctaw or Cherokee mixed, herbal remedies and conjuring of spirits that one can learn to control and even keep.Being from South of Nawlins, in a Parish that has been destroyed by Oil Companies (BP)-Bush/Obama and the U.S. Army Corp, all of the Creoles did Voodoo and I can even recall shape-shifting rituals but of course I didn't write any of this down-YET!
But none the less, dolls can be used in Voodoo and in fact, I have seen people die from the use of dolls but this is due to how Voodoo works, which means that it is a religion and not a craft, so just anyone casting a Voodoo Spell will not work.I am almost of the mind that it is genetic being that more Creoles and Blacks in the "New World" are in daily contact with spirits and that includes blacks from Ricans, to Cubans, Creoles in La.,Creoles in Haiti to Brazil and the Dominican Republic.
Bu one thing that she is kinda shading light on, is the coded and double meaning of biblical Psalms. Most people do not know this but the Bible is only a re-copy of another re-copy or yet another re-copy going back through the Jews, to Southern Iraq aka Babylon, to Egypt to Ethiopa or Cush. Biblical Psalms are nothing but very powerful African Spells, that pre-dates Hebrew and Aramaic.She doesn't really have the chops to really lay out Voodoo, so that the average person can understand how and why Voodoo is a religion and not a craft but I am 100% sure that she is a student of Wicca because she uses alot of examples from Europe Wicca or Witchcraft, found in any pubic library, and makes an attempt to lay out the roots of Voodoo but she knows nothing beyond than any lay person who has been interested in the subject and read a few books, here and there.
So due to her use of this I changed my review from a four to a five because this book is a good one and authentic, for the most part but still a tease for many people-who want the Voodoo Bible which has yet to be written

Excellent Resource
Well illustrated, and extremely thorough in its treatment of magical dolls. This actually goes so far that it's actually a bit of a negative, as the book begins with a lengthy introduction describing what voodoo is and what dolls are, as if to a person who has never heard of either. I should reasonably expect that anyone buying a book called "Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual" already knows basic information at this level. I could recommend skipping the first chapter.

Quality of the illustrations varies, with some being grainy and pixelated while others are very crisp and clean. (Pages 70 and 71 side by side are a good indicator of the variations you can expect.) I think this book may wind up being of value to future generations for the documentation of so many doll types, which are hard to find photographed. These include the modern types of dolls, as in one example a mutilated Bratz doll, and the more old-fashioned and 'funky' types.

The book also has a small selection of formulas which could make the price worth it for them alone. I bought the book for the spells section, frankly, and am happy with the purchase.

Idiot free zone !!!
I hope complete idiot's do not buy this book because then they will become very dangerous idiot's. Excellent book one of a kind, and on it's own is a complete occult system. Southern Voodoo Dolls remain a living art and powerful medium. You get all the 'bang for you buck' with this buy.

Voodle Dollsoo Hoodoo!little dolls!
Voodoo hoodo! When one thinks of this title, your mind goes back to the drums and snakes of the New Orleans traditional.
This was a new research subject for generqal knowledge.Little was published regarding Zombies, ritual magic using symbolic dolls.
This book, in my opinion reaches into the history of the doll.

In reading this it opened up yet anoter phase of magic, suggestional magic and the colorful history of New Orleans traditions.

Good for information and the building of your own little doll.

Good one-stop source
There are few complete sources for the history and use of the magickal poppet, or in the Hoodoo and Voodoo traditions - the Voodoo doll. The book provides the reader with a straight-forward historical backdrop to doll use in magick.There are black-and-white photographs of dolls from the African Diaspora, including some interesting ones from the author's private collection, which should inspire the reader. The latter half of the book focuses on how to make dolls, use them in ritual (including some common Hoodoo spells and hexes), common divinities associated with doll use and some oil recipes.I also like that there is a bibliography for additional references and a source page for supplies.This book is a worthy addition to any witch's or practitioner's library. ... Read more

Product Description
Is your boyfriend giving you trouble? Are you hoping to get that big raise and promotion soon? Here's everything you need to get started, including a powerful 9-inch doll good for hours of pin-pricking fun, plus a complete guide to tapping your own special voodoo powers. Just watch the terrific results when you do that voodoo that you do so well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Makes a great gift!
I gave this as a gift.It was the hit of the party.Everyone came up with one person they could use it on!I guess there is always one in the crowd!Too much fun.

Entertaining
This was purchased for entertainment but is informative about the history and seemingly makes you think a little more about the unknown. Use with caution. Not really a toy.

fine
I bought it as a joke for a friend. It has good on one side and the bad ones printed on the other side.

A neat gift idea
This is a cute gag gift for someone....don't take it too seriously it's all in fun.

Inaccurate
Voodoo does not use dolls.Thats what happens when you believe in Hollywood.Again, Voodoo does not use dolls.Hoodoo does, but not Voodoo.This book should be called Hoodoo Kit, not Voodoo Kit.Voodoo is a religion akin to Shamanic religions who commune with God, nature and the spirits for the upliftment of humanity.Although, Voodoo is not a pacifistie-turn the other cheek religion and have rites for protection, it is not a blood thirsty religion as Hollywood portrays it to be.Thats what happens when people believe in Hollywood and books instead of consorting to a Haitian priest or priestess in the Voodoo religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

witchcraft knockoff of voodoo
To the person that said something about NO voodoo is an african belief aka religion which is where the euros got witchcraft from blacks get back into your own religions and leave christianity alone dont buy a book that says voodoo for dummies because as an african you are not dumb

Very Hard to find at a good price
got the book for research, not into Voodoo even though i'm from NO. its a begginers guide for those who want to get their good or evil mojo on.

Great read.
The compelete Idiot's guide to voodoo .... Don't let that name fool you!

When I first got this book from off of my wishlist I thought: if anything it would be good for a laugh or two.
But, I was very wrong.

This book is a must have for new comers to African based Religons.
Shannon R. Turlington explins in depth about the faith of voodoo, the rites, and the lwa (Voodoo sprits/ansters) but most inportantly this book reveals what voodoo really is, and what it's not.
A profound well rounded belief system of beauty and hope and very much missunderstood to outsiders.
Just because you read a few books on the subject dose not mean you know voodoo, I have read a few books and thought I knew enuff, but now that i've read this book I feel like I truly understand voodoo.

Times have been very rough for the people of haiti and this book tells you the true life horrors that people of Haiti have had to endure for hundreds of years, up untill the late 1980's. In a poor contrary, filled with disease and poverty, there's hope, there's honoer,pride and help... With VooDoo being the beacon of comfort and safety for hattie.

Keep in mind- this book explains voodoo in a whole new light.
It also teaches you the difference between new orleans voodoo and voodoo in Hattie.
If you're looking for spells on the subject matter try Voodoo and Hoodoo by jim haskins.

The compelete Idiots guide to voodoo is the best book (and I dont use that turm losely) for anyone willing to expanded thair minds a great deal. Just from reading this boko i've had many questions from people and i've been able to answer them with truth and understanding.
Don't miss out on this wonderfuly writen book.

Reasons why i voted four stars:
Shannon R. Turlington becomes repetitive in some of the chapters, she covers things she's already said. You may get bored with this, but not so much you'll want to stop reading for the time being.
She also talks about Lcumi/Santeria in the book, how its a 2ed rate religion...Yet, the Fon people "adopted" some of the Yourba gods (Shango and Ogun from Ogoo, Orunla and Ehsu make up Papa Legba) being in lucumi, i did not take to kindly to that.

Happy reading!
Ashe!

Well written, nice overview that shatters misconceptions.
I didn't know anything about voodoo before reading this book besides the stereotypes I've been fed through Hollywood.

This book explains the history of a maligned religion thousands of years old, forged by unspeakable human suffering, and practiced in various places today.

The writer has a gift for explaining things clearly, organizing complex content, and writing in an appropriate tone that both respects the religion and knows when to be fun and entertaining.

My personal feeling is that this book is too good to be part of the usually mediocre "Complete Idiot's Guide..." series.It deserves better production and better illustrations.

Those who rail against this book, in my opinion, just have a voodoo ego that causes them to think their personal knowledge is somewhow greater than the author's.If that's so, I dare you to write a better book.

An excellent introduction
I really don't see where the complaints about sensationalism come from. This book was just the opposite--informative, going over some of the common stereotypes, and a good basic history of Afro-Caribbean religions. As an occultist with a primarily neopagan/Western magckal background, I found this to be a good introduction to this mixture of magick and religion. And anyone who's actually read the book will realize that the references to zombie movies are all at the very END of the book, after all the other chapters and directly preceded by a chapter on theories of what zombis truly are. The movie listing is meant primarly for entertainment (and to show that they're just that--entertainment). As for those who claim you can only learn Voodoo/Vodou from an initiate, well--what about those of uswho don't have access, or just want to get real information about the religion rather than hype and stereotypes? I'd say this is a good reference for that.

For those interested in the practical magickal aspects of Afro-Caribbean religions, I highly recommend Christopher Hyatt's and S. Jason Black's "Urban Voodoo" as a companion to this title. ... Read more