Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Nonfiction readers, just in time for spooky seaon throughout September and October we are reading Voodoo in New Orleans by Robert Tallant.

Originally published in 1946, Voodoo in New Orleans examines the origins of the cult voodooism. The lives of New Orleans's most infamous witch doctors and voodoo queens have been re-created in this well-researched account of New Orleans's dark underworld. (GR)

This looks interesting. I'll read it sometime soon.

I have this book and will probably start later in the month or in October.

I finished this. Not really sure what to think of it. It's written by an outsider, of course, but I don't believe any of this stuff so everything he says about superstition makes sense.

As we are now in the actual month of Halloween, does anyone else feel a desire to check out this book on voodoo? I've had it from my library for a few weeks, but I had a rough September. Hopefully, I'll get to dive in over the next few weeks.

One thing I thought was weird was that he said the god worshipped in early voodoo was called "Zombi". We're all familiar with zombies as reanimated corpses.
I looked it up and got this:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damballa
Don't know if that's right. I don't know how you get Zombi out of Damballa.

I'll be starting within the week.

I finished this today, and was entertained by much of the "history" of voodoo in New Orleans. Tallant interviewed, in the 1940s, many people with stories about voodoo, Marie Leveau, and other people associated with voodoo. I took all these stories as just stories, not in any way the truth.

I've visited New Orleans a couple times and enjoyed the mentions of the cemeteries and streets of the city.

Kathy, with everything going on this past 2 months, I’m still working on getting to this book, but I can say you’re probably right to not take the interviews and stories if the book as fact. The voodoo in New Orleans is steeped in local folklore with many people and events exaggerated.

That's what I thought too Samantha. It was a bit like reading a book of folklore, which is fun in itself.