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Title: SANGOMA: My Odyssey Into the Spirit World of Africa
ISBN: 0684815060
Author:
James Hall
Publicate Date: 1995-09-12
Publish: 1995-09-12
List Price: $12.00
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.98
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.75
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| Customer Review: |
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1: nice view of africa
James Hall made me feel that I was an African. The view was from thse eyes.
Americans can really feel and see the people of that community.
A fine read to get a total world view and not the myopic view that we Americans have of the world and others.
Please let me know where I could find him now and get caught up on his life. His kids would be about 14 1nd 20 now. let me know bob huff
bob_huff@comcast.net thanks
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2: Interesting and Informative
James Hall takes us on his personal journey as a midwestern America who slowly gets drawn into the world of African healers. The story is personal, poignant, and very detailed. It lets us look into several windowns we don't ordinarily get to look through - everyday living in rural Africa and the world of the african healer.
From 1977 to 1980 I taught at a major university in Africa and spent 2+ years working closely with sangomas. Most of my acquaintances were Zulu or Sotho, but there are not very many differences to the Swazi that Hall talks about. What does differ considerable is whether or not the spirits are from the river or from the land, but that's another issue.
Hall gives a precious insight into the role of the sangoma and the personal issues that sangoma must face. My own work was in the urban areas, and it's very different from Hall's rural adventures.
Anyone interested in africa, african healers, and stories of personal growth will find this book very interesting and informative. It is suitable for young adults as well as adults.
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3: interesting
This book depicts another white man's life journey in Africa. Miriam Makeba, the famous singer, suggested to James Hall (the author of "Sangoma") that there may be more than meets the eye in his fascination with Africa and African-American women. Hall followed her advice and consulted a Swazi witch doctor ("sangoma") who declared, to surprise of all, that Hall was destined to become a sangoma himself. This book depicts his travails leading to his initiation into the circle of Swazi healers. It was a bittersweet path, filled with encounters with supernatural (Hall turned out to possess access to many different spirits, including those of a Native American, a NY advertising executive and - wait for this - a fetus). In addition to description of his training, Hall provides valuable accounts of his interactions with ordinary Swazis (some good, some bad; there seem to be as many racially intolerant people in Africa as everywhere else) and, especially, with women. Hall shows that relationships between men and women in Swaziland are pragmatic, based on exchange of material goods and services rather than sentimental. Throughout the book we participate in Hall's inner life, his decisions and his torments as well as in his decision to adopt a parentless child and marry the woman he fell in love with. Hall now lives and practices in Swaziland and I think Swazis are lucky to have such a courageous, dedicated, life-affirming and generous sangoma.
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4: A candid and dramatically personal account
From the back flap of the book we learn that James Hall has written a candid and dramatically personal account of his unique journey from a comfortable, predictable life in Los Angeles to a harsh and uncharted one in the tiny kingdom of Swaziland. His story shows how the pieces of life can fit together to balance people and nature, the mortal and the immortal, the physical and the spiritual. Sangoma weaves together the excitement of an adventure story and the wisdom of a deeply felt memoir from a man who has b1ended his roles as modern American and as diviner and healer of timeless provenance.
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5: Old Meets New
Another interesting book on indigenous cultures, this book tells the story of a westerner who underwent the rituals to become a Sangoma, a Zulu medicine man. What makes this excellent is that it is easy to understand the religion of the Zulu because it is filtered through a western view yet still understood. If you enjoyed this book, I also suggest that you check out Malidoma Patrice Some's "Of Water and the Spirit" as well.
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