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Title: The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic
ISBN: 0684839296
Author:
Wade Davis
Publicate Date: 1997-08-05
Publish: 1997-08-05
List Price: $15.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $8.37
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.84
Amazon Merchant Price: $10.20
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Zombie Justice
So, what does sashimi and zombies have in common? More than you ever expected.
I don't want to give too much away, but I highly recommend that anyone interested in science, history, or religion read this amazing true book about an ethnobotanist's search for a drug that is used in Haiti to turn people into zombies.
Like most of you reading this review, when the author Wade Davis first began his quest, he did not believe that people buried could be brought back to life. Through an intricate network of connections, Davis is able to meet the people who hold the secret to the drug that lowers a person's metabolic rate to an imperceptible level. Once the person is mistakenly thought dead, they are buried and then later on excavated from the grave. If the drug worked properly, the person has lost some brain function, but has sustained no physical damage. Davis describes accounts of people who were made into zombies and then made to work as slaves under the control of zombie masters in places far from their homes. They are considered dead.
Even more amazing than the description of the drug is Davis' description of the secret socities that are an intricate part of Haitian religion and de facto legal system. Zombification is actually a punishment meted out to those who have been deemed to violate certains societal rules. This book also provides historical background on Haiti. The more I learned about Haitian history, the more I began to understand the history of the United States, especially in terms of slavery and our relationship with the French. Just read it! The more you learn,the more you will want to know. Because I teach so many Haitian children, I feel even more obligated to understand the country's history and society. Many of the Haitian people I know are very religious (usually Christian) and the spiritual nature of the Haitian people is palpable in the book. This book helps you glimpse the African roots of the spirituality and brings out an admiration for people who believe so deeply.
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2: A Thriller in Real Life
Wade Davis has written a remarkable book here. Although he went to Haiti
on a scientific assignment, the story unfolds like a novel. It is absolutely riveting, and you won't be able to put it down. The society of the voodoo culture is all here - all the mystery, the chilling accounts of becoming Zombis, the secret societies, the intrigue.
Once you read this book, you will have to read his others. He has an addictive style of writing.
I highly recommend "The Serpent and the Rainbow".
May Lattanzio
Author: Waltz on the Wild Side - An Animal Lover's Journal
Amazon Shorts Author - Paradise and The Last Striper
http://maylattanzio.blogspot,com/
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3: beyond the B-movie nonsense
Voodoo gets a bad rap in the West. Too often people think of it as something sinister or nefarious; or worse, "primative". Yet as this book clearly illustrates, it's a legitemate religion like any other, with its own particular logic, order and rituals. Probably the most well-known (and least understood) of these rituals is the process of zombification, whereby an individual is brought "back to life" with no will and no identity to toil as a slave. Davis begins his journey to Haiti to uncover the medical/biological basis of zombification, but mixing science, anthropology and history he paints a facinating picture of a country and a culture long ignored and misunderstood. In other words, don't expect Night of the Living Dead-type zombies, or DaVinci Code-esque secret societies - this true account is much deeper and more thought-provoking than the sensationalized nonsense we typically associate with such things.
Davis is a very talented writer and his work is both compassionate and well-researched. Yet, at times this book can drag a little and he spends a great deal of time asking questions with obvious answers - hence 4 stars instead of 5. For example, the last seventy-five or so pages where he attempts to uncover why certain people are made into zombies seems pretty self-evident based on earlier sections. Despite the above criticism, this is still a very entertaining and eye-opening book that I would recommend to anyone.
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4: The Destruction Of Eurocentric Myths And Lies
An international best-seller that was published in 10 languages, Harvard ethnobiologist Wade Davis destroys the Eurocentric preconceptions and lies about the nature of zombies and voodoo practices in Haitian culture.
Davis weaves his journey with history, customs and beliefs as he seeks to discover the drug compounds and folk preparations for the zombie-making voodoo practices. He befriends a Voudon and the chemicals he finds prove to be of value to the field of anesthesiology.
Zombiefication, Davis writes, condemns a law-breaker to eternal slavery and is administered as part of a complex, local judicial system. It is truly eternal damnation.
The story is compelling and Davis is successful in making the reader better comprehend and appreciate the rich Haitian heritage and traditions. The book is one of the best I ever read.
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5: Skip the movie, please
Dr. Davis did a great job scientifically speaking about the book. The book is NOTHING like the silly movie in the 1990's. Davis talked vividly about how a "zombie" may be "created". The book also mentions Papa Max Beauvoir who used have the Temple of Yahwe in Washington, D.C. Boy do I miss him (Beauvoir)
LAD
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