The Book of Vodou

By Leah Gordon

Book Overview

Vodou is magic. But it's also much more! It's a religion of charms and rituals intended to empower life and bring good fortune to those who practice it. Vodou is a deeply spiritual and visually... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764152491
• ISBN13: 9780764152498
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Vodou

This was the first book about Haitian Vopdou that I ever bought and I still use it as one of my primary reference works. It's easy to read and very well researched.

A lovely book

Leah Gordon's photographs are beautiful and her commentary, for such a small book, captures the essence of Vodou quite well. Not a spellbook, not a book of practical advice and usage of Vodou, not a book with exercises you can use to help you really understand the religion (for all of the latter I recommend VODOU SHAMAN by Ross Heaven), more an overview of what Vodou is about written for people who are unfamiliar with it - and illustrated very nicely.It occurs to me actually that both of these books (The Book of Vodou and Vodou Shaman) are really well written for a Western audience and probably a very good starting point if you want to know more about this fascinating spiritual practice.

The Book Of Vodou: Charms and Rituals to Empower Your Life

I do have to say, that this little book, pretty much clarifies and explains the traditions that we practice in Haiti. I am an Hougan for about 11 years, and I do have to say that this book is good. My entire family practices Voudu from Haiti(yes I am haitian) and despite the size of the book, it gives a pretty good overview of Voudu in Haiti. For the average person, this book doesn't explain too much, and doesn't explain too little. For me, it's just perfect. I showed this book to many elders in the faith, and they too agreed that this book is pretty reasonable. I do have to say that reading from a book, isn't the same thing as experiencing it in real life. But this book gives the reader a pretty clear picture of our religion. So for those who are contemplating into buying this book, I recommend it....Aibobo.

Good Starting Place...

This is an excellent resource for people just starting out in the religion. Highly recommended for its pictures/graphics AND content. A must have for any vodou library....

A colorful look at Voodou culture.

The author has done a great job with this visual ride through a unique culture. The book is written with the uninitiated in mind. The text doesn't delve too deep into the religion to lose the reader, but it conveys a rich and colorful tapestry of Voodou art and culture. If I had to pick a sub-title for this book, it would be "The Picture Book of Voodou" If you would like to round out the breath-taking visuals of this book with a deeper look at the religion, then I also recommend "Secrets of Voodoo"