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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This book can be divided into two parts: Wade Davis' search for the zombi poison and his search for answers concerning the secret societies of Haiti.
I was impressed by the simplicity of his writing style at first as it was both engaging. Unfortunately, about halfway through I found myself no longer gripped by the mysteries of Haiti and struggled to finish the book.
Another point of concern is the credibility of this novel. I was under the impression when I started reading that it would be a more...scientific book. However, Davis obviously tells the story from his very narrow and biased perspective of Haiti. Although I did find the story intriguing, it would be wise to view the the content of this book as anecdotal rather than factual.
All criticism aside I enjoyed most of the book as it was my first peek into Haiti, though I feel I would have to do a great deal more research to gain an accurate image of the country. I'm actually looking forward to picking up more books by Wade Davis (I've heard the others are much better!)
I was impressed by the simplicity of his writing style at first as it was both engaging. Unfortunately, about halfway through I found myself no longer gripped by the mysteries of Haiti and struggled to finish the book.
Another point of concern is the credibility of this novel. I was under the impression when I started reading that it would be a more...scientific book. However, Davis obviously tells the story from his very narrow and biased perspective of Haiti. Although I did find the story intriguing, it would be wise to view the the content of this book as anecdotal rather than factual.
All criticism aside I enjoyed most of the book as it was my first peek into Haiti, though I feel I would have to do a great deal more research to gain an accurate image of the country. I'm actually looking forward to picking up more books by Wade Davis (I've heard the others are much better!)
After reading the Wayfinders by Wade Davis I saw that he also wrote the Serpent and the Rainbow - a movie I remembered from my teen years that scared the crap out of me about vodoo in Haiti. The movie was directed by the iconic horror genius Wes Craven so it had a lot of thematic elements thrown in to traumatize movie goers. The book however was not nearly as traumatic and nothing like the movie - it an interesting anthropological novel that reads like an Indiana Jones adventure novel. Davis provides a very interesting and entertaining look into the history and culture of Hatian vodoo. One of the best anthropology books I have read!!
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
The first half is interesting enough, but the second half is meandering and pointless. I picked this up expecting to hear the story I saw in the movie, that's not at all what this is. While informative - about the history of Haiti, voodoun practices, and toxicology - the narrative itself dries up significantly and it was an absolute slog to get to the end.
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
I am classifying this book under mythology because I read it for my African Traditions course in my mythology program. The book is a great eye-opener to the real experience of Haiti, Voodoo, and zombification. While this might bring images of brain-sucking fiends to mind, none of that is present here. Davis, an ethnobiologist, went into Haiti to conduct a legitimate study for Harvard. He discovered how this supposed raising of the dead occurs, but more so he learned a lot about Haitian traditions. This is a non-fiction, first-person account of a very interesting journey!
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced