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A review by mattaukamp
Backwoods Witchcraft: Conjure & Folk Magic from Appalachia by Jake Richards
5.0
I picked up this book for research and I was blown awayby Jake Richards' writing. I'd never heard of him before finding this book, but MAN, can this guy write! He writes like he's sitting at the bar next to you, and you're getting increasingly drunk while he tells you the most fascinating things you've ever heard.
Beyond pure writing skill, Richards seems to have this subject matter boiled into his blood. He not only seems to believe in the stuff he's writing about, but it seems like he was raised steeping in it. It feels like you're reading about his family, his land, his culture, and his beliefs, rather than just a hobby.
Sometimes extreme superstition or faith can bother me, even in research, where you want the person to truly believe what they're teaching you... But Jake Richards bakes in a respect for skepticism that makes it go down smooth. He writes with a belief in science that never contradicts his faith directly but makes you feel his clear-headed intelligence in every passage. He writes with compassion and humanism. He writes with environmental awareness.
I'm really just blown away by this book and, while I picked it up for research, I will likely return to it for pure enjoyment.
Beyond pure writing skill, Richards seems to have this subject matter boiled into his blood. He not only seems to believe in the stuff he's writing about, but it seems like he was raised steeping in it. It feels like you're reading about his family, his land, his culture, and his beliefs, rather than just a hobby.
Sometimes extreme superstition or faith can bother me, even in research, where you want the person to truly believe what they're teaching you... But Jake Richards bakes in a respect for skepticism that makes it go down smooth. He writes with a belief in science that never contradicts his faith directly but makes you feel his clear-headed intelligence in every passage. He writes with compassion and humanism. He writes with environmental awareness.
I'm really just blown away by this book and, while I picked it up for research, I will likely return to it for pure enjoyment.