What do you think?
Rate this book
In Sorcery's Shadow: A Memoir of Apprenticeship among the Songhay of Niger
The tale of Paul Stoller's sojourn among sorcerors in the Republic of Niger is a story of growth and change, of mutual respect and understanding that will challenge all who read it to plunge deeply into an alien world.
252 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 1989
14 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
About the author
Paul Stoller
30 books43 followersPaul Stoller is an anthropologist and novelist who teaches anthropology at West Chester University. He has conducted ethnographic research in the Republic of Niger in West Africa and among West African immigrants in New York City. His books, novels and memoirs are attempts to convey the wisdom of African systems of thought. He is currently doing research on family life among West African immigrants in New York City and is at work on a new novel, The Sorcerer's Burden and a new work of non-fiction, The Business of Social Relations: Global Resilience Among West Africans in the World. His most recent book, The Power of the Bertween: An Anthropological Odyssey was published in December 2008 by The University of Chicago Press. Paul has a new website, paulstoller.com which up and running.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 23, 2019
An anthropologist’s memoir of apprenticing himself to various sorcerers in Niger in the 1970s and 80s, this book has great material to work with, but is written in a rather dry, academic style. I had the sense the author spends all his reading time immersed in academic works and perhaps hadn’t actually read a popular memoir, though he clearly did his best to make it accessible by including lots of dialogue and breaking it down into short chapters. There are some storytelling infelicities, like when a major character finally steps over the line near the end, and only then does the author suddenly list all of the major warning signs that had apparently been there all along.
Perhaps my larger issue with the book, though, is that while the author talks a big game in the introduction about this bold move he’s making by putting himself in the narrative at all when he’s supposed to be a scientist, the book is at a rather awkward place halfway between being about him and about the Songhay sorcerers. His life outside of his five trips to the country is a complete blank, such that it’s startling when on the last trip he brings his wife and it turns out people had been asking after her all along; we never knew he was married. But the book doesn’t delve quite as deeply into the lives of the people he meets as I’d like either – what ever happened to the first family of the sorcerer who was imprisoned for 20 years starting when he was 60? And while the author loses his skepticism about Songhay sorcery, he is still supposed to be engaging in academic inquiry and not just some New Agey experience, so I would’ve appreciated it if, for instance, instead of just giving anecdotes of a few people whose problems the sorcerers supposedly solved, he’d put this in context – what percentage of clients saw their problems quickly resolved?
All that said, it’s an interesting book to read – the author seems to have been as immersed in Songhay society as an outsider could be, and he meets some interesting people and definitely provides a window into the country and its landscape and culture. He doesn’t seem to think about his supposedly supernatural experiences very critically, but it was interesting to read about the world of Songhay sorcerers all the same.
Perhaps my larger issue with the book, though, is that while the author talks a big game in the introduction about this bold move he’s making by putting himself in the narrative at all when he’s supposed to be a scientist, the book is at a rather awkward place halfway between being about him and about the Songhay sorcerers. His life outside of his five trips to the country is a complete blank, such that it’s startling when on the last trip he brings his wife and it turns out people had been asking after her all along; we never knew he was married. But the book doesn’t delve quite as deeply into the lives of the people he meets as I’d like either – what ever happened to the first family of the sorcerer who was imprisoned for 20 years starting when he was 60? And while the author loses his skepticism about Songhay sorcery, he is still supposed to be engaging in academic inquiry and not just some New Agey experience, so I would’ve appreciated it if, for instance, instead of just giving anecdotes of a few people whose problems the sorcerers supposedly solved, he’d put this in context – what percentage of clients saw their problems quickly resolved?
All that said, it’s an interesting book to read – the author seems to have been as immersed in Songhay society as an outsider could be, and he meets some interesting people and definitely provides a window into the country and its landscape and culture. He doesn’t seem to think about his supposedly supernatural experiences very critically, but it was interesting to read about the world of Songhay sorcerers all the same.
March 12, 2012
Concerned about his professional objectivity, Stoller wonders if it's ethical for an anthropologist to become initiated by a sorcerer, and actually practice sorcery. My feeling is that all practice of sorcery by anyone is at the very least ethically grey. It's an amoral path. Of all the sorcerers that Stoller encountered in Niger, the only one I respected was Adamu Jennitongo. The others were deceptive. Adamu Jennitongo was the only one who was honest with Stoller. Stoller says repeatedly that he wanted to become "hard". The sorcerers Stoller studied with indicated that becoming "hard" is their ideal. It seems to me that the only way to achieve that goal is to renounce values that I regard as more important like friendship, trust and loyalty. That's what these "hard" sorcerers did. It didn't seem to me that Stoller really grasped at the time that this was the choice they had made, but it was very evident to me.
It's true that I am not viewing this account objectively, but I am not an anthropologist. I am not required to be objective. I understand that ethical standards are not cross-cultural, but when a Western anthropologist participates in an African magical tradition, he should have a much better understanding of how it might impact his own ethics than Stoller did.
This is three stars because I did learn from this book. It is my hope that Stoller learned from these experiences as well.
It's true that I am not viewing this account objectively, but I am not an anthropologist. I am not required to be objective. I understand that ethical standards are not cross-cultural, but when a Western anthropologist participates in an African magical tradition, he should have a much better understanding of how it might impact his own ethics than Stoller did.
This is three stars because I did learn from this book. It is my hope that Stoller learned from these experiences as well.
July 21, 2019
A fascinating look at the Songhay culture of western Niger through the eyes of an anthropologist who became an apprentice sorcerer. Perhaps the question for this non-fiction account is how much of Paul Stoller's description of sorcery's power is true? Or to the extent that "truth" is a subjective interpretation of events selectively remembered, how many of Paul Stoller's experiences would I have interpreted the same way? But I took it as he recounted it, and so found this a hard book to put down.
When I mentioned the premise of the book to a woman who had lived for years in West Africa already, she took off immediately on a tear against the native belief in witch doctors and sorcery. While Paul's book never suggests the sorcerers with whom he worked failed to come up with cures and solutions to the ailements that their trusting clients brought to them, my colleague ranted about people who let an infection go too far, or for whom the witch doctor's ministrations did nothing but further harm, where a simple trip to a legitimate doctor in a timely way would have saved a life. She went on and on against these hokus-pokes money makers who bring no good thing to their ignorant communities and who prey on superstitions. But Paul Stoller never discussed this possibility at all, never challenged whether the possession cults were a good thing or bad... maybe that's not the question an anthropologist asks.
Nonetheless, the fear that he ascribes to the local people regarding Wanzerbe, the village famous for a concentration of powerful sorcerers, provides its own suggestion of the answer, as does the sorcery masters' regular instruction to Paul to "be a hard man." Sorcerers, we intuit from Paul's anecdotes, are businessmen and women who wield their supernatural power, be it real or imagined --and Paul's experiences suggest "real"-- with defensive and even tactically offensive strategy, building their personal wealth and protecting themselves even in sometimes petty, jealous ways. The majority of the sorcerers with whom Paul interacted come across as flawed humans, and their power, based on incantations and potions, while very real in Paul's telling, tend toward malevolent.
A fascinating read! I wish for more of a denouement. I wish for a philosophical conclusion. I wish for an analysis of the future of sorcery in this culture, and how sorcery rectifies with the imposition of the modern world. I got none of that, but oh well. It was a fun read!
When I mentioned the premise of the book to a woman who had lived for years in West Africa already, she took off immediately on a tear against the native belief in witch doctors and sorcery. While Paul's book never suggests the sorcerers with whom he worked failed to come up with cures and solutions to the ailements that their trusting clients brought to them, my colleague ranted about people who let an infection go too far, or for whom the witch doctor's ministrations did nothing but further harm, where a simple trip to a legitimate doctor in a timely way would have saved a life. She went on and on against these hokus-pokes money makers who bring no good thing to their ignorant communities and who prey on superstitions. But Paul Stoller never discussed this possibility at all, never challenged whether the possession cults were a good thing or bad... maybe that's not the question an anthropologist asks.
Nonetheless, the fear that he ascribes to the local people regarding Wanzerbe, the village famous for a concentration of powerful sorcerers, provides its own suggestion of the answer, as does the sorcery masters' regular instruction to Paul to "be a hard man." Sorcerers, we intuit from Paul's anecdotes, are businessmen and women who wield their supernatural power, be it real or imagined --and Paul's experiences suggest "real"-- with defensive and even tactically offensive strategy, building their personal wealth and protecting themselves even in sometimes petty, jealous ways. The majority of the sorcerers with whom Paul interacted come across as flawed humans, and their power, based on incantations and potions, while very real in Paul's telling, tend toward malevolent.
A fascinating read! I wish for more of a denouement. I wish for a philosophical conclusion. I wish for an analysis of the future of sorcery in this culture, and how sorcery rectifies with the imposition of the modern world. I got none of that, but oh well. It was a fun read!
Read
March 7, 2016This was a totally awesome book, and really short too. First of all, the depictions of the sorcerers themselves were really fascinating (the pictures are amazing), and cinematic, and it was a pretty interesting anthropology experiment, sort of how far can an anthropologist immerse themselves, and how much can ethnography divorce itself from the ethnographer's personal beliefs (i.e. sorcery is false.) Its pretty insane that that woman's face was paralyzed because of his charms, and I also appreciated the way he did not always come up with pseudo-scientific explanations for every odd happening, and explain by explaining away- he actually gave it its due, and engaged accordingly. Its sort of a one trick pony aside from some fun cultural details (women aren't expected to be virgins, obese women are considered beautiful), but its an experiment worth remembering.
November 9, 2008
This book was one of the cornerstone's of my coursework in religious anthropology. Aside from simply being a good read, this book has often sparked the discussion of how biased a social scientist can (and must acknowledge that he is) be. Stoller's take on ethnography is a very deeply invested one (he becomes intimately involved in the culture he is studying) and one can't help but consider whether or not he is the "outsider looking in" or whether he crosses that line to become "the insider looking out". I make no judgement here about which is the better, but the importance of it is that the reader bear this in mind when considering the book.
December 10, 2018
Maybe more like 2.5? Interesting read, but it’s got a lot of issues that Stoller should’ve addressed more thoroughly, like his obvious insecurity and need for validation that seem to fuel his desire to ‘become’ Songhay. I’m sure his relationships were real, but it all seems kind of exploitative.
I guess there’s some redeeming ethnographic material, and the reader gets a sense of sorcery and Songhay culture in general.
I guess there’s some redeeming ethnographic material, and the reader gets a sense of sorcery and Songhay culture in general.
August 31, 2020
"In Sorcery's Shadow" is an extremely interesting read, as it examines Sorcery and Sorcerers amongst the Songhay people from a perspective that is based on personal experience and not one which is dramatized or staged in order to seem more fantastical. Far from speaking about sorcery customs in a generalized, non-specific way, the book delves into the specifics of how exactly many of these things are done, as well as how sorcery is viewed in that society. Many depictions of African sorcerers and customs in popular culture seek to make these practices seem either so mysterious that they cannot be explained, or attempt to frame it as an elaborate ruse that clever people use to have some measure of power over those who are supposedly "gullible". "In Sorcery's Shadow" does not fall into these pitfalls, and instead provides an honest depiction of the traditions in a way which is respectful and, importantly, down to earth. The many individuals that Paul Stoller meets and becomes close with over the course of his studies are real people, and are portrayed as such. They are not made to seem larger than life or overly fantastical, they are people that practice their traditions and serve a valued and respected role in their communities. By recounting his experiences in this way, as well as through the lens of an academic who has come to believe in the power of sorcery through firsthand experience,the material the Stoller is aiming to share is made much more engaging, interesting, and ultimately educational.
March 26, 2021
I read this ethnography for an undergraduate anthropology class in magic, witchcraft and religion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it read almost like fiction rather than an ethnography. It follows Stollers' experiences becoming a Songhay sorcerer's apprentice, and also his discussion of the ethical dilemmas he faced in doing so. He wondered if it was ethical for himself, as an anthropologist, to become initiated as a sorcerer and whether it would affect his objectivity in terms of his research. His questioning of his deep involvement sparks the discussion of how biased a social scientist can be, when they cross the line of objectivity/subjectivity. Overall it was a very interesting read, and I enjoyed how the ethnography was broken up into short chapters, each discussing a different event/theme over his years spent in Niger.
July 30, 2020
An interesting memoir about an anthropologist diving into a culture and learning about the people and their way of life. The focus of this book was the culture's belief in sorcery and witches as we follow Pauls's decent into learning sorcery. I really liked how the book showed Paul change as a person over time and occasionally be a bit overdramatic. It was an interesting and fun read that introduces the reader to a culture they probably never read about before. Whether you are reading this for a class or for fun, you are going to have a unique adventure reading this book.
October 7, 2022
Insightful and eye-opening.
All humans walk around with absolutely no idea of the extent to which our perception of the "world" is not in any way correct or true -- it's simply a construct in our own minds we have built out of the culture we were raised in. The only way to achieve this realization is to immerse yourself in a culture foreign to yours, or at the very least to read deeply about such a culture, with your mind wide open. That experience for me came in college when I took a Peoples and Cultures of Africa course in college.
This was one of our assigned books. It was a favorite.
All humans walk around with absolutely no idea of the extent to which our perception of the "world" is not in any way correct or true -- it's simply a construct in our own minds we have built out of the culture we were raised in. The only way to achieve this realization is to immerse yourself in a culture foreign to yours, or at the very least to read deeply about such a culture, with your mind wide open. That experience for me came in college when I took a Peoples and Cultures of Africa course in college.
This was one of our assigned books. It was a favorite.
Read
October 20, 2019I would have liked this book so much better if it was written from the perspective of the sorcerer. More of his own life and stories. Like “Singing Away the Hunger”.
Instead of the anthropologist droning on about the heat, etc.
Instead of the anthropologist droning on about the heat, etc.
July 20, 2020
Amazing book with a detailed view into the shamanistic practices of the Songhay. Author spends a great deal of time with two practitioners of cultural animism\sorcery, eventually finding him self apprenticed to them. Book takes a very detailed look at their beliefs, practices, and cultures.
August 12, 2024
Memoirs of an anthropologist living with Shamans in Niger. The best parts are his descriptions of the people, their lifestyle, the seasons. The book is populated with strong characters and the dialog is rendered in a nice way that translates the local idioms faithfully (I presume).
The actual sorcery such as it is is rather dull. Just a bunch of powders and nightmares.
The actual sorcery such as it is is rather dull. Just a bunch of powders and nightmares.
January 10, 2021
The first few chapters I didn’t really like but it got really fascinating after about the 6th chapter and now I love it.
August 28, 2024
Easy reading ethnography that opens a world of African socery. Author shows how the information he gather and knowledge he gets is breaking his Western/scientific worldview.
April 19, 2025
A great account of fieldwork, and thought provoking as to the nature of sorcery, and the relationships created.
March 23, 2015
In Sorcery's Shadow is an odd book choice to review on a site such as this. While on the one hand it is a stellar work that deserves accolade right alongside Stephen King and Homer, it is also something very special: it is an ethnography.
I have to make it clear what this means. This is not 'based on a true story' like The Mothman Prophecies or Apollo 13. These aren't true events that have been fictionalized and dramatized by the pen of the writer... This is an actual scientific study by an anthropologist dealing with the sorcery sub-culture in the Songhay region of Niger. Everything that happens in it is verifiable and true. It is not a novel.
This makes it hard to review. Much like the Odyssey, I find it difficult to comment on such scholarly endeavors. But still, the hope is that you will read this and go out and pick it up, because you should. It's a fast, wonderful read. At times it's easy to forget it's fiction, and at those times you remember you can't help but have your faith shaken, or even become terrified.
The story features the anthropologist Paul Stoller as he conducts research in Niger over the corse of four years. During his first year there he is approached by a Sorko (sorcerer) named Djibo who interprets a sign from god to mean that he is to train Paul in the ways of the Sorko. This is a tremendous opportunity, as Stoller relates, because very few anthropologists have been able to successfully and seriously penetrate the world of sorcery.
Through the coarse of his studies, Stoller becomes increasingly unnerved in the very real power the rituals have over people. At one pout he is asked to curse a mean European and does so, only to become horrified when it seems to actually work! As he becomes more and more powerful, he is also magically attacked by other Sorkos, causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down and his life to become endangered.
Again, this is a scientific book that is taught in Universities. It's as real as it gets. That's whats scary. On that level, this textbook is more unnerving than any horror novel I have read.
Where the book falls apart is that, because it's all true, it's fairly anti-climactic. Normally I wouldn't hold that against it, but it seems as though some editor or co-author Cheryl Oakes went to great effort to make it SEEM climactic. For instance, there is great tension building throughout he second half of the book between Stoller and Djibo... But it comes down to a passive-aggressive hissyfit between the two of them. And it's not me reading into the text manufacturing tension: the name of the chapter is 'Showdown with Sorko Djibo'. That's an almost comic misappropriation of the events, and hurts the books final score.
Still, it's a great book that sucks you in and teaches you a little along the way. Sure the ending is a little disappointing, but if I really had an issue with that I wouldn't read Stephen King. And to be fair, this book has an excuse.
Almost perfect. 4/5.
Read more reviews on The Book Closet
I have to make it clear what this means. This is not 'based on a true story' like The Mothman Prophecies or Apollo 13. These aren't true events that have been fictionalized and dramatized by the pen of the writer... This is an actual scientific study by an anthropologist dealing with the sorcery sub-culture in the Songhay region of Niger. Everything that happens in it is verifiable and true. It is not a novel.
This makes it hard to review. Much like the Odyssey, I find it difficult to comment on such scholarly endeavors. But still, the hope is that you will read this and go out and pick it up, because you should. It's a fast, wonderful read. At times it's easy to forget it's fiction, and at those times you remember you can't help but have your faith shaken, or even become terrified.
The story features the anthropologist Paul Stoller as he conducts research in Niger over the corse of four years. During his first year there he is approached by a Sorko (sorcerer) named Djibo who interprets a sign from god to mean that he is to train Paul in the ways of the Sorko. This is a tremendous opportunity, as Stoller relates, because very few anthropologists have been able to successfully and seriously penetrate the world of sorcery.
Through the coarse of his studies, Stoller becomes increasingly unnerved in the very real power the rituals have over people. At one pout he is asked to curse a mean European and does so, only to become horrified when it seems to actually work! As he becomes more and more powerful, he is also magically attacked by other Sorkos, causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down and his life to become endangered.
Again, this is a scientific book that is taught in Universities. It's as real as it gets. That's whats scary. On that level, this textbook is more unnerving than any horror novel I have read.
Where the book falls apart is that, because it's all true, it's fairly anti-climactic. Normally I wouldn't hold that against it, but it seems as though some editor or co-author Cheryl Oakes went to great effort to make it SEEM climactic. For instance, there is great tension building throughout he second half of the book between Stoller and Djibo... But it comes down to a passive-aggressive hissyfit between the two of them. And it's not me reading into the text manufacturing tension: the name of the chapter is 'Showdown with Sorko Djibo'. That's an almost comic misappropriation of the events, and hurts the books final score.
Still, it's a great book that sucks you in and teaches you a little along the way. Sure the ending is a little disappointing, but if I really had an issue with that I wouldn't read Stephen King. And to be fair, this book has an excuse.
Almost perfect. 4/5.
Read more reviews on The Book Closet
November 2, 2013
One of the better books outside academia on this topic. The conversations, advice and comments regarding learning and accruing wisdom in life (for example, as offered by Adamu Jenitongo, one of Stoller's instructors) ring true. I've heard similar from elderly and older Native Americans when instructing youth or individuals returning to the old ways. There's no hand holding, no step by step instruction. One is expected to be serious and dedicated - or go elsewhere, No second chances because you are wasting the teacher's time and this isn't a game.
This ancient way of instructing is survival - oriented whether applied to secular life or the spiritual dimensions: Pay attention. Observe. Nature is powerful and ambivalent. Cultivate both inner and outer strength. Ask wise questions but don't talk much. No chatter, no small talk. Ponder consequences before acting. Don't trust everyone who smiles and gives you gifts or says nice things - they are probably an enemy. So wait awhile and let things play out. Think for yourself. One will be learning one's entire life and still barely scratch the surface. Know when to run! And finally, know that walking this path entails lessons and challenges requiring years to unfold.
When applied to sorcery, the advice is no different and consequences are sobering. This is no Carlos Castaneda tale for the bored and spoiled spiritual materialism set, but the real thing.
Stoller writes honestly about events that may transpire when one becomes involved with the path of sorcery. There are individuals who are deadly serious about what they are doing.
Whether one believes in sorcery or not, its quite another issue when toxic substances are employed to accomplish the ends of magic. Fungi, plant matter, bacteria, viruses,poisons from reptiles and shellfish: all can be used either straight or mixed into various concoctions, or fermented to even more deadly potency. Employed judiciously in powder, liquid or vapor form rubbed into one's clothing, lacing food, added to tea or even coating the pages of one's note book and absorbed through the pads of the fingertips. So while spirits may or may not be involved, depending on one's frame of reference, one can't argue with the effects of poison on the central nervous system or digestive tract, nor poisonous snakes being hidden in one's hut.
Even if you don't like or agree with the author, set those personal feelings aside and try to read this as a case study. Stoller's writing opens a door onto a way of being and life ways that we will never encounter personally.
Personally I'm glad anthros like Stoller are sharing their experiences, and so happy to see he isn't turning it into a monetizing venture complete with seminars, workshops, genuine ceremony, A - Level Sorcerer Certification program and delux accommodations!
This ancient way of instructing is survival - oriented whether applied to secular life or the spiritual dimensions: Pay attention. Observe. Nature is powerful and ambivalent. Cultivate both inner and outer strength. Ask wise questions but don't talk much. No chatter, no small talk. Ponder consequences before acting. Don't trust everyone who smiles and gives you gifts or says nice things - they are probably an enemy. So wait awhile and let things play out. Think for yourself. One will be learning one's entire life and still barely scratch the surface. Know when to run! And finally, know that walking this path entails lessons and challenges requiring years to unfold.
When applied to sorcery, the advice is no different and consequences are sobering. This is no Carlos Castaneda tale for the bored and spoiled spiritual materialism set, but the real thing.
Stoller writes honestly about events that may transpire when one becomes involved with the path of sorcery. There are individuals who are deadly serious about what they are doing.
Whether one believes in sorcery or not, its quite another issue when toxic substances are employed to accomplish the ends of magic. Fungi, plant matter, bacteria, viruses,poisons from reptiles and shellfish: all can be used either straight or mixed into various concoctions, or fermented to even more deadly potency. Employed judiciously in powder, liquid or vapor form rubbed into one's clothing, lacing food, added to tea or even coating the pages of one's note book and absorbed through the pads of the fingertips. So while spirits may or may not be involved, depending on one's frame of reference, one can't argue with the effects of poison on the central nervous system or digestive tract, nor poisonous snakes being hidden in one's hut.
Even if you don't like or agree with the author, set those personal feelings aside and try to read this as a case study. Stoller's writing opens a door onto a way of being and life ways that we will never encounter personally.
Personally I'm glad anthros like Stoller are sharing their experiences, and so happy to see he isn't turning it into a monetizing venture complete with seminars, workshops, genuine ceremony, A - Level Sorcerer Certification program and delux accommodations!
December 3, 2011
An interesting read indeed. Not only did Stoller and Olkes keep the readers entertained with the visual imagery of Niger but one could walk in his shoes and experience the pains of skepticism, doubt, culture shock, betrayal, etc. Stoller’s experience with the Songhay proves that rationalization in science and Western traditions alone fall short from obtaining a deep understanding and respect for another’s culture and worldview. Problems with the police as well as bugs, food, diarrhea, a seemingly ridiculous belief system that is completely foreign to one’s own, and what’s worst, the fact that an outsider can never become an insider, are all tribulations that missionaries must face on the field as well. I believe this book to be an insightful revelation to the supernatural dominant world culture—a must-read for Westerners who desire to think critically and evaluate with discernment the ideologies of the Others’ “realities” in light of “Reality.”
June 3, 2016
I could not find a book by a Nigerien author translated into English, so chose to read this one. Paul Stoller is an anthropologist who has spent quite a lot of time in Niger, making several visits over a period of eight or nine years. It makes an interesting comparison with Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman. I don't think I would know which one of the two authors was the 'outsider' by their beliefs and attitudes to sorcery.
March 30, 2016
As an anthropology student I loved this book. Stoller weaves a fascinating narrative about his time among the Songhay of Niger. He struggles greatly with trying to maintain his own objectivity as an anthropologist as he trains in sorcery. Ultimately we witness him falling down the rabbit hole and believing in sorcery and witches and the powers he possessed. One of the best most honest books I've read in a long time. Would love to read Stoller's more traditional ethnography about the Songhay to learn more about these fascinating people.
July 27, 2017
Very awesome book, very very interesting. It makes me have a desire to go learn sorcery in Africa. It Is written by a Anthropologist and it describes how he became recruited into the world of sorcery. It is convincing and very entertaining and eyeopening. I have spoken to some friends of mine from Nigeria and when I brought up the topic of sorcery they became very hebidee jeebide and really did believe in it, and after I read this book...I do too.
September 6, 2009
HOLY GREAT BATSHIT!!! Finally a decent anthropological study of african sorcery amoung the Songhey! Christ I thought they didn't exist. Not only is the author an actual renowned Anthropologist, but he states everything I do about the problem with ethnography when it comes to witchcraft, damn I love being right! =)
September 12, 2011
Is my appreciation of this book colored by the fact that it's about the Songhaï of western Niger. Absolutely. Is Stoller occasionally an insufferable smug prick? Undoubtedly. Could I stop reading it? No, I could not. One of those rare, bittersweet books that instills the desire for at least a partial do-over of a past part of your life.
March 20, 2013
Paul Stoller (an athropologist) writes this as an ethnography and a memoir.
The tale is captivating, exciting and perplexing.
Being familiar with Gonzo Journalism (popularized by Hunter S. Thompson), I am tempted to call this Gonzo Anthropology. It is a beautiful read about a culture that I knew very little about.
The tale is captivating, exciting and perplexing.
Being familiar with Gonzo Journalism (popularized by Hunter S. Thompson), I am tempted to call this Gonzo Anthropology. It is a beautiful read about a culture that I knew very little about.
November 7, 2007
I thought this was a meaningful description of one man's exploration of West Africa's spiritual realm. It raises appropriate ethical questions and gives an accurate, non-emotional account of Niger's culture. Very interesting.
May 26, 2011
This could easily br put next to Tim Robbins or Irvine Welsh, except that it's all true and that makes it super bad-ass. If only there were a hole genre of anthropological thrillers, I'd be a happy girl. This book continues to haunt me.
June 28, 2014
This ethnography immersed me in a world completely foreign to me and surrounded me with unique terrain, climate, culture, sorcery and a unique society. It left me wondering how I feel about his experiences which I liked. Thanks to Clay for the recommendation.
January 21, 2008
This is the first book I had to read due to the fact that I finished my most recent Bukowski. I found it on my cousins bookshelf and told myself I would finish it.Pretty interesting.
Read
April 10, 2008I didn't quite finish this book because I didn't have time. But it is about a anthropologist who apprentices a sorcerer to gain knowledge of the culture but he starts to become to involved.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews