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More copies of this ISBN:The Accidental Santeraby Irete Lazo
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A one-of-a-kind novel that plunges readers into the secrets of Afro-Cuban Santeria—a world of fascinating beauty, pulsating rhythms, and great mystery. Gabrielle Segovia, Ph.D., is struggling to build a career as a Latina scientist, cope with her third miscarriage, and resuscitate her marriage to fellow biology professor Benito Cruz. Becoming a santera is not in her plans. But everything changes when her best friend, the feisty Patricia Muñoz, drags her into a French Quarter voodoo shop during a conference in New Orleans. When Gabrielle gets home to the San Francisco Bay Area, the predictions from her on-a-whim reading begin to come true. That’s when she learns she hails from a long line of practitioners of Santeria, the religion created when Yoruba slaves combined their ancient rituals with Catholicism. Out of desperation to become a mother and save both her job and her marriage, Gabrielle turns to Puerto Rican relatives living in Miami she hasn’t seen since she was a child. She finds herself warmly embraced by three generations of Segovia santeras and drawn into their world of séances, sacred drums, and ritual animal sacrifice. Unexpectedly marked for initiation by the gods and goddesses of the Yoruba pantheon, Gabrielle must decide whether she can bring herself to answer the call. And, if she chooses, commit to the seemingly contradictory life of a scientist who is also a santera. In this powerful debut novel, Irete Lazo captures a vibrant world still unknown to many and relates a journey that is at once funny, heart-wrenching, and, ultimately, triumphant.
Review:"In this debut novel, a field biologist, unsatisfied in her career and unhappy in her marriage after suffering three miscarriages, discovers Santera (the Yoruba religion brought by African slaves to the Caribbean where it mixed with Catholicism). Gabrielle Segovia lets loose while attending a conference in New Orleans and has a 'reading' at Madam Laveau's House of Voodoo, where the spirit tells her that she doesn't need a doctor, the babies will come when she finds her spiritual path. Back home, Gabrielle reluctantly agrees to see a fertility specialist, but despite learning that she does have physical problems, she refuses further medical care and turns to Santera to fulfill her wish to conceive. She travels to Miami and to her Santera-practicing Puerto Rican cousins, and soon Gabrielle is ditching work and planning her 'ocha,' her initiation into Santera. The author, writing under a pseudonym, is knowledgeable about her subject; she's a former scientist and a practicing santera, and does an entertaining job of contrasting science with religious beliefs. All ends happily in this lighthearted first novel that puts a contemporary Latin face on a fascinating and ancient religion." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) About the AuthorIrete Lazo (a pseudonym) is a practicing santera and former scientist who received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. She has been a reporter at the San Jose Mercury News, an editor at Latina magazine, and a science correspondent for National Public Radio’s Latino USA. She is currently a freelance science writer living with her husband and son in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is her first novel. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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