Synopses & Reviews
From the canefileds of the ante-bellum South, the villages of the Caribbean islands, and the streets of contemporary inner cities, here are more than one hundred tales from an "incredibly rich and affirmative storytelling tradition" (Choice).
Full of life, wisdom, and humor, these tales range from the earthy comedy of tricksters to stories explaining how the world was created and got to be the way it is, to moral fables that tell of encounters between masters and slaves. They includes stories set down in travelers' reports and plantation journals from the early nineteenth century, tales gathered by collectors such as Joel Chandler Harris and Zora Neale Hurston, and narratives tape-recorded by Roger Abrahams himself during extensive expeditions throughout the American South and the Caribbean.
Synopsis
Full of life, wisdom, and humor, these tales range from the earthy comedy of tricksters to accounts of how the world was created and got to be the way it is to moral fables that tell of encounters between masters and slaves. They include stories set down in nineteenth-century travelers' reports and plantation journals, tales gathered by collectors such as Joel Chandler Harris and Zora Neale Hurston, and narratives tape-recorded by Roger Abrahams himself during extensive expeditions throughout the American South and the Caribbean.
With black-and-white illustrations throughout
Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folkore Library
Synopsis
From the canefields of the antebellum South, the villages of Caribbean islands, and the streets of contemporary inner cities, here are more than one hundred tales from an "incredibly rich and affirmative storytelling tradition" (Choice). Full of life and humor, these tales range from the earthy comedy of tricksters to stories explaining how the world was created and -- fairly or unfairly -- got to be the way it is to moral fables that tell of encounters between masters and slaves. They offer a robust demonstration of the ways an uprooted people have drawn from the traditions of their past to fashion a life -- and with it, a new and vital culture -- in the New World.
About the Author
"Earthy and comedic...a rousing good read.... I suspect Mr. Abraham's book will be read a generation hence."
--New York Times Book Review
"Another masterful addition and accessible introduction to the captured myths of what the Mede calls 'God's Chiefdom'.... Sweeping across the continent...the juxtaposition of tribes and pacing of story lengths make for lively reading."
--Washington Post Book World