The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic

Fascinating read. This book had me googling things like mad. I wish those generous people had been able to help Marcel's wife, but perhaps the right medicine was not available at that time. Also, it hurt my heart to Google Rachel and discover that she has passed. I could have done without the descriptions of the lab animals, but it was a good reminder that such things still go on in our so called civilized society (my patoot!). The ending was a bit abrupt. I would definitely read more by this author. Beautiful prose.

First off forget anything you saw in the film, which bears little resemblance to the book. THE SERPENT & THE RAINBOW is a fascinating anthropological study that reads like fiction; easily capable of holding a reader's interest from start to finish.It is the early 1980's and Harvard educated ethnobotantist (one who scientifically studies the relationship between people and plants) Wade Davis is sent to Haiti to investigate the validity of two reported cases of zombification. The theory being the reanimated state is created through the action of then unidentified toxins found in a mysterious mixture called "zombie powder". Dr. Davis's financial backers believe the powder may be of some pharmacological interest.Wade Davis does indeed obtain the mysterious powder; several forms of it in fact and analysis in the States prove the substances to contain the active ingredients tetrodotoxin from pufferfish and another potent toxin from dried tree frogs. Davis hypothesizes the powder when applied to broken or abraded skin causes an extreme reaction culminating in a death-like state. The victim, fully conscious but completely paralyzed, is then mistakenly diagnosed as dead, buried alive, and left in the grave for hours to days with nothing but the darkness and his or her own thoughts as company.This is just the beginning of what can only be described as an absolutely horrific fate. The victim is later dug up, viciously beaten and subjected to frightening rituals designed to convince the victim that he or she is now a soulless zombie. To further this belief the victim is feed a paste containing tropane alkaloids from the Datura stramonium plant which causes delirium, confusion, and memory loss. The pliant zombie is then sold to one of the large farms on the island and is usually never seen or heard from again.Sounds pretty frightening doesn't it? Well it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what according to the author was going on in Haiti at the time of the book's writing. By this point obtaining the powder and getting a positive chemical analysis completed wasn't enough for the good doctor. He wanted to understand WHY zombies were being created in the first place, and WHO was making the decision to create them. The author wanted to understand the magic of Haitian Vodou.What follows is an odyssey into the secret Vodou societies who controlled the countryside, and to a certain extent the capital of Port-au-Prince. It is the societies who "own the night" enforcing a system of folk justice with zombification as the ultimate punishment. Victims are rarely if ever innocent, chosen specifically for their difficult temperament and moral degeneracy. That the author was able to penetrate so deeply into the inner machinations of the societies and their relationship with government officials, and lived to write the tale, is absolutely amazing to this reader.So what conclusions can be drawn from this classic work on Haitin Vodou? At the very least THE SERPENT & THE RAINBOW raises interesting questions about magical ethics and the role of magical practitioners in their communities. It also describes the rarest type of government to ever exist in the Americas: the thaumacracy (a society governed by the belief in magic and the power of its practitioners). This in my opinion makes the book an essential read for all modern day pagans and not just vodouists. Besides, for sheer pleasure reading it is a really good book.

I picked up this book partly to understand the history of the zombie phenomenon and partly to read a biography of a scientist's exploration in a foreign land. I have always been fascinated by the Haitian people and I often find that reading tales of the exploits of scientific researchers is usually an entertaining way to do that. The book succeeds in describing the 'zombi' phenomenon in fascinating detail by describing the process whereby the author finds the poison which makes somebody a zombie. Because the author is an ethnobotanist, his robust discussion of plant poisons represents a strong point of the book. Indeed initially this book has a bit of adventure, a bit of mystery and some danger as the author explores the world of the voudon (voodoo) society. This part of the novel is a fascinating expose' the reveals a unique relationship between Haitian society and folk chemistry. Unfortunately at some point the author fails to suspend his disbelief and becomes a zombie himself. About midway through the book his critical thinking skills go out the window. When he starts to explain that voodoo is like science in that they are both ways to understand the world through a different prism, that are equally valid I almost put the book down. Furthermore he becomes fully accepting of the spiritual/magical components of the voodoo religion. This kind of multi-cultural bending over backwards to accept the superstitious, non-scientific aspects of non-western cultures always seems shallow to me. The last half of the book, the author does an excellent job of describing the unique conditions which have shaped Haitian culture to the form it is today. The story of their countries founding as an outpost of African slaves who retained African culture and the ultimate rebellion that fueled their independence has shaped a unique social and political order composed of secret societies and the voudon religion. The secret societies are part local-government, part legal system and part social safety net. From what I've read and experienced these quasi-governmental communities often fill the vacuum of a corrupt or absent government in Africa too. Usually this is in the form of the church, but what is unique about Haiti is the different religious/cultural format of this organization and how bizarre the voodoo religion seems to outsiders. Where there is no justice or no help when you get sick, these part religious, part masonic-style secret societies come to rescue. I think in this specific sense accepting multiculturalism is appropriate for there are many ways to structure a society and given the poverty and corruption experienced in Haiti, the structure of the secret societies is perhaps an appropriate solution. But to imply that voodoo and science provide equally valid ways of viewing the world is just plain nonsense. Science provides an objective standard for knowing which is the only culturally irrelevant way to find truth. This isn't to imply that the author should have denigrated the cultural traditions of the Haitian people but to stand on a soapbox was inappropriate. In fact, some of the strongest points of the book was when the author dispelled some of the racist-inspired misapprehensions of foreign anthropologists of the past. While the author does dispel some of the more sinister descriptions of voudon culture and the Haitian people, the description of the widespread use of poisons which often involve digging up the dead, the creation of zombies and the elaborate ceremonies performed retain the morbid, mystery of this unique culture. But he should have stopped short of his bold proclamations, suspended his disbelief and enjoyed the ride.

Esse Livro e maravilhosoDemais tem um filme muito legal

I came to this because I'd read some of Wade Davis's other work, but I had no real interest in Haiti or Voodoo, so all credit to the author for keeping me glued to the page throughout. The initial motivation for Davis's investigation, back in the nineteen-eighties, was to find out whether psychoactive drugs which many academics believed were used in Voodoo practices, specifically to create Zombies, were real, were psychoactive, and perhaps useful for other medical purposes.Where the book is really interesting is that not only does he crack the puzzle of what drugs are used and how they operate, but he also delves deep into Haitian history and society to explain what Voodoo, and specifically Zombies, represent within Haitian culture. It's a book full of historical narrative and anecdotes about Voodoo practitioners the author meets, as well as a biochemistry puzzle (although the biochemistry is interesting in itself).His ultimate point is that you can't explain a cultural phenomenon like the Zombie without a multi-disciplinary approach which takes into account not only the sophisticated poisons used, but also the place they hold within Haitian religion and society. In other words, you can't understand the drug without understanding the 'set and setting' of its consumption. He also uses this insight as a jumping-off point to show that whilst it is certainly a very distinct set of beliefs, the role of intoxication and trance in Haitian Voodoo actually has many parallels to other religions.All in all it's an exciting, interesting account which can be thought-provoking and definitely taught me that much of what I thought I knew about Haiti and Voodoo was misleading. The only reason I've given it 4 stars and not 5 is that Davis clearly became very involved in the practice of Voodoo to write this book, and opened his mind to its possibilities. Whilst this is admirable in an anthropologist, there are passages here where he tries to evoke the spiritual power of religion in contrast with the rationally-driven societies of the modern West which are, quite frankly, wishy-washy New Age bunkum and stick out from the normally smart, thoughtful text like a sore thumb.

My sister recommended this book and I purchased this and One River by the same offer for my partner. He tells me both books are a journey of discovery. Magnificent original thoughts on each page.

Have just started this book after watching the quite dated film. It took a very long time to arrive but it was worth the wait.

It'interesting to read how the issue about zombification can be scientifically explained.