Mumbo Jumbo

A Novel

De: Ishmael Reed

Narrado por: David Sadzin

Duración: 9 h y 14 m

Resumen del Editor

Ishmael Reed's inspired fable of the ragtime era, in which a social movement threatens to suppress the spread of black culture - hailed by Harold Bloom as one of the 500 greatest books of the Western canon

In 1920s America, a plague is spreading fast. From New Orleans to Chicago to New York, the "Jes Grew" epidemic makes people desperate to dance, overturning social norms in the process. Anyone is vulnerable and when they catch it, they'll bump and grind into a frenzy. Working to combat the Jes Grew infection are the puritanical Atonists, a group bent on cultivating a "Talking Android", an African American who will infiltrate the unruly black communities and help crush the outbreak. But PaPa LaBas, a houngan voodoo priest, is determined to keep his ancient culture - including a key spiritual text - alive.

Spanning a dizzying host of genres, from cinema to academia to mythology, Mumbo Jumbo is a lively ride through a key decade of American history. In addition to ragtime, blues, and jazz, Reed's allegory draws on the Harlem Renaissance, the Back to Africa movement, and America's occupation of Haiti. His style throughout is as avant-garde and vibrant as the music at its center.

©1972 Ishmael Reed (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

Unique and enjoyable 👍🏽

Excellent book excellent narrator would have given fives all the way around except for the very long prologue did not enjoy the first 26 or 30 minutes of the book

Interesting for Political & Cultural Influence

Interesting Period Piece, told in the “Negro” Slang of the 1920’s, notable in the fact that it was written by a MacArthur Genius Grant Recipient, Pulitzer and National Book Award Nominee and Black Activist Poet and Essayist.
Mumbo Jumbo is a wild fever dream that spans countries, movements and centuries declaiming the attempts by the Powers That Be to suppress the Real Black Culture of music and dance and transform Blacks to docile slaves of the dominant White Culture.

It drops the names and events of the time combining them all with Ancient African myths and traditions to warn African-Americans of the threat to their essence. For those readers unfamiliar with all the references the book is better skimmed for its tone and rhythm since it is difficult to follow. Best appreciated when accompanied by recreational herbs and/or chemicals.

While Harold Bloom included Mumbo Jumbo in his Western Canon of 500 Books, I’m pretty sure that was a gesture of respect for the Author’s Cause rather than for its literary merit. Three Stars.

Important but difficult

I’m sure that this is a very important book. And at times it’s very entertaining. I would have needed a reading guide though to get the full value.

The mingling of historical facts in mumbo-jumbo.

This book is absolutely enjoyable, entertaining and a must read for those who are students of history.

The Spirit of the blues!

Awesome sauce! Seriously, you don’t have to take this seriously to get a whole lot out of it. It with a creative fabric through the history of musical dance in his country. Somuch parody and so much of Reed telling his truth.

Phenomenal!

Really interesting story interwoven in with historical fact! All the things I looked up , (picasso and penal colony among them) ended up being true! I did not know that America was used as a penal colony, but a quarter of the population at Revolution was convicts!

Eye opening stuff!! Can't wait for a second listen of it!

Will definitely read more from this author!

Reed is a genius

Ismael Reed is one of our most important voiced but this story is just a little esoteric for relaxed listening. That's my limitation not his. Performance was perfect.

Great Selection!!!!

The language and the style of this book was really amazing and I think it was narrated very well truly truly enjoyable thank you.

my favorite book

this is one of my all-time favorite allegory, straightforwardness comprised in this novel is one of a kind

I just didn’t get it

Maybe I’m too old, too white, too unimaginative but I didn’t get it. I was more interested in the narrators “Christopher Walkers pause during a sentence” way of talking to pay close enough attention. But I just didn’t get it.