Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South - Paperback

by Tony Kail (Author)

Men and women who carried the mantle of African healing and spirituality in the Mid-South were frequently accused and attacked for their misunderstood culture. The same healers and spiritual workers feared by outsiders were embraced and revered by families who survived because of their presence. From Tennessee to Mississippi, ancient formulas and potions were integral parts of the African American community. Follow author Tony Kail as he takes us down the back roads of rural counties, where healers formulated miracles in mojo bags, and into the cities, where conjurers spoke to the spirits of the dead.

Author Biography

Tony Kail is an ethnographer and writer. He holds a degree in cultural anthropology and has researched ethnic cultures for more than twenty-five years. His work has taken him from voodoo ceremonies in New Orleans to Haitian Botanicas in Harlem and Spiritual Churches in East Africa. He has lectured at more than one hundred universities, hospitals and public safety agencies. Kail has been featured on CNN Online, the History Channel and numerous radio, television and print outlets. A resident of Humboldt, Tennessee, Kail was raised in Memphis and calls it his second home.