Book Review: Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston made several trips to the American South to collect folklore from African-American communities. This book chronicles two such trips where she heard the stories people liked to tell and saw how they lived (and did some living herself, too).

The first trip was to her hometown Eatonville, Florida, where the locals remembered her more or less fondly and welcomed her into the community (she had gone off to college). She describes her experience of life, going to parties and going fishing. She tells the folk tales as she hears them, crediting local friends and acquaintances, some of whom try to outdo each other in telling more elaborate or more fantastic tales. Some stories are typical adventures of anthropomorphized animals or explanations of how various animals or people were created. Many stories come from the time of slavery, often with an "Ole Massa" character, the plantation owner, who is tricked by a clever slave (often named "John"). The stories are humorous and wistful, a delight to read.

The last third of the book covers another trip, to New Orleans, where Hurston investigated the Hoodoo practices (superficially known as "Voodoo" in the larger American culture). She found out more about Hoodoo by becoming a student to various conjurors and doctors (referred to as "two-headed doctors" since they had some scientific learning along with their Hoodoo knowledge). She makes no moral or spiritual judgements about the practitioners, merely chronicling their ceremonies. Some clients want to hurt or maim others; some want success in court; some want to retain a spouse while others want to drive a lover away. This part is definitely darker and odder than the first two-thirds of the book.

As an examination of black folklore and life in 1930s America, this book is a fascinating read. Hurston has an easy narrative style that is engaging, as if the reader is along for the ride through Florida and New Orleans. I enjoyed the book a lot.

Recommended.