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Customer Reviews of The SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW

A fascinating scientific adventure
In "The Serpent and the Rainbow" Ethnobotanist Wade Davis chronicles his explorations of Haitian culture and religion in what begins as a search for an actual drug used to create Zombis. As Davis delves deeper in to the Voudoun societies in search of this rumored drug, he discovers a many layered religious and social culture that raises new questions and leads to further investigations into the peasant culture of Haiti and its roots in West African religion and culture.

While not a reference work on the Voudoun religion, "The Serpent and the Rainbow" sheds new light on Voudoun practice and theology, and it's ubiquitous presence in all levels of Haitian society. This is not a horror story of "devil drums" and "Voodoo dolls" but an exploration of how history has shaped the lives and culture of the people of Haiti.

In a nutshell, this is a real life adventure that is, if anything, more entertaining, and interesting than the fictional adventures of Indiana Jones, and far more satisfying than the Wes Craven film which is loosely (very loosely) based on this book.

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Rich and informative
I bought this book years ago and put it down after I realized it was nothing like the movie. Man, I'm glad I wizened up. The book saturates you in a country and culture where nothing is as it seems. Secret societies, Vodoun (as Davis refers to it in the book) and yes, Zombies are throughout it's pages. But what I thought was really interesting is when Davis talks about the history of Haiti. I could not get enough. Not only does he paint an amazing portrait of a remarkable people, but he masterfully takes you step by step on how the brutal origins of the country reflects it's modern day society and religion.

When he does talk about the Zombie poison, Davis makes it easy to understand how without giving specifics but revealing the major components. Beginning with a sound hypothesis when starting on his adventure and unraveling the mystery scientifically as the book progresses. He loves is terminology, but never does it frustrate the reader. Also, where he excels again is when he uses historical reference to provide many examples how similar or the same poisons have accidentally given the appearance of death in different parts and times of the world. Furthermore Davis explains that the poison is just a component to religious and social conditioning that reinforce the defintion of "Zombi".

After reading "The Serpent and the Rainbow" it will compel you to look up figures such as Macandal, Dr. Francois Devalier and especially Zore Neale Hurston, in which he names a chapter from the works of this remarkable woman.

My only complaint about the book is that I wish the author had provided a map. As descriptive as he is, it's hard to get a point of reference. One would say go on the net, but that's hard to do when your reading on a bus.

What I find ironic is that the movie of the same name glorifies the stereotypes in wich this book goes a lengths to disprove. But the irony within that irony is that if it wasn't for the movie, I never would have bought and read such a great book.

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The Ends Justify the Means?
The author takes us on his own macho trip to find the truth about Haitian zombies, prying his way into the ceremonial temples called "hounfours" where dancers in trance hold fire to their lips and are not harmed. Financed by academic money, Davis made a number of trips to the island and managed to uncover much information about the practice of what we call "voodoo" and specifically about the making of zombies. Yes, there really are zombies, people supposedly dead and buried, but who emerge from the grave to become mindless slaves. How is this accomplished?

By buying his way into the favor of various "houngans," the author appears to have found the answer. As an ethnobotanist, the author has the knowledge and skills to determine if the various wierd ingredients (ground human bones, lizards and toads, various plants, etc) actually have any pharmacological basis for causing a simulation of death and/or subsequent "resurrection." While he watched as the houngans prepared the powder, he noted there were different formulas used, but each contained some of the same ingredients, and those could produce a death-like effect.

As I read this book, by the middle of it I found I did not like the author's methods nor much like the author; he blithely lied to people numerous times to get what he wanted, and the preparations he brought back were used on hapless rhesus monkeys to test their potency. In order to get at the methods and reasons for creating zombies, the author had to finally adopt a Haitian mind-set that brought conflicts with his Harvard Sophisticated background. It turns out that people are not snatched at random to be turned into zombies, but rather the practice is part of the fabric of Haitian culture, which, reflecting the African origins of its people, is actually governed by interlocking secret societies. The legal government could not exist without the consent of these societies, which are generally headed by houngans. The zombie "poison" is used on people who break what appear to be perfectly reasonable rules, and only after a judgment by their peers in which they have a chance to defend themselves.

The author ultimately finds that it is the beliefs -- the "magic" -- that makes the zombifiction possible. The powders he brings back to his civilized laboratories are crucial to the process, but it is the web of cultural beliefs that allow it to happen. As I got further into the book, I was glad the author finally saw that the best thing he could do is back off and recognize that he is not Haitian and he cannot penetrate the ultimate secrets of Haitian culture. I thought he went too far in buying his way into knowledge best left for those who can understand it. Some of his travels around the island were for tasks that were not well explained. Was he on a personal quest, a scientific mission, or just a traveler soaking up the local color?

The book provides much information on how Haiti came to be. I was surprised by the information that for 100 years Haiti was the only black-led nation. The history of the slave uprising is fascinating. Haitian culture is essentially African because the slave turnover was so great and many who participated in the final revolt had been born in Africa.

This book, while worthwhile for what it reveals about Haiti, made me think about the excesses of science in pursuit of knowledge. The Haitian people, through their interaction with the author, have proven that not all knowledge comes from logical discovery. The dancers who gyrate to the drums in trance and serve the loas do not need an explanation of why the fire does not burn them. Perhaps we do not need an explanation either.