Roger Abrahams (1933–2017)

From the cane-fields of the ante-bellum south, the villages of the Caribbean islands, and the streets of contemporary inner cities, here are more than one hundred tales from an incredibly rich and affirmative storytelling tradition (Choice). Full of life, wisdom, and humor, these tales range from the earthy comedy of tricksters to stories explaining how the world was created and got to be the way it is, to moral fables that tell of encounters between masters and slaves. They includes stories set down in travelers' reports and plantation journals from the early nineteenth century, tales gathered by collectors such as Joel Chandler Harris and Zora Neale Hurston, and narratives tape-recorded by Roger Abrahams himself during extensive expeditions throughout the American South and the Caribbean… (more)

dispassionate and systematic. i've never understood this type of presentation; everything covered in paragraphs of scholarly exposition can be easily understood by simply recording the text and providing commentary to illuminate particulars. the author seems to have been part of the first wave of philly gentrification, which is pretty uncomfortable. my preferred way to read this is to flip until i find an indented block; the recorded material buried in the ever-shifting-and-converging sands of inane freudian jargon is charming and full of life… (more)