Book Review: “Hoodoo for Everyone: Modern Approaches to Magic, Conjure, Rootwork, and Liberation”, by Sherry Shone aka That Hoodoo Lady

Reading time: 2 mins

This is Hoodoo, updated

★★☆☆☆

I have mixed feelings about this book, but they’re mostly negative.

First things first: what is Hoodoo? It is a practice of using folklore magic that developed in the Southern tradition by enslaved Africans. As the title says, everyone can practice Hoodoo, but there must be understanding and respect for its origins.

What I liked about this book is that it’s really exhaustive: it doesn’t explain just what Hoodoo is and how to practice it, but it also explains its origins and it educates us, giving us the prerequisites for using it.

What I did not like about this book, is how slow and repetitive it felt at some points, especially at the end when the author explains the various practices… but that’s not what I liked least.

What I really can’t get over is how religious this book is.

I get the point of the author – the Bible is only a magic tool like any other you could use. You could use another religious text, or if you’re not a religious person you can rely on science, songs, poems etc. As per the title, everyone can practice Hoodoo.

Too bad the author IS religious, so we’re getting a lot of it! To be fair, she also modifies a few examples to show us how to tailor psalm and whatnot to our needs, but it doesn’t make up for everything else.

All in all, I liked how the book is structured and I especially liked how the background of the practice is explained. I also liked the author! It’s only her work that didn’t click for me.

I would suggest this book to anybody that hasn’t previous knowledge of the practice and doesn’t mind knowing how to practice an updated version of Hoodoo (changing the rituals accordingly to one’s needs, not traditional views), but I would warn anyone not particularly religious of the high dosage contained in the book.

Contents
Chapter 1 – Hoodoo Origins
Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Hoodoo Practices
Chapter 3 – Ethical Hoodoo
Chapter 4 – Worthy Hoodoo Fighters
Chapter 5 – Putting It All Together
Chapter 6 – Cleansing

**Thanks to NetGalley, Sherry Shone, and North Atlantic books for an ARC of this book.**