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Reddit mentions of The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic

Sentiment score: 5
Reddit mentions: 11

We found 11 Reddit mentions of The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic. Here are the top ones.

The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic
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Specs:
Height8.4375 Inches
Length5.5 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateAugust 1997
Weight0.60406659788 Pounds
Width0.76 Inches

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Found 11 comments on The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic:

u/tenent808 · 8 pointsr/NetflixBestOf

Based on an even more awesome book by the same title by Wade Davis, if anyone is interested.

u/RajBandar · 7 pointsr/horror

Have you seen 'Serpent & the Rainbow' ? Not the worlds greatest horror but definitely watchable. The protagonist is a real-life anthropologist and his book of the same name (that was 'Hollywood-ised ') is a fantastic & fascinating read. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0684839296/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_z73OCbYC9C1NS

He's also written (amongst many books) one called 'The Ethnobiology of the Haitan Zombie'. If anyone's interested in anthropology, folk magick &/or the origins of one of our favourite movie monsters his works are really good stuff, despite certain criticisms of his publications by others in the field.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Davis_(anthropologist)

u/Surferforlife · 3 pointsr/booksuggestions

I wouldn't call it comprehensive, but it does have a good bit of detail. The book is called The Serpent and the Rainbow

u/MadmanPoet · 2 pointsr/Paranormal

Plausible and documented. Look up the work of Dr. Wade Davis. In his book "The Serpent and the Rainbow" (not to be confused with the film of the same name) he discusses the use of pufferfish and toad toxins by Bokor (Voudin witch-doctors) to create a death-like coma.

The victim is then buried, the Bokor (or more accurately their apprentice) would dig the body up later that evening, and the Bokor awakens the "corpse" and administers a heavy dose of a Jimson weed paste which creates a very compliant and suggestible state in the victim. They are told that they are dead and that the Bokor has their soul. Then they are set to work, usually by the cover of night, in the Bokor's fields.

There is the case of Clairvius Narcisse who had been taken by a Bokor to a sugar plantaion. The Bokor died, thus ending the regular dosing of Jimson weed, and eventually the effects wore off. Clairvius simply remembered who he was and went home.

u/eaturbrainz · 2 pointsr/funny

>The anger that I feel for its fans is the anger that comes from the idealist in me, the reader in me, the romantic in me. It's the part that thinks nobody could ever love something that awfully-done, or love the idea of Edward Cullen. And this festers even more because I was in high school as these books came out. I saw people that I didn't like but at least respected telling me these books were brilliant, these books were great literature. They never offered defenses of the series (which matters a lot: I'm a Harry Potter fan and I wrote a term paper on Rowling's style; Twilight fans couldn't do that because there's literally nothing to like), which made things worse. Instead, they'd get self-righteous about their liking it. I got called an elitist and a dick for saying I thought they were bad books. I'd be in a group of friends and all the girls would band together and walk out, muttering how they wished I was less like myself and more like Edward. I hooked up with a Twilight reader, because I was stupid and hadn't read the books by then. She wanted the same thing out of a boyfriend that Bella gets out of Edward. It was frightening. People should not act like that.

The girl you hooked up with wanted you to turn her into an undead abomination?

http://www.amazon.com/Serpent-Rainbow-Scientists-Astonishing-Societies/dp/0684839296

Try making her into a zombie! OK, I'm biased.

But yeah, these books seem to be the Sarah Palin of literature: something that wins great acclaim which itself indicates the culture's slide into idiocracy.

u/josechung · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

A good start might be The Serpent and the Rainbow. Also, be sure to realize that Hoodoo and Voodoo are actually very separate entities.

u/Integrs · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

This is by far the best biological account on toxicology I've ever read: http://www.amazon.com/The-Serpent-Rainbow-Scientists-Astonishing/dp/0684839296

It's not about poisonous plants per se, but it's written by an ethnobotanist and much of it is devoted to natural toxicology. Moreover, it's guaranteed to get you to think more holistically about the topic and to help you along in your research.

u/dominicaldaze · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Anyone interested in something more in depth than the podcast (I'm a subscriber and it is informative) should read this book. Fucking amazing story and made me a believer.

u/BillionsMcMillions · 1 pointr/AskReddit