Mama Lola A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn

Vodou stands as one of the world's most misconstrued and stigmatized religions. Mama Lola challenges prevailing stereotypes by presenting an intimate portrayal of Vodou in everyday life. Karen McCarthy Brown draws on a 35-year friendship with Mama Lola, a Vodou priestess, to share tales spanning five generations of healers in Mama Lola's family – from an African ancestor to Claudine Michel's account of collaboration with Mama Lola after the Haitian earthquake. Through these stories, where dreams and visions infuse daily existence and Vodou spirits guide decision-making, a picture of Vodou emerges as a religion centered on healing, achieved through repairing broken relationships between the living, the dead, and the Vodou spirits.

Delving into the role of women in religious practices and exploring interconnected themes of family, religion, and social change, Brown provides a rich context to understand the authority wielded by urban Haitian women within the home and the Vodou temple.