Do you enjoy folklore? Are you interested in the Gullah people? Do you just want to read some spooky tales? If so, this is the book for you. Blue Roots explains how the Gullah got to SC and why they alone out all of black America have hung on to so much of their African culture. You will be chilled by stories of the dreaded plateye and the hag. You will read of Dr.Buzzard the greatest of the root doctors and how the High Sherrif of the Low Country brought him down. I especially appreciated the fact that the author showed a respect for the Gullah and their ways and
made no judgements.

Kimberley Wilson, author of 11 Things Mama Should Have Told You About Men

Written in the colloquial, narrative style that characterizes much of the writng of the South Carolina Low-Country, "Blue Roots" is a readable introduction to a culture and folk religious practice that has been a part of Southeastern low-country life since the first Afro-Americans were brought to it's shores as slaves. Pinckney is masterful in creating the mood and "feel" of the gullah culture with its unique personalities such as Dr. Bug, Dr Buzzard and J.E.McTeer, former High Sheriff, businessman and "root doctor." I met Mr. McTeer if the early 1970s while doing field research on the "root culture" around Beaufort, South Carolina and found him charming, complex and most astute with regard to his "practice." "I'm a poor-man's psychiatrist." he remarked "my clients don't trust regular doctors, so they come to me." On the other hand, he had no doubt as to the effectiveness of the "magic" he performed in a small roon adjoining his real estate office in downtown Beaufort. Those who want to look beneath the surface of this complex world may wish to explore the titles listed in Pinckney's bibliography including those titles by Puckett and Hyatt which, admittedly, does require some effort on the reader's part, but reveals fascinating details such as the strong probability that the use of the name "Dr. Buzzard" predates the individual mentioned in "Blue Roots." Pinckney's "Blue Roots", can, and should be seen as a excellent entry, much like the port city of Charleston is to South Carolina, into a incredible world that many pass by and without recognizing the complexity, beauty and magic contained therein.

This was a great book, not only from a historical standpoint, but from a cultural standpoint, as well. It allows the reader to know that such terrific and interesting cultures exist in today's society. If possible, I would give this book six stars!

This past spring, Dr. Michael Wolfe-a United Methodist minister in the South Carolina Conference-published his first book entitled: The Abundant Life Prevails-religious traditions of Saint Helena Island. Having earned his doctorate in historical theology from the University of Virginia and spent over two years in research, Wolfe demonstrates remarkable expertise in his analysis of the faith-community that developed on the island and its subsequent impact on the world outside. While other writers have focused primarily on the unique linguistic culture of the islands off the Carolina coast known as Gulla, this book proves to be the first to deal exclusively with the religious tradition represented there. Saint Helena island is located off of the southern end of South Carolina's coast-line. Able to trace its history back to the native Americans and the early Spanish explorers, Saint Helana soon became the home of plantation owners and the hundreds of African slaves who labored there. This all changed, however, during the Civil War as Union naval ships set sail for Charleston and the surrounding areas, liberating all Confedrate-held property. Within a matter of months, and with the aid of Northern missionaries, Saint Helena island entered into the phase of its life that would soon prove to be its most famous (and useful). It is into this arena that Wolfe begins that history. Overall, I thought this book to be a solid, well-documented work that disspelled many of the myths that have arisen and been proposed by other writers about this time period and region (specifically, concerning the motive of the islander's religious practices and the amount of influence the island had during the civil rights movement and the origin of its concern). Going to great lengths to "back-up" his proposals, Wolfe demonstrates (through historical accounts and first-person interviews) the true origins of the religious life that arose on the island and which contributed so much to the islander's education and the island's influence. Covering over a century of history, this book deals with everything from the islander's faith, to the educational model the Penn School came to represent, to the island's critical role in the civil-rights movement during the 1960's. It cannot be over-stated how much of a disproportional impact Saint Helena island is shown to have made on the world outside of it. Stepping out into unventured territory, The Abundant Life Prevails lives up to its name as it beautifully demonstrates what the faith of a people can accomplish amidst oppression, poverty, calamity, and isolation. It is a lesson begun a hundred years ago on a remote island and one that can still be learned today.

I was really disappointed in this book. What the author did not understand, and probably never will, is that the readers are not the least interested in her life or the lives of her children or husband. I am not in any way interested in her own impressions about St Helena, I am not interested in the Island's history or geography or what others might have thought about it. It is Napoleon that concerns me and when I purchased the book I though it would be about Napoleon's journey to the Island and his last days there. Instead it was the author's journey to the island in the 90's and her own days , which does not interest me and I doubt if it would be interesting to anyone bet herself. It was a real disappointment.

This book is not easy to classify ' part biography, part memoir, part essay. After Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo, the British exiled him to the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena, where he lived the few remaining years of his life. This book, written in the early 1990s, consists of the author's sensitive and insightful musings on Napoleon's life and death on the island, the relations between him and others in that most unnatural setting and those most unnatural circumstances, the history of St. Helena, the world of Napoleonic studies, the author's visit to St. Helena, and much else. The book is very elliptical and personal, and is perhaps best described as an extended meditation by Blackburne on life and human relationships as displayed in these events. Hard-core Napoleon fans and others looking for a straightforward narrative are likely to be disappointed (though I suspect that more insight into Napoleon's character can be gleaned from this book than from any more prosaic narrative). The book will appeal to readers who enjoy an intimate conversation with a thoughtful woman who, taking as her point of departure the unique and timeless spectacle at the core of the book, has much to say about all of us.

I have dined off his fine china and watched him play with the children of his initial host on the island. I have been transported through time and space, a reaction I have had only rarely. Ms. Blackburn has created a reality worthy of attention. The aura of the house, the luminosity of Napoleon's complexion and the thinking of his English overseers are only a part of that reality. The prose is clear and compelling. The past, the natural history of St. Helena and Ms. Blackburn's present day doings complement one another. On the map, St. Helena is as much "in the middle of nowhere" as any place on earth. And Ms. Blackburn makes going there an enlightening journey.