Review by Choice Review
This is by far the best available introduction to Santeria. De La Torre (Hope College) grew up in a Catholic family in Queens, NY, where Santeria was practiced; though he now calls himself an outsider, he retains an insider's sympathetic understanding of the movement. Written in clear but pleasant prose, the book describes the legends, rituals, and oracles of the religion as well as its historical development and contemporary social functions. A number of well-designed charts further clarify the names, identities, and powers of the various orishas. Though methodologically informed, the book in general adopts a way-of-life interpretation of Santeria that makes it accessible to a wide reading audience. The only critique that could possibly be made of this book is that De La Torre has perhaps made the eclectic practice of Santeria almost too coherent and comprehensible; however, most readers will find that clarity a strength. This is a fine trade book, and would also be an excellent textbook for courses dealing with American religion or Cubano life and culture. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. D. Jacobsen Messiah College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
In Cuba, the Yoruba religion of the orishas melded with saint-rich Catholicism to create Santeria, one of the primary Afro-Caribbean religions and an increasingly significant part of American culture. Brought up in a New York family that practiced Santeria--both his parents are santeros, or priests--De La Torre no longer considers himself a believer but remains deeply affected by his childhood experiences. Writing as both an academic outsider and a privileged former insider, he retells Yoruba myths clearly and expressively, and his analysis of religious syncretism is both scholarly and accessible. Detailed descriptions of the various manifestations of each orisha make this one of the most comprehensive books on the subject, while the complex issue of Santeria ritual, which can include animal sacrifice, is handled unsensationally but vividly. This book should be part of any collection intended to represent the breadth of American religious experience. --Patricia Monaghan Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Santeria is one of the nation's fastest-growing religions, but few Euro-Americans know much about it, and what they do know often tends to be wrong or grossly stereotyped. In Santeria: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America, Hope College religion professor Miguel De La Torre explores the history, rituals, myths and practices of this understudied religion. De La Torre, who grew up in the tradition, does not wish to "condemn or condone" it, but to help novice readers understand it in a fair and balanced way. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In his new book, De La Torre succeeds fully in giving us the best general introduction to Santeria, an Afro-Cuban folk religion brought to the United States by Cuban refugees after Castro's 1959 revolution. The author of the award-winning Reading the Bible from the Margins, he draws on both lived experience (having grown up in the religion) and scholarly expertise (he teaches religious studies at Hope Coll., Holland, MI) to strike just the right balance between the personal perspectives of the faithful and the distance of a non-believing scholar. As he recounts the legendary tales of the orishas (spirit deities), he is both concise and engaging. However, De La Torre stresses Santeria's role as a practical religion that, through its rituals, offers believers concrete ways of coping with life's challenges. Ultimately, he portrays it as a "religion of resistance" that has helped marginalized and relatively powerless people adapt to the dominant culture, first in Cuba and more recently in the United States. Strongly recommended.-Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
