**Bookman Book Review Syndicate, January 20, 1999
Selected as one of “The Exceptional Books of 1998,” a group of 200 books from a field of 25,000, based on the five Bookman review publications.
The Times-Picayune, April 30, 2000
“In his impressive new book…Davis searches for the remnants of this West African religion in America. The result is a valuable work, with the author describing his own delicate balance of faith and skepticism about voudou…It is a compelling vision in a compelling book.”
National Geographic Traveler, April 1999
“Explore the backroads of a mysterioius African religion as it conforms to and conflicts with Western sensibilities in American Voudou.”
Africana.com, online, May 1999
“With American Voudou, Davis has created a valuable resource for black Americans interested in learning about Voudou and its suppression in America, shedding light on an important aspect of black history.”
Choice, July/August 1999
“Journalist Davis’s account of the varieties of American Voudou is a brilliant tour de force, a “must read” for students of African American religion…Highly recommended for all levels of readers, from the general public to specialists in the field.”
Library Journal, November 15, 1998
“Davis provides a view of a world hidden and protected from outsiders…Engagingly written, the book includes a very helpful glossary and bibliography as well as two appendices on voudou in the media and the history of the religion. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.”
The Texas Observer, September 15, 2000
“American Voudou is a marvelous road trip and a fascinating and painstaking piece of research. Davis, with persistence, preparation, and an amazing ability to inspire trust and confidence, takes us places few of us will ever go, and shows us a shadowy and firecely defiant subculture whose rituals and beliefs—and sacrifices—outlasted all the considerable ammunition white Southerners could throw at them under the rule of slavery and beyond.”
The Midwest Book Review, December 1998
“This chronicle reveals the true legacy of voudou in America from New Orleans to Miami, and shatters long-held stereotypes about the religion and its role in the American culture.”