Who Would Like This Book:
Mumbo Jumbo is a wild, genre-blending ride that's as smart as it is stylish. Reed's zany plot, satirical sense of humor, and dizzying mashup of literary forms - think jazz solos in prose - make this a standout for fans of postmodernism, biting cultural critique, and anyone who loved Thomas Pynchon or Kurt Vonnegut. Its fresh take on black history, conspiracy, and the infectious power of music makes it a must-read for those interested in American culture or looking for something truly out of the ordinary.
Who May Not Like This Book:
This book can be tough to crack if you prefer straightforward storytelling. Its experimental structure, sudden narrative shifts, and frequent references can leave some readers feeling confused or disconnected. If you like linear plots or characters you can follow easily, or if you're short on time and patience, Mumbo Jumbo might not be your jam.
About:
Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed is a wild and wonderful ride, described as a Neo Hoodoo conspiracy yarn. The novel delves into a world where Black and European cultures collide, giving rise to a unique flowering of American culture. Through a satirical lens, Reed explores the spread of Black culture and music, the battle between the straight-laced society and the hip music world, and the power dynamics at play. The book is a multi-vocal, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural jazz novel that challenges readers' knowledge of history, culture, and literature.
The plot revolves around the Jes' Grew epidemic, the spread of Black culture and music that is treated as a plague by the whites in power. Reed's writing style is described as wildly rambling, hilarious, and satirical, with a mix of comic relief, sarcasm, and deep political commentary. The novel incorporates legends from Europe and Africa, weaving together elements of African Voodoo and postmodernism to create a mystical murder conspiracy narrative.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The novel includes themes and content that may be challenging, such as racial tension and cultural critiques.
From The Publisher:
The classic freewheeling look at race relations through the ages.
Mumbo Jumbo is Ishmael Reed's brilliantly satiric deconstruction of Western civilization, a racy and uproarious commentary on our society. In it, Reed, one of our preeminent African American authors, mixes portraits of historical figures and fictional characters with sound bites on subjects ranging from ragtime to Greek philosophy. Cited by literary critic Harold Bloom as one of the five hundred most significant books in the Western canon, Mumbo Jumbo is a trenchant and often biting look at black-white relations throughout history, from a keen observer of our culture.
Ratings (2)
Liked It (1) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (9):
Read It (2) | |
Want To Read (5) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (1) |
What can you read after
Mumbo Jumbo?
About the Author:
Ishmael Reed is the author of over twenty-five books including Mumbo Jumbo, Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down, Conjugating Hindi, Why No Confederate Statues in Mexico and most recently Why the Black Hole Sings the Blues and The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda. He is also a publisher, television producer, songwriter, radio and television commentator, lecturer, and has long been devoted to exploring an alternative black aesthetic: the trickster tradition, or Neo-Hoodooism. A regular contributor to CounterPunch and founder of the Before Columbus Foundation, he taught at the University of California, Berkeley for over thirty years, retiring in 2005. Reed is the only person to be nominated for the National Book Award in two categories in the same year.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
