Mumbo Jumbo

Set during 1920s America, Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo explores a vibrant and tumultuous era marked by the contagious "Jes Grew" epidemic that promotes free-spirited dancing and cultural expression, challenging social norms. As a puritanical group seeks to suppress this lively movement through infiltration and control, a voodoo priest named PaPa LaBas fights to preserve African American culture and spiritual traditions. Rich in references to music, history, and mythology, this avant-garde novel offers a lively and multi-genre journey through a pivotal decade in American history.