Mules and Men

Mules and Men is described as “a treasure of black America’s folklore,” but what I found even more impressive that the many, many “big old lies” Zore Neale Hurston compiled is the way that she captures everyday life in and around her hometown of Eatonville, Florida. From the cypress swamps and sawmill camps to, eventually, New Orleans, this book recalls times and places that are long-vanished from the American landscape.

This book is divided into two sections, the first of which focuses on the collection of traditional folklore, or “lies” as they are regularly referred to throughout the book. These are collected in Polk County, Florida, currently home to spring training for many and MLB team. The “lies” are fitted into a narrative of life, from weddings and card games to fishing, logging, and itinerant preaching. The second part of the book is focused on Hurston’s time learning Hoodoo, or Voodoo, in New Orleans. I preferred the first, but both offer lively windows into ways of life about which I knew little.

Four stars.