Product Description

This book by Miguel De La Torre offers a fascinating guide to the history, beliefs, rituals, and culture of Santería - a religious tradition that, despite persecution, suppression, and its own secretive nature, has close to a million adherents in the United States alone. Santería is a religion with Afro-Cuban roots, rising out of the cultural clash between the Yoruba people of West Africa and the Spanish Catholics who brought them to the Americas as slaves. As a faith of the marginalized and persecuted, it gave oppressed men and women strength and the will to survive. With the exile of thousands of Cubans in the wake of Castro's revolution in 1959, Santería came to the United States, where it is gradually coming to be recognized as a legitimate faith tradition. Apart from vague suspicions that Santería's rituals include animal sacrifice and notions that it is a "syncretistic" form of Catholicism, most people in America's cultural and religious mainstream know very little about this rich faith tradition - in fact, many have never heard of it at all. De La Torre, who was reared in Santería, sets out in this book to provide a basic understanding of its inner workings. He clearly explains the particular worldview, myths, rituals, and practices of Santería, and he discusses what role the religion typically plays in the life of its practitioners as well as the cultural influence it continues to exert in Latin American communities today. In offering a balanced, informed survey of Santería from his unique "insider-outsider" perspective, De La Torre also provides insight into how Christianity and Santería can enter into dialogue - a dialogue that will challenge Christians to consider what this emerging faith tradition can teach them about their own. Enhanced with illustrations, tables, and a glossary, De La Torre's Santería sheds light on a religion all too often shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #341406 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 268 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780802849731
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Booklist
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 © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

an enjoyable and informative read
I checked this out for recreational reading (I like interesting non fiction) and it was one of the best written non fiction books I've read. The voice is easy to read, engaging and doesn't distract from the content with an overly dry academic tone. I have no particular investment in the subject so I can't say if this is the best book on the subject but for someone without much background knowledge on this religion its a good introduction. It very effectively explains not only practices and beliefs, but the way of thinking that fundementally describes the basis of the religion. I this the author was a particularly good source for this knowledge because though both of his parents are priests of the religion, he is an anthropolgist (if I'm remembering correctly, it's something like that) giving him the insider acess rarely afforded to non members and the objective analytical perspective members of any religion rarely have for their own belief system.

recommended for those interested in anthropology, non western culture, perspective and religion

IT IS PERFECT
I have been looking every where for information on Santeria and this book was the best that I found so far. It doesn't just cover the basics like other books do, it goes in depth about the history of this religion and why it is so secrete in the U.S. It also tells the reader much more about each Orisha, like thier favorite food, color, power, ect. than any where that I have found. This book by far is teaching me a whole lot more than any thing else. I highly recomend this book for those who are getting to know Santeria, it is perfect.

Okay if it is your first book on the Religion
Santeria the Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America is a well written book, but to be honestly it has all been written before. Nothing really new and if you already have two or three books on Santeria, then you are sure to have all the information that is within this book. The chapters are as follows.
Santeria What is it? This goes into giving you a general idea of what Santeria is, a description of it's followers and members, a small description of it's initiations. It explains the Energy Ashe, and the Eggungun. "The Dead Ancestors."
Chapter Two; gives you a few versions of the Patakis, "Folklores or Legends" of the Creation of the World. Other legends such as the Flood is also within this section. There are a few Charts within this section. One for the many names of God. A comparison chart of the Orishas with Roman and Greek Gods. A chart describing each Orishas major influence. Colors of the Orishas. Most Likely Children of the Orishas. And another chart on the Orishas and their Catholic Identities. (Saint Paths)
Chapter Three, is a description of the Major Orishas, their attributes and their Patakis "Legend". Of the Orishas included are the major, Obatala, Eleggua, Oggun, Ochosi, Ochun, Chango, Yemaya, Aganju, Orunla, Osain, Babalu Aye, Oya, Orisa Oko, Osun, Inle, Obba and the Ibeji. Each gets a quick discription, and a legend, which really reminded me of Migene Gonzales Wippler's earlier works.
In this chapter are more charts. Each deducted to a particular Orisha and their many "caminos" their avatars, roads or paths.
Chapter 4 gives you a quick description or ceremonies and rituals, Bembe, Ilekes, Asiento, Ebbos and so on. Oh and more charts. (Days and Numbers of the Orishas) (Food offering for the Orishas) (Medical Properties of some plants) The author went a little chart crazy with this book. Again if you have two books on Santeria, you will not learn anything new.
Chapter 5 touches quickly on Oracles used within Santeria. The Coco, the 16 Caracoles, Cowrie Shells, and the Table of Ifa. Oh and we can't forget the Chinese Numerology. Yep you read that correctly. Chinese Numerology.
Chapter 6 and 7 gets boring with the History, and Roots. But if you have never picked up a book on Santeria and this is your first, then it is informative and you will learn something new. Again if you already have books on Santeria, trust me you have read it before.
All in all the book is not a bad book if it is your first book on the Basic of Santeria. The religion is a beautiful experience, one you can not learn through any book. But I kind of wish that authors of Santeria books would right a bit more of their personal experiences, give us some flavor.
I recommend this book to those who never read a ook on this beautiful and mysterious religion. But to those who are initiated or have other books on Santeria, trust me it has all been said over and over and over again.