VOODOO FIRE IN HAITI

Good reading, though the title is a trifle misleading, as the bulk of the book has very little to do with Voodoo, except as a vague and menacing background. Loederer goes to Haiti, determined to get his atmosphere and color and adventure first hand, to get as close to native life as possible, to use primitive material for his models, to see life in the raw. And he succeeds, beyond his expectations, penetrating the very heart of the jungles, living ""native"", consorting with derelicts of whites caught by the favor of the tropics, risking health and comfort for his ""stuff"". The result is an absorbingly interesting account of the heart of Haiti, superb woodcuts that have caught the wild beauty and haunting terror of the country, and a psychological interpretation of the oneness of the people and the land. A beautiful book, beautifully written. Should be an ideal gift book -- and sufficiently entertaining escape reading to have the additional market of general travel book sales and rentals.