Talking to the Dead: Religion, Music and Lived Memory Among Gullah/Geechee Women by LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant (review)

Talking to the Dead is a compelling ethnographic study of women from South Carolina’s low country. Interdisciplinary in its approach, drawing as it does on the fields of religion, history, and anthropology, Manigault-Bryant’s volume immediately pulls the reader into the lives of seven women, their histories, music, culture, and spirituality. Manigault-Bryant begins with a bit of autobiography before delving into her subjects’ worship practices and more. The autobiographical narrative helps to situate both the author and reader in relationship to her and the women’s intersecting lives. Rich in data and thick in descriptive details, Talking to the Dead is a vibrantly written book.