When Roots Die

Reviews / Votes

A remarkable book about the life and language of the Sea Islands. -- <i>National Geographic</i> Jones-Jackson's sketches of her Wadmalaw Island friends and informants are uniformly rewarding. In a series of gilt-edged portraits, she introduces us to Gullah-speaking men and women whom the twentieth century is crowding out. . . . At the end of this short book, the reader wishes there were more. More tales from the lips of Ted Williams; more sermons from the allusive genius of the Reverend Renty Pickney, who has memorized the Bible; more interviews with fishermen like Daniel Dent, who can call porpoises for miles around. -- <i>Natural History</i> Jones-Jackson's greatest contribution is her consideration of language. Although, as she insists, written accounts cannot properly capture the vividness and vitality of linguistic expression in a culture that is still basically oral, she comes as close as may be possible to accomplishing that task. -- <i>North Carolina Historical Review</i> This book is based on fieldwork done for the late Jones-Jackson's dissertation (1978), an ethnography of the Gullah language surviving on the Sea Islands off of the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia . . . Although the subject has previously attracted substantial scholarly attention, Jones-Jackson's work adds greater description and analysis of the performance and social context of the Gullah language and lore. She also provides comparisons drawn from performances that she collected firsthand in Africa . . . The collection she presents-prayers, sermons, and 'Brer Rabbit and other animal tales-is a rich trove of lore that scholars will appreciate. Students also will appreciate the work because of Jones-Jackson's clear writing. -- <i>Choice</i>