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The Accidental Santera
A one-of-a-kind novel that plunges readers into the secrets of Afro-Cuban Santeria―a world of fascinating beauty, pulsating rhythms, and great mystery.
Gabrielle Segovia, Ph.D., is struggling to build a career as a Latina scientist, cope with her third miscarriage, and resuscitate her marriage to fellow biology professor Benito Cruz. Becoming a santera is not in her plans.
But everything changes when her best friend, the feisty Patricia Muñoz, drags her into a French Quarter voodoo shop during a conference in New Orleans. When Gabrielle gets home to the San Francisco Bay Area, the predictions from her on-a-whim reading begin to come true. That's when she learns she hails from a long line of practitioners of Santeria, the religion created when Yoruba slaves combined their ancient rituals with Catholicism.
Out of desperation to become a mother and save both her job and her marriage, Gabrielle turns to Puerto Rican relatives living in Miami she hasn't seen since she was a child. She finds herself warmly embraced by three generations of Segovia santeras and drawn into their world of séances, sacred drums, and ritual animal sacrifice.
Unexpectedly marked for initiation by the gods and goddesses of the Yoruba pantheon, Gabrielle must decide whether she can bring herself to answer the call. And, if she chooses, commit to the seemingly contradictory life of a scientist who is also a santera.
In this powerful debut novel, Irete Lazo captures a vibrant world still unknown to many and relates a journey that is at once funny, heart-wrenching, and, ultimately, triumphant.
Gabrielle Segovia, Ph.D., is struggling to build a career as a Latina scientist, cope with her third miscarriage, and resuscitate her marriage to fellow biology professor Benito Cruz. Becoming a santera is not in her plans.
But everything changes when her best friend, the feisty Patricia Muñoz, drags her into a French Quarter voodoo shop during a conference in New Orleans. When Gabrielle gets home to the San Francisco Bay Area, the predictions from her on-a-whim reading begin to come true. That's when she learns she hails from a long line of practitioners of Santeria, the religion created when Yoruba slaves combined their ancient rituals with Catholicism.
Out of desperation to become a mother and save both her job and her marriage, Gabrielle turns to Puerto Rican relatives living in Miami she hasn't seen since she was a child. She finds herself warmly embraced by three generations of Segovia santeras and drawn into their world of séances, sacred drums, and ritual animal sacrifice.
Unexpectedly marked for initiation by the gods and goddesses of the Yoruba pantheon, Gabrielle must decide whether she can bring herself to answer the call. And, if she chooses, commit to the seemingly contradictory life of a scientist who is also a santera.
In this powerful debut novel, Irete Lazo captures a vibrant world still unknown to many and relates a journey that is at once funny, heart-wrenching, and, ultimately, triumphant.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2008
13 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 26, 2012
Because I've known the author for many years & have heard parts of her story first hand, I was eager to see how she wove it together in a fictionalized way. Kudos to her. It's always a fascinating read to hear stories of mysticism in every day life. The tension created by the skeptic in me and the spiritual side of me gets an adventurous work out, which is always fun. Also, having grown up Catholic, in South Florida, I had always heard "scary" stories about Santeria. It was great to see the life of a Santera revealed in a down-to-earth, pull-back-the-curtain kind of way - all while keeping the mystical aspect of it in tact.
January 29, 2009
Didn't want to finish it. Enjoyed it. Felt like I went on a journey with her. I miss the orishas. I had done some work with them in the mid '90s, in the Lucumi tradition, not Santeria, but similar. Had a reading where I was told I had to choose: either Lucumi or European paganism/witchcraft. I went with witchcraft, for various reasons. But I still feel a connection with the orishas, and it was nice to read a story about initiation into the tradition.
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October 28, 2010So good! Everyone must read this book! Even an athiest like me can appreciate the spirituality of this fantastic read!
April 21, 2019
A very very very interesting read.
November 26, 2018
I have learned a little bit of different religions around the world and this is one I have never heard of, so I found it interesting.
It was well written and told a good story, presumably of the author.
The story concerns itself with Santeria and is well worth reading if you have an interest in religion and culture, and pursuing an understanding of things outside of your own culture and beliefs.
The author loses a lot of credit with me for using a pseudonym as it diminishes her conviction as described in her own story.
It was well written and told a good story, presumably of the author.
The story concerns itself with Santeria and is well worth reading if you have an interest in religion and culture, and pursuing an understanding of things outside of your own culture and beliefs.
The author loses a lot of credit with me for using a pseudonym as it diminishes her conviction as described in her own story.
August 30, 2018
The book was well written and it kept my attention. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a comparison between the religion and science.
July 13, 2023
The dialogue was a little hard for me to get into at first because it switches from English to Spanish quite a bit, and the writing rules demand that we put foreign words in italics which made me stop in my tracks every time I came across one. But the story takes off fast, and I was super invested in the premonitions! I would go to sleep thinking about what was going to happen next 💭
December 22, 2014
I wanted to read a novel about Santeria and found this one through a Google search. I didn't go into it with the highest of expectations, and while it's deeply flawed I did find myself enjoying it more than I thought I might. The book is quite obviously a very thinly veiled novelization of the author's own faith journey, written with all the enthusiasm of the newly converted, which at times is energizing and at others embarrassing.
The book tells the story of Gabrielle Segovia, a marine biologist and college professor who is struggling with her own infertility. She doesn't give much thought to religion until she gets a reading on a whim in a voodoo shop while at a conference in New Orleans, and she is so shaken by what she hears that she makes contact with family members she hasn't seen since childhood who she knows to be involved with Santeria. She begins the process of being inducted into the family religion while struggling deeply with what her coworkers will think of her if they ever learn that she practices an ancestral religion complete with animal sacrifices.
The book shines in giving an even, respectful introduction to a secretive and often misunderstood religion; we learn a lot about the gods and get a taste of some of the rituals. However, the author being a convert herself, she is obviously invested in putting Santeria is the best possible light both for her readers and for herself; predictions are clearly stated and always come true, no matter how skeptical Gabrielle may be upon hearing each one.
Overall, the book is not terribly well written and would have little to recommend itself if it were a novel about a better-known religion. However, the subject matter itself is interesting enough to make up for a good percentage of these shortcomings. I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this book to anyone, but I got what I was looking for out of it and didn't regret my decision to read it.
The book tells the story of Gabrielle Segovia, a marine biologist and college professor who is struggling with her own infertility. She doesn't give much thought to religion until she gets a reading on a whim in a voodoo shop while at a conference in New Orleans, and she is so shaken by what she hears that she makes contact with family members she hasn't seen since childhood who she knows to be involved with Santeria. She begins the process of being inducted into the family religion while struggling deeply with what her coworkers will think of her if they ever learn that she practices an ancestral religion complete with animal sacrifices.
The book shines in giving an even, respectful introduction to a secretive and often misunderstood religion; we learn a lot about the gods and get a taste of some of the rituals. However, the author being a convert herself, she is obviously invested in putting Santeria is the best possible light both for her readers and for herself; predictions are clearly stated and always come true, no matter how skeptical Gabrielle may be upon hearing each one.
Overall, the book is not terribly well written and would have little to recommend itself if it were a novel about a better-known religion. However, the subject matter itself is interesting enough to make up for a good percentage of these shortcomings. I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this book to anyone, but I got what I was looking for out of it and didn't regret my decision to read it.
February 5, 2009
Originally, I didn't have very high hopes for the book. The Spanish dialog being used between the character just seemed too forced. It may have been intended to add extra credibility to the "latina" main character, but it ended up making me feel something in between alienation and annoyance, since I only know a very small amount of Spanish, myself.
As the book progressed, though, there was a bit less Spanish and I could focus on the plot.
There were a few parts that I couldn't quite relate to -- getting a reading by a santero without knowing anything about Santeria, receiving Orisha so soon after being exposed to the religion, etc.
A lot of it dealt with Ifa, which I only know the smallest little bit about. That was actually good, though, I think... If it was about Lucumi or one of the traditions I know more about, I might get distracted from the story due to differences in tradition, beliefs, etc.
There was also a lot of it, though, that I could definitely relate to. That was probably what I liked most. Being able to look back at an event and know I wasn't the only one to think certain things... or even just seeing how things played out differently for the main character versus for me. It made it easier a lot easier to get wrapped into the book.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone -- whether they have any ties to the religion or not.
As the book progressed, though, there was a bit less Spanish and I could focus on the plot.
There were a few parts that I couldn't quite relate to -- getting a reading by a santero without knowing anything about Santeria, receiving Orisha so soon after being exposed to the religion, etc.
A lot of it dealt with Ifa, which I only know the smallest little bit about. That was actually good, though, I think... If it was about Lucumi or one of the traditions I know more about, I might get distracted from the story due to differences in tradition, beliefs, etc.
There was also a lot of it, though, that I could definitely relate to. That was probably what I liked most. Being able to look back at an event and know I wasn't the only one to think certain things... or even just seeing how things played out differently for the main character versus for me. It made it easier a lot easier to get wrapped into the book.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone -- whether they have any ties to the religion or not.
January 28, 2009
Gabriela is a Latina, Has a PhD in marine biology & was raised Catholic but hasn't been to Church for years. She also really wants a child but has been avoiding her husband suggestions that try fertility. She hates doctors, go figure. On a conference trip to New Orleans, her best friend drags her into the Marie Leveau voodoo shop and she gets a reading on a whim. This is the first step that leads he to reconnecting with relatives in Miami who follow Santeria and then to becoming an iniate herself. It's not an easy path: she struggles to reconcile science and religion, her husband is not, at first, supportive of her new explorations, the animal sacrifices upset her, and she fears scorn and worse from her colleagues at the university. I liked this book because it presents Santeria as a spiritual path like any other, albeit one practiced with discretion, rather than as fodder for a Roger Corman movie. It also a way for the initiates to connect more deeply with their cultural roots bck to West Africa. The approach is almost prosaic, avoiding any sensationalizing or "woo woo" spookiness.
March 26, 2010
An interesting book if not a great one. It's clearly inspired by the author's own life,if not perhaps exactly autobiographical. But in many respects, at least to me, it felt superficial. I don't come away from it really understanding its belief system or with any real feeling for it as a faith, or what it feels like to actually experience its practice. We do get to see some rituals and learn a bit about them and that's not without interest, but it doesn't feel like enough. Early on, the protagonist gets a series of predictions which of course all too predictably come true. There is some evidence of struggle between her scientific rational beliefs and her growing attraction to Santeria, but not a great deal that really explains that attraction in any satisfactory way, assuming her rational belief system was well grounded to begin with. Santeria works for her on various levels, but that's about all I really know at the end.
May 2, 2009
I found the discussions of santeria and the related rituals interesting, but I felt throughout that the novel was too autobiographical. I don't know why that annoyed me, but it did. Also, you would be pretty confused reading this if you have had no exposure to written Spanish...much of the dialogue is bilingual--and even though there is a glossary in the back of the book, and many phrases are translated within the chapters, an English-only reader would have trouble understanding many of the italicized parts. (For the record, I do not consider myself able to read Spanish, but have studied just enough to follow along for most parts of the book.)
I liked this book, but mainly because I learned about a new religion I had no prior knowledge of. I didn't particularly care about the characters or the plot, and the writing was just "okay."
I liked this book, but mainly because I learned about a new religion I had no prior knowledge of. I didn't particularly care about the characters or the plot, and the writing was just "okay."
September 22, 2013
It's a little pedantic and promotional on behalf of those practicing this religion. In other words, it is not a critical examination of the beliefs and practices, but assumes a certain inevitability in how practitioners are recruited, mainly due to genealogical and ethnic criteria. Disappointed in how the deus ex machina conveniently navigated our protagonist along an obvious plot line. It seems little goes wrong for which the Old Religion can't provide the exact response necessary to the story without little struggle or reflection for the characters. Helpful insider's perspective, though, especially for the description of some of the rituals (there are some excerpts abruptly cut from the narrative) and the depiction of initiating its priests, for this reason alone I would recommend it.
July 30, 2012
Garbrielle Segovia is a Latina scientist who turns to Yoruba religion (Afro-Cuban) in an effort to have a child, after some miscarriages. This is an interesting novel that deals with themes of ethnicity, belief vs. the scientific profession, a woman's place in science, and the struggle between logic and belief.
October 28, 2010
I loved this book. It joins the concepts of latin identity, spirituality, and the role of a scholar scientist. Irete Lazo did a great job on her first novel and I can't wait to read other books written by her.
July 27, 2016
An interesting fictional story about a Scientist finding Spiritualism in Santeria. A good reading choice if you are interested in the practices of Santeras and their Orishas. There is also a helpful glossary at the back of the book.
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October 8, 2008Fascinating reading. Couldn't put it down.
February 3, 2009
An interesting read - but not one I could relate to. The author was easily led into what I would consider questionable practices - seemingly related to an overwhelming desire to have a child.
March 1, 2009
If you have any contact with Miami, Cuba, voodoo, the Caribbean, you should read this book. Very interesting and well written
July 6, 2009
The title is what caught my attention, the character's wrestling to bring her academic/scientific world into alignment with her newly entered religious/mystical world kept me hanging in there.
March 27, 2011
Wonderful read! You learn some or the basics of the Religion and learn about one woman's struggle to accept her family's way of worship.
August 10, 2011
Very enlightening imagery of Santeria & its roots in Cuban culture. Definitely changed my view of what the religion is all about & the general negativity most people see it through.
November 14, 2008
Nov. 13,'08:
April 1, 2017
Good read. Explains how some of us stumble across this religion and the reactions of our family members.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews