Ring shout book review: A gripping tale of horror & resistance
Ring Shout summary:
In America, demons wear white hoods.
In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk.
All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.
Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up.
Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?
Ring shout definition
Firstly, where did Clark find the inspiration for the title? Well, from reading the book coupled with research, I learnt that the ring shout is a unifying spiritual expression amongst enslaved Africans, indigenous to much of Central and West Africa, in which the people move in a counterclockwise circle using movement and rhythm.
In Ring Shout, we see Clark preceding chapters with notations transliterated from the Gullah by Emma Kraus, with interviews with Jupiter “Sticker” Woodberry, Henrietta Davis, and Uncle Will, who Clark uses as a character in the book who leads Shouts.
“They’d come together and carry on like this: the Leader, the Stick Man, and the Basers, singing, clapping, and stamping, while the Shouters move to the song. In the Shout, you got to move the way the spirit tell you and can’t stop until it let you go. And don’t call it no dance! Not unless you want Uncle Will to set you down and learn you proper. See the Shout ain’t really the song, it’s the movement. He say the Shouts like this one got the most power: about surviving slavery times, praying for freedom, and calling on God to end that wickedness.” - Page 36, narrated by Maryse Bordreaux.
Ring shout book review
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
4.5/5
With so many intricate and layered true historical details embedded in Ring Shout, it’s no surprise that P. Djèlí Clark is the pen name of Dexter Gabriel, an academic historian whose research spans comparative slavery and emancipation in the Atlantic World. Clark explores some of the most deeply depraved crimes against humanity, using supernatural horror and dark fantasy to delve into real-life historical events from the early 20th century. Masterfully.
Here, the white-hooded monsters of the KKK become literal monsters with a not-too-in-your-face parallel of today’s society reflecting the insidious nature of white supremacy that allow it to shapeshift often, whether it’s police officers continuing to kill people in America at an alarming rate post-George Floyd, or in White House politics.
Furthermore, you’ll learn a lot about past true historical events and happenings. Before I read this book, I had no idea till I googled it that some of the wildly racist stuff mentioned here is real. Check it out:
The Birth of a Nation is a real movie that glorified the Ku Klux Klan with a grandiose facade of white nationalist propaganda. I find it absurd that it scores so high on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics undermining the racism as something incidental, almost like a fun fact. WTF. I guess if you look deeper into who the critics are, they’re mostly privileged white men. Come on. Give us some diversity please.
This film is a tool for power and war, that can be used for terrible means, and to incite racial bigotry and hate. And I love what Clark does here, in using this despicable piece of “art” as a catalyst that drives the plot along, exposing the ugliness of racism and violence and the dehumanising effects of oppression while also celebrating the resilience and hope of those who refuse to be broken, Maryse Bordreaux, and her fellow resistance fighters, Sadie, Chef and Nana Jean, amongst many others.
It's a powerful and timely novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page. Highly recommend. 4.5 stars.
Enjoyed reading Ring Shout? You might also enjoy reading:
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Dark fantasy)
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black (YA darkish fantasy)
Yellowface by R.F. Khuang (Dark satirical thriller)
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (YA Fantasy)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Dystopian romantasy)
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones (Gory horror-fantasy)
