The Conjure Woman

About the book

"The Conjure Woman" by Charles W. Chesnutt is a collection of short stories published in 1899. Set in post-Civil War North Carolina, the stories follow John, a white Northern businessman, and his wife Annie as they encounter Uncle Julius McAdoo, a former slave who shares haunting tales of slavery, conjuring, and transformation. Through McAdoo's clever storytelling, Chesnutt subverts plantation literature traditions, revealing the brutal realities of slavery while celebrating black resistance and intelligence through African American folklore and hoodoo traditions.