The Conjuring of America (paperback): Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2025 • One of Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025 • An NPR New Book to Read • One of Ms. Magazine’s Most Anticipated Feminist Books

A groundbreaking exploration of U.S. history that centers the Black women whose conjure traditions shaped American culture, wellness, and spirituality—from Vicks VapoRub and Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix to Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023) and even the iconic blue jean.

On plantations throughout the American South, enslaved conjure women drew upon ancestral spiritual traditions from West Africa, blending them with local herbal knowledge and healing practices to create powerful systems of medicine, protection, and resistance. Hidden from their oppressors, these women cultivated a legacy of wisdom that not only sustained their communities but also influenced many aspects of American life that endure today.

In The Conjuring of America, Black feminist philosopher Lindsey Stewart uncovers this overlooked chapter of history. She reveals how Negro Mammies, herbalists, water bearers, Granny Midwives, textile weavers, and Candy Ladies transformed generations of Black knowledge into acts of survival, resistance, healing, and liberation. Their traditions evolved to confront slavery, Jim Crow, and ongoing struggles for civil and reproductive rights, leaving an indelible mark on American culture.

Drawing on firsthand accounts of the enslaved, the sacred traditions of Oshun, and the writings of celebrated Black women authors, Stewart demonstrates that conjure continues to shape everyday American life in both extraordinary and subtle ways. Above all, The Conjuring of America is a moving tribute to the Black women whose magic carried messages of rebellion, freedom, healing, and hope across generations.