Patricia A. Turner

When i picked this up i was expecting rumor to be examined through the lens of bragging and boasting much like that done in toast poems. However the fact that this was not the case was not a bad thing. Turner deals with rumor through the frame of conspiracy theories. It was interesting to see the similar origins and development of these rumors supporting the idea that in a space with a high demand for info and a lack of trusted sources people will fill in the blanks given history. It paints a sobering picture because there is a tendency to dismiss conspiracy theories but not recognize that in the Black community such explanations fit the model of abuse we have suffered through the years. Though this text doesn't cover every rumor I find it provides a pretty good framework in with which to locate other rumors.

I found myself really wanting the concept of tospy/eva cycles where similar rumors function differently in black and white communities and the often destructive results to be explored more. I also found myself getting bored with this book as the themes explanations and origins seem to repeat again and again. Reading this got to be a bit of a chore towards the end.… (more)