At its heart, Mumbo Jumbo is a struggle between the Judeo-Christian Ethic and what Reed calls the NeoHooDoo Aesthetic. The catalyst for the struggle is a mysterious "anti-plague" called "Jes Grew," a "disease" that forces its "victims" to dance and let their inhibitions go. Since the NeoHooDoo Faction feels "laughter washes the heart," they are excited and supportive of Jes Grew, whereas the secret society attempting to subdue the plague, the Knights Templar, is aligned with the Wallflower Order. They are intent on stopping Jes Grew before it gets to New York City.
Reed, as he has in other books, sprays his satirical buckshot far and wide, and there are many victims.
Black nationalists again are perceived as being hypocritical and contradictory. In a 1974 interview Reed said, Some of the people who call.....
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