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Stranger in the Village of the Sick

A Memoir of Cancer, Sorcery, and Healing

Author: Paul Stoller

An astonishing story of how one man's knowledge of West African sorcery transformed his experience of cancer.
After more than fifty years as the model of perfect health, anthropologist Paul Stoller suddenly finds himself diagnosed with lymphoma. The only thing more transformative than his fear and dread of cancer is the place it ultimately takes him-twenty-five years back in time to his days as an apprentice to a West African sorcerer.

Stranger in the Village of the Sick follows Stoller down this unexpected path toward personal discovery, growth, and healing. Drawing upon an ancient, esoteric tradition, he explores the symbiotic relationship between illness and health, the differences in how disease is culturally perceived, and the stunning capacity of the human spirit to convert adversity into strength and transform knowledge into wisdom.

'A courageous and extraordinary book . . . No one coping with cancer today should be without Stranger in the Village of the Sick.' -David Napier, author of The Age of Immunology

"Neither a tear-jerking testimony nor a morbid story, Stoller's riveting narrative is ebullient, enthralling, and altogether celebratory of life. It is also a superb reminder of the transitory nature of our own lives . . . a masterpiece from a gifted writer.' -Jean-Paul Dumont, author of Visayan Vignettes

Paul Stoller is professor of anthropology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and the author of eight books, including the award-winning Money Has No Smell: The Africanization of New York City. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware.