Many books about dreaming are concerned with interpretation or neurobiology, while others explore the role of dreaming in foreign cultures, both contemporary and historical, This book, however, is the first to examine the role of dreams in any American subculture-and the one it considers is especially vital. Shafton ("Dream Reader: Contemporary Approaches to the Understanding of Dreams") interviewed approximately 115 African Americans, ranging from highly educated professionals to ghetto children to prisoners, asking about their own and their families' experiences with dreams. What emerges is a fascinating look at instances of ancestor visitation, predictive dreaming, and the continuity of dreaming and dreamlike states. While these phenomena occur in other American communities as well (although less frequently, according to the author), other phenomena seem to be the exclusive province of African Americans. These include the special place of dream symbolism in betting, the view of the deja vu experience as caused by unremembered dreams, dreams in Hoodoo (the Southern U.S. version of Voodoo or Santeria), and dream interpretation based on a single central image rather than on a narrative. This book goes beyond dreaming, offering insights into African American culture as a whole. It is especially useful in showing us that cultural differences indeed exist, cutting across class boundaries. Essential for all academic and larger public libraries. --Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L, Pullman, WA ("Library Journal", 11/1/01)