The Kebra Nagast

October 1, 1997
Folklorist and author Hausman has combined ten years of informal study in Jamaica, the 1922 version of "The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Menyelek" (translated by E.A. Wallis Budge), the Koran, the King James Bible, and the words of reggae great Bob Marley into a new version of the Kebra Negast ("the glory of the Kings"). This "lost bible," the core of Rastafarian wisdom and faith, has survived through oral tradition in many Caribbean nations, even though it has been banned because of its African glory themes. Hausman effectively puts the Kebra Negast into the words of the Rastafarian community, presenting the core--that "we must learn to live by the laws of compassion rather than judgment"--through anecdotes from the author's travels in the Rasta community. A recommended introduction to the Kebra Negast.--L. Kriz, West Des Moines Lib., Iowa

October 1, 1997
Not as trendy as it once was, Rastafarianism still has committed adherents, and they may be more interested in its underpinnings than just in its use of ganja as a sacrament. Hausman's new edition of the Ethiopian compilation of lore that posits that Jesus was black is for such persons. Hausman's preface and the melodic verses of the text, written in rustic, awed tones and full of the lilt of roots Reggae lyrics, take aim at true believers. The text's narrative rambles at times, but not badly for a holy book. To brusquely reduce it to its main thrust, the Kebra Negast supports the claims to black presence in biblical lore through the lineage of King Solomon's Ethiopian children. Hausman augments the main text with a little compendium of parallel quotations from the Bible and the most famous Rastafarian--certainly to "Waspafarians" --the late Bob Marley. Inspirational, informational, melodious stuff. ((Reviewed October 1, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)