Gypsy Folktales Paperback – April 19, 1989

I've read many unfavorable reviews of this book, and I wonder if non-Romas really understand what they're reading? I love this book. It reminds me that there are many different cultures in this world, and it was good to see folk tales of a group of people that the rest of the world knows very little about. I hope to read many more books from the fantastical minds of the Gypsy.

Unique and interesting tales

I bought this book so that I could read Roma/Gypsy folktales to my Roma adoptive daughter. The stories, from many different countries, seemed in theory like a wonderful means of teaching a Romani child about her culture and celebrating its richness. The fascinating aspects of Romani culture definitely come through in these tales. They are short and easy to read and the descriptions of their origins are extremely interesting. I've never come across a book as comprehensive, so this collection is truly unique and special in what it offers, a huge array of folktales from Gypsy/Roma culture around the world.My hesitation in recommending this book of folk tales is that many of the stories reinforce negative and inaccurate stereotypes about Roma people, prejudices that human rights activists and Romani people are working hard to eliminate around the world. For every bit of enjoyment the tales bring, along with that, they carry a lot of baggage!I especially would caution Roma adoptive parents, or Roma parents, in reading these to children without previewing them, because its difficult to know from story to story which of these might be harmful to your child, and which will not. You have to read each story, as if you were showing an R rated movie (in the US) to your child, ready to "turn it off" or "skip through" the bad parts. This is stressful!Having said that, my seven year old daughter and I spent night after night reading these tales together, and she seemed to truly enjoy every minute of it. The humor of the stories and the positive stereotypes in the tales that I screened and allowed, amused and delighted my daughter.Perhaps for non-Roma children it would work to insert a caveat before starting to read them, letting them know in a simple way that not all of the ways Roma/Gypsy people are portrayed is fair or accurate. The collection provides a potential "teaching moment" on the "abc's of prejudice!"But my strong opinion is that these tales UNFILTERED could be harmful to Roma children, still developing their identities and their self-esteem. Stories about Gypsy "thieves and liars" before bed are not what a parent would want their child dosing off to.One alternative is that the next edition of this book could list the tales that reinforce negative stereotypes, or provide a code of some sort for parents, letting them know which tales to pass over. Another alternative would be that the next edition for children could simply exclude tales that could be harmful in reinforcing prejudices.This is an extremely valuable collection of tales, but it truly has limitations. Caution parents!

In reading "Gypsy Folktales" by Diane Tong, it is important to keep in mind this is a collection of stories and histories as told to Ms. Tong by individuals. Some may have more historic or folkloric significance than others. That said, many of the stories may seem familiar--many they illustrate themes common in folkloric tales across cultures and the oral tradition. Some stories reflect a blend of local flavor and the rich oral tradition of the Rom.The stories are short and entertaining to read. For my purposes, I have found this book a good source of plotlines for storytelling and other performance.

Stories were rather boring, though I learned a bit more about gypsies.Would not recommend.

meets every requirement I had of the purchase.

It is what it is. Good compilation of tales from a few regions.