A recently discovered collection of folktales celebrating African American oral tradition, community, and faith...”splendidly vivid and true.”—New York Times Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s. The bittersweet and often hilarious taleswhich range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, White Folk, and Mistaken Identity to witty one-linersreveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community. Together, this collection of nearly 500 folktales weaves a vibrant tapestry that celebrates the African American life in the rural South and represent a major part of Zora Neale Hurstons literary legacy. “Paint[s] a vivid portrait of the turn-of-the-century South.” - Washington Post “Overwhelmingly good...luminous tales.” - Oregonian “Splendidly vivid and true...A sharp immediacy and a fine supply of down to earth humor. In stories that are variously jokey, angry, bawdy, wildly fanciful or Reader’s Digest-style anecdotal, the speakers present a world in which anything is possible and human nature is crystal clear.” - New York Times “Entertaining and thought provoking.” - Vibe “Quite funny, and profoundly emblematic.” - San Francisco Chronicle “Unadorned testaments to the suffering and the vibrant, creative humor of her [Hurston’s] people.” - Book Magazine “Stories rich in insight [and] humor.” - Rocky Mountain News “Fascinating, funny...priceless.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer “[Every Tongue Got to Confess] is vibrant, evocative, heartwarming and sometimes hilarious...Like no other in its richness and variety.” - Philadelphia Inquirer “[An] entertaining collection . . . A rich harvest of native storytelling.” - Kirkus Reviews “What treasures these are--mordantly clever and quintessentially human stories about God and the creation of the black race, the devil, preachers wily and foolish, animals, the battle between the sexes, and slaves who outsmart their masters. Invaluable tales of mischief and wisdom, spirit and hope.” - Booklist “An extraordinary treasure.” - Boston Globe Zora Neale Hurston wrote four novels ( Jonah’s Gourd Vine; Their Eyes Were Watching God; Moses, Man of the Mountains; and Seraph on the Suwanee ) and was still working on her fifth novel, The Life of Herod the Great , when she died; three books of folklore ( Mules and Men  and the posthumously published Go Gator and Muddy the Water and Every Tongue Got to Confess ); a work of anthropological research ( Tell My Horse ); an autobiography (Dust Tracks on a Road ); an international bestselling ethnographic work ( Barracoon ); and over fifty short stories, essays, and plays. She was born in Notasulga, Alabama, grew up in Eatonville, Florida, and lived her last years in Fort Pierce, Florida. Excerpt Chapter One Why God Made Adam Last God wuz through makin' de Ian' an' de sea an' de birds an' de animals an' de fishes an' de trees befo' He made man. He wuz intendin' tuh make 'im all along, but He put it off tuh de last cause if He had uh made Adam fust an' let him see Him makin' all dese other things, when Eve wuz made Adam would of stood round braggin' tuh her. He would of said: "Eve, do you see dat ole stripe-ed tagger (tiger) over dere? Ah made. See dat ole narrow geraffe (giraffe) over dere? Ah made 'im too. See dat big ole tree over dere? Ah made dat jus' so you could set under it." God knowed all dat, so He jus' waited till everything wuz finished before he made man, cause He knows man will lie and brag on hisself tuh uh woman. Man ain't found out yet how things wuz made - he ain't meant tuh know. -James Presley. When God first put folks on earth there wasn't no difference between men and women. They was all alike. They did de same work and everything. De man got tired uh fussin 'bout who gointer do this and who gointer do that. So he went up tuh God and ast him tuh give him power over de woman so dat he could rule her and stop all dat arguin'. He ast Him tuh give him a lil mo' strength and he'd do de heavy work and let de woman jus' take orders from him whut to do. He tole Him he wouldn't mind doing de heavy [work] if he could jus' boss de job. So de Lawd done all he ast Him and he went on back home - and right off he started tuh bossin' de woman uh-round. So de woman didn't lak dat a-tall. So she went up tuh God and ast Him how come He give man all de power and didn't leave her none. So He tole her, "You never ast Me for none. I thought you was satisfied." She says, "Well, I ain't, wid de man bossin' me round lak he took tuh doin' since you give him all de power. I wants half uh his power. Take it away and give it tuh me." De Lawd shook His head. He tole her, "I never takes nothin' back after I done give it out. It's too bad since you don't like it, but you shoulda come up wid him, then I woulda 'vided it half and half." De woman was so mad she left dere spittin'