Charles Waddell Chestnust was a mixed race African American author who wrote African American folklore in his literature using fiction to reference the culture of Hoodoo is his writings. In 1899, Chestnut published "The Conjure Woman" that tells the story of African Americans after the Civil War and how they used conjure to fix their everyday problems. In addition, Chestnut does not portray the African American characters in the book as racially inferior to whites. The African Americans in the book use their wit and intelligence combining hoodoo practices to solve their problems. The style of writing is phonetic. Chestnut wrote the book how African Americans in the South spoke during his time. This allows readers an example of African American Vernacular and culture. Also, the book discusses the North's economic opportunist exploitation of the South during the Reconstruction Era and how African Americans navigated through this process in their communities.