Book Review: WTF is Tarot?

Bakara Wintner, WTF is tarot?. . .and how do I do it? Salem, MA: Page Street Publishing, 2017.  ISBN: 9781624144523.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: Tarot, divination, cartomancy, memoir (a bit).
Format: e-book
Source: I own a copy of this. 

I picked this up out of curiosity and because I saw some good word of mouth. To be honest, after reading it, I felt it was just OK to good. The title certainly qualifies as a small bit of click bait to get your attention.

The book is arranged into loose chapters as follows:

• "Who the fuck am I (and who the fuck are you?)." This is where the author establishes her credentials. She states she has been reading Tarot professionally for "a little over four years, which is not a particularly impressive number" (7). I do admit it is not impressive when compared to authors who brag about their decades of experience, but it seems to have gone well for her. She did write this book (along with other Tarot accomplishments she mentions). 
• "What the fuck is Tarot?" Tarot is defined. She does play a bit loose with Tarot history, but that is part of her overall irreverent and informal nature and tone displayed throughout the book. 
• "What the fuck is magic?" 
• "How the fuck do I choose a deck?"
• Chapters with card meanings for Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and Court Cards. 
• Each Major Arcana card includes a quote, keywords, meaning, a simple illustration, an anecdote from the author's life, and what the card can signify/mean/refer to in a reading. The anecdotes were not always that good, and at times I could have done without them. Your mileage may vary. 
• Minor Arcana includes a key phrase (not as extensive as the Major Arcana), simple illustration, meaning in a paragraph or two, "reinforced by" (cards that reinforce this one) and "opposed by" (cards that oppose this one). That last detail is one I found interesting. However, a rationale for these reinforcements and oppositions is not really given. 
• The Court Cards. Mainly sees the cards as other people, which is a fairly common approach, or they can be aspects of the Tarot reader. Overall though, her descriptions of the Court Cards are fairly negative. I jotted down as I read this section that I know life is full of assholes, but not everyone is an asshole. Her presentation of the Court Cards is not terribly balanced nor positive. 
•  "What the fuck are Tarot spreads?" Provides some spreads you could try out: three to be exact. 
• "How the fuck do I give a reading?" Tips, advice, and information on doing readings with topics like Tarot FAQ for Noobs, the Shitty Cards, and Dealing with Assholes. On that last, basically assholes are assholes; make sure you stand your ground and send them packing if need be. Setting boundaries is an important message here. 
• "Enhancing your magic." Basically other tools to enhance and supplement Tarot such as chakras, crystals, and journaling.
• "It's been real (and surreal)." The author's conclusion. 

The book is a bit of a mixed bag. Much of the information is pretty good. You do have to get past the author's often flippant attitude on some topics. Aside from the chapter titles, there is not that much swearing in the book. I felt the way she described her ability to go pro was a bit easy: everything just fell into place, but I was willing to go along with it (whether it was easy or not is not an issue; she just conveys an impression it was seriously easy in the narrative). On the positive, the author states her intention is to make Tarot accessible. To an extent she succeeds as you won't find much that is complex or esoteric. On the negative, at times she can seem a bit flippant or too casual; you may not be sure at times what to take seriously and what is a joke.

As I noted, the chapter on the Court Cards is mostly negative on the cards. Some of the pop culture references seemed a way to make the cards accessible, but the choice of references were not always successful for me. Again, your mileage may vary. I will suggest if you want to learn the Court Cards, besides practice, to get yourself another basic Tarot book and/or a book on the Court Cards. There are one or two good ones out there.

Despite the negatives, there are some good things. I liked her idea of using Tarot as a healing tool. Also, I came to Tarot very late in life. I do not have a magical lineage or such, but in a relatively short time Tarot and cartomancy have become a meaningful element in my life. This was something I could relate to in the book. I think may readers may find something to relate to in this book.

Overall, as I said, it is a mixed bag. When it is good, the book is good. When it is not, it brings the text down. I would not recommend this to absolute beginners, especially if they are learners who need a lot of structure. Structure is minimal in this book. I'd say this is more for folks with a bit more experience and who may have read a few other books so they can compare notes. The author offers some good perspectives, but I would recommend some notes with other books and sources. I am glad to have read it so now I can add it to my learning.

For libraries, if they can get past the title and swearing, this would be an optional purchase. In the end, for me it was OK.

2 out of 5 stars.