Louisiana Books

Two years ago today I was in New Orleans, gutting houses for Habitat for Humanity. My son, my brother, his son and I were there for several weeks, and got to see first-hand what the aftermath of Katrina was like. It's similar to childbirth: until you've experienced it first hand, the full impact doesn't really hit you. I had seen the photos and the footage, but as we drove through the 9th Ward on the day we first arrived, I realized NOTHING had prepared me for what I was seeing in front of me, that day, June 18, 2006. It didn't seem as if we were still in America - it was more like being in the aftermath of a war zone in some other country. The wide streets, empty and silent; the school-bus-sized piles of what had been the entire contents of a family's home; the stench that lay over everything (this came from the refrigerators stuffed with food and rotten water: "Katrina Soup", my brother called it). And in the trees that were still upright, if you looked closely, you could see where strands of Mardi Gras beads still hung from people having thrown them up there, in celebration, over a year and a half ago. The book was so brilliant - his photographs bring it all back to me in vivid relief. The one that affected me the most was the one of the shrimp boat sitting at the end of the street. My brother took me to see that same boat the first night we were in New Orleans, and I visited it several times after. And his descriptions - !! The heat, the isolation, the fear, and the adventure of what he was living. God bless his friends and family for saving his e-mails and urging him to publish them. This book is an absolute treasure.

David Spielman's book is both awesome and emotionally jarring. It's as close as one can come to experience Katrina without having been there.

I evacuated, returned to my own Uptown neighborhood eight weeks after the storm... and after just now looking at David's book I'm seeing it all over again. And, I'm seeing things I've never seen (Six Flags under 20+ feet of water). The emails walk you through what it was really like, the photos are reminders of what happened to this American city. All Americans should see these unique photos, this unique perspective, as we continue to try and fathom what happened here. This is the perfect presentation. I don't live in New Orleans anymore for a million reasons... but these photos take me 'home' again, and this is a book you will show your friends for years to come.

Mr. Spielman's approach in presenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is excellent. He guides the reader, using photography, to relate the sequences of events in a very clear, realistic and poignant way, especially, on his photograph depicting the sick and the poor waiting for medical services in a cold morning in Audubon Park in December nearly three months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. showing a Third World situation inside the world's most advanced and richest country. All because of bureaucratic red tape and FEMA inability to handle a catastrophy of such magnitude.

Passing for Who You Really Are

Falsely labeled as a "black" author because of his book of poetry and short stories, CANE (which deals almost exclusively with multiracial people), Toomer fought a life-long battle to be recognized for what he truly was. His theories of a "universal man" beyond racial demarcation makes him an important dissenting voice against the hypodescent status quo.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! Because I am a huge fan of CANE, I had to read this bio of Toomer. It is very detailed, very insightful, and provides a full view of Toomer and his family, leaving it to the reader to make a judgement about The Toomer family and Jean Toomer. I feel Toomer was a genius, and yes he was an egomaniac, but who cares? He was sensitive and spiritual and sexual and hungry for understanding and all those qualities come across in CANE and in this bio. Interestingly enough, his detatchment from blackness makes him more interesting because he forces you to think outside the box. [After all, the Black race is the only one in the US history to be said to hinge on "one drop" which is pretty ridiculous. "One drop" was a tool to keep lightskinned blacks from getting access to the money of their fathers.] I only wish Toomer could have written 1 or 2 more books in the vein of CANE.

This is a great book focusing on a man who had the courage to reject society's efforts to impose a "racial" identity upon him. He steadfastly refused to be labeled "colored" (black) or "white" and considered classification the nemesis of mankind, a reflection of intellectual empty-headedness. A quote from the book: "Thus Toomer propounded the rather unpopular view that the racial issue in America would be resolved only when white America could accept the fact that its racial 'purity' was a myth, that indeed its racial isolation produced blandness and lack of character. On the other hand, racial purity among blacks was just as much a myth and only encouraged defensiveness and unconscious imitation, like that of an adolescent who defines his revolt against his parents by the very values he is trying to renounce. Race, he said, was a fictional construct, of no use for understanding people." We need more people like Jean Toomer today!

The authors make it clear that Toomer rejected the racist ideologies of both 'blackness' and 'whiteness':

"And he had lived among blacks, among whites, among Jews, and in groups organized without racial labels around a shared interest such as literature or psychology, moving freely from any one of these groups to any other. One mark of membership in the 'colored' group, he said, was acceptance of the 'color line' with its attendant expectations; neither his family nor he had ever been so bound. To be in the white group would also imply the exclusion of the other."

It's a great book!

Dennis Covington is a genius. I have read this novel almost three times now and with each new reading I find more layers to the story. Covington weaves a fantasticly strange story with bizzare characters that is very difficult to criticize.

Although the story itself is one we've all read before-- the coming of age of Lucius "Lizard" Sims is so fascinating that it will keep many wanting more to read. There are not enough good things I can say about this novel. It should be required reading in all schools.

I liked this book a lot, but it wasn't at all what I expected. It made me a little uncomfortable because I felt like I was listening in on the authors thoughts. This particularly unnerved me because Dennis Covington was my teacher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I was lucky to be in his class during the publication of his book Salvation on Sand Mountain. I recommend reading that book too. You may have seen him on DATELINE NBC regarding his "snake handling" Sand Mountain topic. Regarding Lizard, if you're familiar with Birmingham, AL many of the landmarks will be familiar to you. Also, he is a nice man and a dedicated writer. Other books that may be of interest...Vicki Covington (his wife) has written several very good books

When I read this book I was in 6th grade (I'm in 8th now), And this is the only book I can truely look back on and say I could visualize the colorful, inventive characters, And that I truely enjoyed the story and was amazed that such good books truely existed. This is an amazing book, And I highly recommend it to anyone going through a remotely tough time, Because no matter what Lucius Sims always had hope for the better.

Lizard Lizard is Lucius Sims, a boy that is sent to the Leesville School for Retarded Boys probably because of what he looks like. Lizard has no idea who his mother is, the only person he can relate to is Miss Cooley who tells him that his father died the same year that he was born. Soon a man by the name of Callahan but in disguise as Simonetti comes to Lizard claiming that he is his father. When Lizard finally manages to escape the school he meets the rest of Callahan's actors. They head for the north and camp out in the woods at night. This is were Lizard meets two black kids that live in a pump house. Sammy is not a very good host but his sister seems to understand Lizard, so much that she trusts Lizard to sell their most valuable possession, a mysterious silver bowl that is very precious to both Sammy and Rain. Lizard then heads farther north with the actors to perform The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Lizard must somehow get back to Sammy and Rain and try to continue his endless search for his mother... This book, had strong emotions hidden beneath the words of the main characters like Lizard, Callahan or Sally. Even though there might not seem to be anything interesting in a boy trying to get to the woods, the author fills the book with little "goodies" that keep you interested all the way. The work that this author has given to the development of the characters is extraordinary, especially Lizard. If you haven't read this book then read it. It might change the way you think about retarded boys and maybe lizards also.

This is a travel guide for people whose priorities are food, beverage and the social order of eating out. Though centered in New Orleans, it also lists valuable food resources throughout the cajun country of Southern Louisiana. The book is well laid out, features excellent maps and gives the reader a wonderful feel for the local vernacular. Most pages feature great color photographs. Best of all for the traveler afoot, its small size allows you to slip it into a jacket pocket or purse.

Pableaux is my cousin. As I read through my copy, I jumped to the 'Biscuit Torture', 'Keeper of the Nog', and my grandmother's quiet relishing of a homegrown tomato and a 'pinch' of salt. It was like going back in time and savoring it all over again. I'm not writing because he's my cousin, I'm writing because this book is a great read. I have purchased it for nine friends in the Chicago area. It is informative and concise as well. Great job paul...

I have really enjoyed this book and the way it was written. The author gives you history, science, culture, restaurant recommendations, recipes and other local "need to know info" that will be helpful as you mosey around Louisiana looking for good food.

I am originally from south Louisiana and would highly recommend this book to anyone visiting or even to someone living in the state.

This is the travel guide for those whose preferences include food, beverage and the social order of eating with others. No hotel listings or must sees for the ordinary tourist. Though centered in New Orleans, the book also includes valuable food resources throughout the cajun country of Southern Louisiana. Great photos make this a nice souvenir or even a gift for the armchair tourist. It also has great maps and sense of the local vernacular. It's small size makes it easy to stash in a pocket or purse for the traveller afoot.

I LOVED this book!! I thought the author captured life as it really was in Baton Rouge, La. in the mid '50's!! And,yes, as your reveiwer said, it sounds like "Pleasantville", and it was, except for those who were trapped in mental illness!! Her contrasts of those who were allowed to "run free" and those who had "special needs" is really the heart of this compelling and heartwarming story!! She portrayed this loving, once happy family who was torn apart through ignorance and fear, and the GOD-AWFUL SOCIAL OUTCAST horror,in a loving and yet painful way!! And, yeh, folks, that's the WAY IT WAS in So. LA in the 1950's!!! NO ONE was mentally ill!! NO ONE committed suicide!! At least in "nice" families!! Thanks to Ms. Lawrence for helping us remember that maybe some of our "old thoughts" and values aren't quite so CORRECT anymore, and that those of us from this Faulkner-esque mentality from the South should re-think it. I have to give her many thanks for her portrayal of the mental institution and long-time care facility in Livingston Parish that I THINK she is speaking of in this book!! If not, then many thanks to her anyway for bringing a long-time problem to light!! A 60yr old reader from CT who grew up in Hammond, LA.

I can't believe this is the same book that the editorial reviewers so rudely panned! The story was riveting and very well written. I can't remember the last time a book affected me so deeply. I picked it up off the new book shelf at the library on Saturday morning and finished it in tears Saturday night. The characters are still with me as I write this on Monday morning. I highly recommend it.

I picked this book up at my local library without much hope of entertainment -- which is why, after all, most of us read in the first place. Sure we hope to be enlightened, but in the end the book has to be in some way enjoyable otherwise any truth becomes insufferable. But this book and these characters held my attention. Lawrence manages to mingle heartbreak and hope in a way that is neither absorbingly heartbreaking nor neatly hopeful. One of the reviewers noted a "stilted" style. I found the style a terrific reflection of the main character's stunted development, and in any case, it isn't an affectation, just a subtle quality that denotes the trauma Bonita faces as she carries on her life in the face of family secrets and family burdens. Overall, a good read from a writer of great promise.

After reading some of the critics' comments (as opposed to customer reviews), I have to wonder if the same book was released to the public as was sent to the press. I found Carole Lawrence's novel far from `stilted' and `hackneyed' - I thought it a well-written story, one that is both entertaining on the surface and potentially eye-opening for those who have not had the experience of dealing with people affected by mental illnesses. Reading this book is an experience that could very well lead the reader to a greater understanding and empathy for those of us among us who are touched by mental disease and disability - and allow them to be treated more like human beings and less like freaks.

The cruelty perpetrated on Mary Gabriel in this novel - not only by the neighborhood children and her classmates, but by well-meaning but ignorant and prejudiced adults as well - is hard to watch, but it's unfortunately not too far-fetched. `Kids can be cruel' is the excuse too often mouthed by those who would just as soon ignore the problem when it arises - but there is a lot of guilt bubbling under the surface of the Gabriel family, and it causes a lot of harm when it's ignored, or when it's dealt with in an inappropriate manner.

Dr. Gabriel is like many physicians of his day - suspicious of psychiatrists, seeing them as out to steal the patients of general practitioners and place the blame for the mental illness of children on the shoulders of the parents. Dr. Landry, the psychiatrist who lives across the street from the Gabriels, is firmly ensconced in the professional beliefs of the day (the 1950s), and holds firm that Mary's mental illness is a direct result of a lack of proper attention by her mother. Medical professionals today believe that schizophrenia and other mental disorders are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, some of which might be hereditary. Ironically, Dr. Landry's pronouncement that Mary's mother is to blame for her daughter's disease is - somewhat obliquely - pointing in the right direction. However, suggesting that Mrs. Gabriel's mothering skills - or lack thereof - are to blame for her daughter's condition placed an unbearable amount of guilt on the shoulders of the mother.

Dr. Gabriel himself is not much more help. Eager to keep Mary's problems `within the family', he lays far too much of the burden of her care on the shoulders of Bonita, her older sister. The effect of this on Bonita is shattering - when something bad happens to Mary, she feels like it's her fault, that she's let both Mary and her family down. This guilt piles higher and higher within her until it wreaks its havoc on her own psyche - it's a sad but inevitable result of placing too much inappropriate responsibility on a child.

The author utilizes two time planes in relating the story. One of them is told in the first person by Bonita, and is set in the present day. The other is told in the third person, set in the 1950s, when Bonita and Mary were children. Even though the 1950s portion of the story is told in the third person, the author skillfully - and wisely - gives these chapters the voice and innocent outlook of a child. The time frames alternate from chapter to chapter very effectively, allowing the reader to follow events in the present day and understand what has happened in the past that shapes them. The characters are fully developed - and the author has treated the character of Mary Gabriel with incredible respect and love. She is believably depicted as a schizophrenic patient, and the scenes involving her as a child are heartbreaking - but she is never treated as a caricature, never ridiculed by the story (although she suffers several indignities from other characters). She comes across as her own `whole' person - and it's easy for the reader to understand how much people like her deserve more dignity than they receive in this world.

The tension in the story - both parts of it - builds nicely. I thought I could see where the 1950s story was headed, but some clever (and completely plausible) twists by the author surprised me nicely. The part of the present-day story wherein Bonita comes to terms with her sister's condition at last, and recognizes the place they have in each other's lives, is particularly moving.

This is a book that could be valuable to mental health caregivers - maybe not the doctors themselves, but those who meet the day-to-day needs of mental patients. It's also a very entertaining read for the general consumer.

and it was very good. I have read so many bad romance novels recently and this one was well written and definitly in a league of its own. The book was very unpredictable too - I liked all the twists and turns. I highly recommend it.

I very much enjoyed this story. I liked the different approach of Cyrene seeking to get rid of her virginity and what that did to her. The relationshipe between Cyrene and Rene and the mystery as to who he really was and his purpose kept me reading. The authors way of telling the love/sex scenes was very poetic which was touching and moving. I highly recomend the reading of this book. It's one of the best I have read.

In this story, Jennifer Blake introduces us to French Louisianna in which French politics, smuggling, and betrayal come together in the New World. Two people from opposite sides of this spectrum come together, daring to fall in love. A lovely story for any Jennifer Blake fan.

Once again Jennifer Blake, one of Americans Best Historical Romance Writers brings the South to life in this "Hotter than a Summer night on the Bayous Of Louisiana.... Louisiana Dawn is a well written book on true romance with a passion for love without a lot of nonsense. I highly recommend this one to all of Jennifer Blake's fans new ones or for those who had been around while......

I am in a custody fight with my son's father. I truly believe that following the advice in Mr. Rue's book will help me win the custody battle. The guide also stresses that it is important to always act as a good parent.

Although this book is designed for clients, this is an excellent guide for lawyers who generally do not practice in the family law arena.

This divorce handbook has given me tremendous understanding on what I should expect and am experiencing in my custody -visitation case. I also have been supplied with important information to assist me in making sure that the child support payments are fair. This book is like having a second lawyer.

Louisiana Family Law Guide is the most comprehensive book that I have reviewed on divorce, custody, child support, community property, and other related issues. I have found that the advice in this book will saved money. Congratulation to Attorney Stephen Rue for a very fine contribution to those going through the divorce process. I highly recommend this book!

My favorite of O'Neill's plays is "A Louisiana Gentleman." O'Neill paints a portrait of a Southern family and the struggles they endure. She is able to weave together the story of young medical student as he is torn between responsibilities as a romantic partner to girlfriend, an actress 15 years his senior, a wise older brother to a religious-obsessed sister, and a dutiful nephew to his critical and hilarious aunt. The backdrop is Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where the streets are filled with laughter and celebration. O'Neill presents a man as he tries to hold all the elements of his life together amidst a culture of this city's culture of light-hearted festivities. O'Neill depicts with honesty human struggle, love, and duty.

Dr. O'Neill's writing captures the essence of the South. She is able to transport readers and viewers to intimate areas, behind the closed doors of the cultures of Louisiana and Mississippi. There is something so very believable and universal about her characters. It's almost as if one can identify these people as similar to those in one's own life. In Wishing Aces, she creates the ambiance of a broke-down train in the swamps of Louisiana in the midst of a hurricane. The romance, the humor, and the intellectual depth of this piece are sewn together so finely that it creates a true delight for readers. Her poetry lures you to begin to ask questions and to search for deeper meanings in your own life.

Expertly written and evocative of the mystery and atmosphere of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, the plays in A LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN are worthy of both armchair reading and production on stage. They tell stories that could happen only in and around New Orleans, and the characters are so well crafted you come to know them better than they know themselves - their passions, their flaws, their prejudices, and all their idiosyncracies. The settings are just as distinctive and vivid. The time in the title play, for example, is, "twilight, that uncertain time between the quiet of night and the noise of day when the apartments blend into the shadows." In SOLITAIRE, there is a "lazy Sunday tableau," and "the soft cries of sea gulls and the lapping of waves" are heard. The character names, too, are expressive (Quint, Rooster, Hetty, and Beau, for example) as are their descriptions. Dale Ellen Ashton has a "haunted radiance that makes her fragility more precious." Whether a particular play takes place in a mansion on Exposition Boulevard, an abandoned way station near an old train depot, or the deck of the Dixie Queen paddle boat, you will be drawn into the world Rosary Hartel O'Neill creates. I savored each play and feel certain that you will, too.

These two volumes of plays collect work of much produced and honored Rosary Hartel O'Neill set in anr about her home town of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Plays in GHOSTS are historical- about figures like Edgar Degas and John Singer Sargent's Madame X who all had New Orleans connections. The LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN plays are about people in New Orleans in the recent past- in the years just before Hurricane Katrina. The characters in all cases are vivid and naturally dramatic- there is a joie de vivre in language, in emotion, even in struggle. Everyone seems born to be on stage- that is, the characters see themselves as having dramatic, expressive, and meaningful lives- and readers are pulled in and believe it too. The characters and the city seem equally essential here; one feels enriched and enlivened for having encountered them.

Hey - it does what the title says. It is not the greatest book on the subject - but I appreciate the writing style, and the journey that the author leads us on. It is a very very broad subject - Louisiana Music - and the book could be 100 times bigger and not cover it all. This is an OK book for the beginner student on Louisiana Music.

Rick Koster's Louisiana Music is the first and only guide to the variety of musicians in this southern American state: others have focused on specific styles (Creole, Cajun, Zydeco) but Louisiana Music considers the past and present of jazz, rock, gospel and other styles of both urban and lesser-known areas, including the Mardi Gras Indian tribes. Louisiana Music is a `must' for avid fans of Louisiana music.

Just finished this book. It is another great effort on the part of this very talented writer. This will make for a wonderful addition to my music collection as a fantastic reference book. This work is HIGHLY recommended! Rick Koster -- keep writing!

This book contains a plethora of very valuable histories
of many well known and (more importantly) lesser known Louisiana bands and artists. Mr. Koster, although from neighboring Texas, has really done his homework on this project. You can also find Mr. Koster's dry humor come into play throughout.

If you like this book, you will also enjoy Mr. Koster's book on the history of Texas music called, you guessed it, "Texas Music".

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in plantation homes. It has over 80 wonderful photographs, and tells the story of each home shown. There are even two or three victorian style homes, built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Very interesting and informative. I would recommend this book to anyone, wether your buying it for the information or the photographs!

This book is hands-down one of the most beautiful picture books on Louisiana's remaining plantation homes. While most are in exquisite condition, there are a very few which aren't. The short story of each plantation home is interesting and the photographs are gorgeous! It makes one want to go out, find a plantation home, buy it and restore it! The reader will be amazed at the wealth these planters accumulated, manifested in these awesome homes. Not all of the homes are huge antebelllum mansions, though. I personally found the Creole plantations wonderful examples of a simple albeit beautiful home. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves old homes, Southern architecture or photography in general.

the book has lovely photos and briefly tells about each home. It would have been nice if there were more photos of the interior of homes. But the book has beautiful photography and is overall: GREAT!

A well done book on Louisiana's spectacular plantations. The state is blessed with the best of these old homes and this book captures the essense of these structures quite well. All of the famous plantations are given several images and the text though not indepth is revealing. This is not quite as good as Gleasons book on the same subject, but it is close and makes a great companion book to it. If you have any interest in these singular buildings then i highly recommend this book along with Gleasons.