Louisiana Books

This is a very good biography of a man that history had nearly forgotten. A historical review of the a lawman that "cleaned up the town" during the prohibition period, was feared by criminals throughout the region of Northern Louisiana and died in the line of duty...a murder which remains unsolved to this day!

If you like reading about tough, no non-sense lawmen of the west or historical accounts of Texas Rangers, you will really enjoy this book. This man had character, integrity, and a single-minded focus on upholding the law. He usually worked alone, most times outnumbered and rarely was outwitted by his adversaries.

This should be a required reading for students in Louisiana schools...they should revere and remember the heroes that help build their state.

I've read about many Old West-type lawmen, and John Sisemore is definitely one of the most interesting...his zeal for the job was unparalleled. Many of his arrests were recorded in local newspapers, so we know he spent a great deal of time chasing moonshiners...a typical assignment for U.S. marshals at that time. But few did it so doggedly and with such success. I particularly liked how the author weaved family members and townspeople into the story and showed how a community fought for law & order and how the results of that battle shaped the entire community for generations.

I had never heard of Deputy John Sisemore, having read everything available on U.S. Marshals. This account of his adventures beats anything John Wayne's "Rooster Cogburn" did. Sometimes the truth is wilder than fiction. The book is written with as a "non-fiction novel" to bring the story alive, with conversations and events carefully crafted from court transcripts and newspaper articles. Even though the book reads as a novel, the author gives extensive notes on his sources at the end of the book. If you love the Old West or enjoy classic stories of good versus evil, this book is a must read.

What a joy to read this book!!!! So much history and excitement. John Tom Sisemore is my great-grandfather. I remember reading newspaper clippings about the murder but was never provided this much information of the incident and the events leading up to it. Mr. Harris has done an outstanding job of honoring the life and death of a wonderful lawman. One of the best books I have read in a while.

These are wonderful books and very thorough. This book is full of beautiful old New Orleans mansions, the pictures are small, but every discription of a home has a requisite photo. The text is highly informative and the book is well researched. New Orleans is blessed with so many beautiful mansions and many reside in this section of the city. Reading this book, reminds me how special and unique this city is, as well as how beautiful the city can be. Highly recommended.

I have read several volumes in this set and this one (vol. VIII - 1997) is the best.

This is more than merely a coffee table ornament. It is meant to be a poweful tool for equipping people to actively work for the preservation of the South's most architecturally rich and complicated city.

It is difficult to imagine a finer work of this size and scope.

First, the publisher (Pelican of the suburb of Gretna, LA) has spared no expense. Cover to cover, all 215pp. are packed with the highest quality photographs, maps and illustrations. The paper is glossy, sturdy, 8.5 x 11.

Second, the writing is uniformly precise and compelling, and moves at a good pace. rarely dry.

Third, the scope is manageable and makes good sense. The University Section, as conceived here, consists of the area around Tulane and Loyola, and extending south to the river. Thus Audubon Park, Hurstville, Bloomingdale, Burtheville, Marlyville, Greeneville, Friburg, etc. are all included. This includes from Lowerline and several streets west of the Park to Joseph and Arabella in the east, and from the river up to Clairbourne.

Fourth, the archtecture history is woven into the general history of the neighborhood and of New Orleans. Someone with no interest at all in the architecture would still glean much about the lager developments of the city, and of Uptown in particular. Politics, environment and social history are included.

Fifth, the maps and photos (hundreds of them) are used well to illustrate and make sense of complicated trends in the neighborhood. They are arranged in a very helpful and easily understood manner.

Hundreds of the homes are displayed, from the humble to the opulent, arranged by street address. Further, a chart is provided with the dates, architects, etc. of dozens of these homes and buildings.

An index is accurate and fairly thorough.

I have to really strain to identify any criticisms.
1. Wish there was a simpel modern map at the beginning showing the precise boundaries of this University Section, and all other sections in this series.
2. P. 16 shows a detail of a map from an Atlas of the City of New Orleans, leaving teh reader to wonder about the date of that work.

I would recommend, as a companion and supplement, Lloyd Vogt, New Orleans Houses (1985). Vogt gives even more exacting architectural detail, but does not provide nearly as much on the broader historical context.

Growing up in this section of New Orleans, I was pleasantly surprised to see several homes of my childhood friends. No other city in the U.S. has such distinct and diverse neighborhood architecture. Another great volume in a GREAT series.

This volume in the N.O. Architecture series by the Friends of the Cabildo is, in my opinion, the best of the entire series. Perhaps it is because this is the section of the city in which I spend most of my time, a place to which I've become rather attached. Anyone who enjoys architecture will probably like this book, not just New Orleanians.

The Campanella's did an incredible job of tracing the past of some of New Orlean's most well known, and sometimes notorious, landmarks. The way in which they try to exactly match the perspective of the new photography with that of the historic photo allows the reader to better visualize the changes. In some scenes, so much has changed it is like a game of Where's Waldo just find something that is recognizable from one era to the next. Great book!

Thanks to the Campanellas for their hard work. They have done a terrific job matching new photos to historical ones. Each photo has a detailed caption -- the Campanellas never leave the reader disoriented. A dry sense of humor comes through on occaision, making reading the book feel more like a friend telling you about a city he loves rather than reading a dull textbook. My only complaint is very little on mid-city and lakeview. Perhaps a post-Katrina edition will come out. Fantastic photos. This book will always be ready to read. I don't think it will ever find its way onto a bookshelf.

this is a tremendous book, far better than the other by the same name. However,the seven previous reviews were all highly positive but when they were added no stars were indicated for five of the reviews. The result:two five star ratings and five no star ratings. Oviously a glitch. Read the other reviews. If you like New Orleans buy this book

It's always a bit startling to revisit someplace you haven't seen in a few decades, especially if it was a neighborhood you remember from your childhood. Nothing stands still, but some alterations can be especially dramatic. Many parts of downtown New Orleans in the 1920s and '30s hadn?t changed significantly in several generations, except for the addition of overhead wires. This lavish volume will bring you up to date, displaying before-and-after shots of many fondly remembered locations -- such as the intersection of Madison Street and Decatur in what used to be "Little Italy." A 1906 photo shows a decaying Creole townhouse which then housed a clothing store, and Madame Begue's famous restaurant across the narrow street. On the facing page, the 1996 view from exactly the same perspective shows the townhouse changed almost beyond recognition, but the 1830 building across the street, now the home of Tujague's Restaurant, which has been cleaned up and renovated (and is one of my favorites!), retains nearly all of its original design features. Other sites remind us of the days of parking your car on Canal Street's neutral ground, of the 1840s Greek Revival hidden behind the Sanlin Building's aluminum facade, of the gradual but continual decay of the De La Ronde plantation house in Chalmette. Other structures have disappeared entirely: The Poydras Market, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and the entire 300 block of South Rampart Street, among many others, most of them replaced by freeways and modern motels. This would be a terrific book to send to that New Orleans-born relative who moved to California years ago.

Yet another book that makes me long for the New Orleans of old. The Author fills in those lingering questions I've always had about the Canal Streetcar, amongst wonderful pictures.

This is an excellent pictorial and written history of the Canal Streetcar line and New Orleans also. I loved reading it, it's a quick read, and easy to understand and since I am a native New Orleanian, some of the pictures from days past were fascinating since Canal Street doesn't really look like it did 50 years ago. My father is 71 years old and a real history buff and LOVED it and gives it very high marks also!

Edward Branley's title is fascinating. It's a look at one of the oldest institutions here in the New Orleans area. Branley does the subject justice. Readers, this title is unique in that it has an overabundance of photographs. From 1861 to 2003. I say - wow to that!

The book is 128 pages packed with photos. There are pictures of all kinds of streetcars, buses and other things. There are scenes from New Orleans that only a native, or visitor, could appreciate.

I can't get over the pictures. So many favorites. So many memories. So many dreams....

Canal Street will never be the same. And, plus, the street cars are back. Bravo, Mr. Branley...

I'm fairly new to New Orleans, but have enjoyed the streetcars since my first visit 20 years ago. Not only is this an interesting history of streetcars, but of downtown New Orleans. Although I wasn't here to witness all the changes in the last 100 years, it is enjoyable to ride the newly opened Canal Streetcar line while looking through the pictures of different eras covered in the book. Mr. Branley makes history come alive!

You don't have to be from Louisiana to find this book completely compelling. Any fan of non-fiction, history or true crime will be unable to put it down. Arceneaux presents a fascinating story of murder and justice in a most captivating way. The author's attention to detail is amazing - scholarly but never intimidating. I was captivated by the twists and turns the story took along with Arceneaux's insightful positioning of the events and their import. This book will leave a lasting impression on you. Read it...

GREAT READING ON THE HISTORY OF THE ACADIANS AS WELL AS THE SCOTT-LAFAYETTE, LA AREA. THE MURDER HELPS KEEP A THREAD OF INTEREST GOING IN THE FAMILIES OF THIS AREA.

This is the story of a crime in the last century in a rural part of Louisiana. But it is also much more. It includes a fine series of chapters explaining the history of the Acadian people (Begnaud was an Acadian in a whistle stop) and of all the major players and of Louisiana history. In a short set of chapters the author gives us both the history and the interest. By the end I was sorry to see it finish - but I learned a lot about both the "crime of the century" and also the context of the events. It was hard to put down - even when I came to the end. Arceneaux did a thorough history but also took care to make it a fascinating book.

A well woven tapestry of the history and sociology of the Acadians of Louisiana, the South in post reconstruction years, and the genealogy of the authors family all neatly tied together in the telling of the tale of a murder which at the time was an international sensation even though it took place in the back waters of Louisiana. William Arceneaux is a smooth talker in person and has proved himself a skillful writer and clever story teller. There is one vignette on euthanasia that you may not want to read because it will haunt you when you wake up in a dark room at 3 o'clock in the morning. This an entertaining, even educational, well conceived and organized book.

I first read the book because I had seen a play based on it, and it (the play) had made no sense. However, the topic of the book sounded good, so I wanted to find out more. So I picked up one of the FUNNIEST books I have ever read. If anyone is interested in WWII, or any aspect of war, and want some comedy, this is the book for you.

You WILL laugh out loud. Will Stockdale vs. the U.S. Army. Not a fair fight in this hilarious book. Naive hillbilly, reduces military to shambles. Drafted into the army and meets up with foreign-to-him culture, this story chronicles the military's efforts to round him up, put him through boot camp, test him psychologically, send him on suicide mission, etc. He lives through hazing, bureaucratic bungling, bombs and many other riotous adventures. Much, much funnier than the movie.

I read this book while serving in the Air Force and while serving a temporary duty assignment in Saudi Arabia. On more than one occasion I was amused to see an NCO's reaction to the book I was reading.

Having been a member of the only military fighting force in the world that isn't too proud to make fun of itself, this book is easily one of the most memorable pieces of literature I had the pleasure of coming across during my enlistment. Will Stockdale, backwoods redneck/draftee, is the Huckleberry Finn (with a bit of Forrest Gump mixed in) of modern military fiction. One of the funniest dialogue exchanges occurs when Will and his pal Ben - a short bespectacled gent whose chief ambition (initially) is to bust into infantry - are talking about how horrible it would be if they got selected to go into the Air Force.

"...Will, do you know what they call men in the Air Force?"
"No, I don't think I heered say."
"They call 'em...airmen. By dog, Will, don't you see? How'd you like to be called an airman?"
"By God, I just don't think I'd stand for it..."

But Will and Ben's ambitions later tend to change when considering (among other things) the many decorations one may receive in the Air Force and how easily they can be acquired. It's especially humorous when Ben points out,

"I believe you stand just about as good a chance of getting [medals] in the Air Force as any place...Why, today, you can get a medal by just not doing anything wrong..."

It was at this point that I began to wonder in the other American military branches - or those of our allies - award their brave men and women the Good Conduct Medal (the recipient earns this by not getting demoted); the Longevity Medal (serve for a minimum of four years); and other awards and honors just for showing up. NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS - written by a former officer of the U.S. Army Air Corps - made it clear that some things in our military are just downright hilarious if you can look at them from the right perspective.

Even if you don't have the military experience, this short, lighthearted, and reader-friendly book is sure to please as it brings to mind reminders of FORREST GUMP, GOMER PYLE, and...oh yeah...NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS (starring Andy Griffith as Will Stockdale).

I don't remember when I first read this book, but I do remember laughing out loud during certain parts (something I rarely ever do!) If you've seen the movie starring Andy Griffith you have the basic idea as to what it's about, but the book adds a lot of little things which I found immensely amusing. Needless to say, it's not complimentary to the military, but it's more of an attack on the bureaucracy surrounding the armed forces than it is on anything else. A very funny book!

Mrs. Coco, a Mississippian, considers herself in exile in Louisiana. In Tula Springs she is not far from Mississippi. Ethyl Mae eloped to marry Mr. Coco. She plays the cello in a string quartet, Pro Arts. She is fifty seven years old. Her youngest child, the sixth, is still in college.

Myrtice and Duk-Soo are also members of the quartet, along with Mrs. Coco and her son, George Henry. The quartet plays at the new Burger Mat. Someone from Eutaw recognizes Mrs. Coco because she won the swimsuit event in a Miss Mississippi contest.

Mr. Coco's retail store, not situated at the mall, is not doing well. The family lives in the only private house in the business district of Tula Springs. The beauty college is adjacent to the family home. In addition to George Henry, the Coco children are Sam, Lucy, Larry, Helen Ann, and Nancy. Mrs. Coco drives an eighteen year old Dodge Dart. She has been learning a Dvorak concerto for twelve years.

North Gladiola is located in the southern half of Tula Springs. (There is no South Gladiola.) Mrs. Coco feels that Pro Arts has a duty to raise the cultural level of Tula Springs. She makes a new friend, Maud Herbert. She, Ethyl Coco, is suspected of being involved in the disappearance of the Chihuahua mascot of the beauty college and Maud Herbert takes action to defend her.

The quartet becomes a quintet after Mrs. Coco replaces her son with a child and then reinstates her son, George Henry, to the group. Later she discharges Duk-Soo and with other losses Pro Arts becomes a trio. Duk-Soo almost testifies before the dreaded CP, (Citizens' Patrol), about the demise of the pet Chihuahua.

The mystery of the connection of the characters to each other is explained in a satisfying manner near the end of the book. It is tremendously funny.

I find this book both humorous and sad!! I am from this town that James Wilcox describes; I knew his parents, and his sisters!! I did NOT KNOW him!! Younger!! On the one hand, I'd love to defend it as not so "odd", but on the other, I'm inclined to agree!! James Wilcox has caught the very essence of this smaller La. town!! It's weird, it's gossipy, it's into everyone else's business!! I even know the street, and house he describes in this book!!! And I've been gone for a long time!!! Some people, no matter what. are hell bent on destroying others!!! I think that "tongue in cheek" attitude is perfect!! If ever I were to write about my "hometown". it would be the same way!! Thanks, James for bringing it all back to me!!! I also enjoyed "Modern Baptists" which is probably even more reminescent of this LA town!!! And thanks for reminding me WHY I REALLY don't want to go back there!!! Do You???

I love this author--it is a crime he most of his works are out of print. This book, like others, is a rich, completely realized world of ordinary-seeming characters who have profound, quiet revelations. Funnier and more humane than John Kennedy Toole. Wilcox deserves to be recognized as one of the best writers alive today. Sadly, he is almost obscure. What a crime.

Mrs. Coco is a middle-aged lady with six grown children-- none of whom turned out very well. The oldest daughter is cricket ranching in Australia and the youngest son is taking classes in weaving. Her 71-year-old husband is driving her crazy with his penchant for buying useless items that are on sale. But the true center of Mrs. Coco's life is her string quartet even though their usual venue is the opening of some new burger drive-through. Still, she (and seemingly everyone else in this book) is feeling a bit dissatisfied, a bit empty.

Then a series of misunderstandings puts the good Catholic Mrs. Coco smack-dab in the middle of town gossip. She is said to have committed adultery with DuK-Soo, the second violin in her quartet. She is said to have murdered the hairdresser's dog. And it is said that she was throwing up in Duk-soo's dorm room because she was drunk. On the long dark road to clearing her name, Mrs. Coco will even question her faith in God.

When I first began reading, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend time with all these peevish people, but gradually the absurd situations and the very sympathetic Mrs. Coco sucked me in. It is a funny book, but the humor is very painful.

I remember Alex's palce in New Iberia from the early 80's. Great food, my wife and I lived in Lafayette and ate there once a week. We bought the book years ago, shortly after it was published. We still use it today. Try Shrimp Mrs. Ann. You can use fish instead of shrimp and it is still wonderful. The green beans in a roux is very good. There are a number of books on Cajun cooking, this is one of the best.

I thought it looked a bit bland when we got it. There were not a lot of bright pretty pictures. However, every recipe I've tried has turned out great. The recipes are easy to follow. THey do require some typical 'cajun' types food (Tasso for example) but mostly the recipes have on hand ingredients.

Enjoy.

This book was my first in the area of Cajun Cooking and inspired me to use my own creativity while preparing different foods. This book shows you the basics in Cajun Cooking.

Great book for those of you interested in real Cajun cooking done very well. Alex Patout is from the Heart of Acadiana, so he knows what he's talking about. Definitely not for vegetarians.

I bought this book as soon as I read about it on the Best Friends Sanctuary website. The story of Marina, the dog first named "Survivor" is inspiring and was--at first--my primary reason for reading it. I cried tears of sadness for the people and animals who didn't make it through Katrina and Rita and tears of happiness for the selflessness of rescuers both locally and from all over North America who stayed to help the people and pets of Louisiana and Mississippi. In this book there is an acknowledgement of the "remote reunion" volunteers who spent many hours on the internet and the telephone linking families and their pets or sharing the grief of those whose pets didn't make it. I was one of those volunteers and it changed my life.

Over the past year, I've had the privilege of listening to Cathy read special parts of the book Pawprints of Katrina before she would finish a chapter and send it to her publisher. With each story or chapter, Cathy and I were reliving those days spent in NOLA. As we talked, our memories were brought to the surface and some of those memories are found in this book. It is with great pleasure and anxious anticipation that I am traveling with my daughter and one of the rescues to Cathy's book signing this Saturday at the Welcome Center of Best Friends Animals Sanctuary in Kanab. Utah. Precious, a terrier mix who was humanely trapped on a street in Gentilly, February 3, 2006 - yes, five months after Hurricane Katrina will be flying with us to Kanab (Precious had with her six puppies she had kept alive since their birth approx 9 weeks prior to their rescue - my daughter adopted one of the puppies, Puxley Madison, I adopted Precious, the pups mother). CONGRATULATIONS CATHY on a book that is destined to be a "Best Seller". Thank you for validating the lives of those we saved and those we could not. Your book is AWESOME!!! Barb

Scott's book is completely absorbing. She reveals the astounding dedication to animals by humans who dedicate themselves to finding the separated and abandoned animals of the Katrina disaster and reuniting them with their bereft owners. This is an important social document. Above all, the book celebrates the human/animal bond. It's a must-read.

This book is amazing.....I was overwhelmed by the stories of the rescues ,some with happy endings some not....I cried at the end of almost every chapter...a lot of happy tears. Cathy Scott told of the devastation in New Orleans and about the volunteers who gave up part of their lives, time and sometimes jobs to care for these poor animals and owners. Then, she told about the changes in law and mindset since then .........very well written

Ron Gomez has pulled off the unimaginable!!!Louisiana has long been infamous for its corrupt politicians and special interest dominated elections. Yet, no one has been able to accurately portray the totality of contemproary Louisiana politics in a single manuscript (fiction or non-fiction)until Ron Gomez penned Pelican Games. Pelican Games is an insightful, albeit fictional, account of the inner workings of "play-for-keeps" Louisiana gubernatorial politics. More importantly, the author has contrived a plot and created attendant characters that are guranteed to keep the reader spell bound and wanting more. The plot is indeed very plausible for Louisiana and never, ever predictable. This book can easily be charaterized as a fast-paced, "thriller" in every sense of the word. Yet, the author's clear writing and lucid descriptions allow time to literally stand still during the intense heat and fast pace of an all out "battle-royale" election for closest thing to a monarchy in America-the Lousiana Governorship. Gomez also goes to great lengths to explain the intricacies and oddities of Louisiana's political system.
Written like a fine Dick Francis novel, Pelican Games provides the reader with a crystal clear expanse of the author's literary genius. Consequently, the reader does not have to possess a background in politics or, even like politics for that matter, to fully enjoy this book. Ron Gomez simply provides our wildest imagination for us! All we need do is show up and turn the pages.

Pelican Games starts fast and keeps going. I was drawn into the plot immediately, then kept involved by the superb character development. In fact, the character development was good enough to make me actually despise one of the characters. I don't often get such a reaction to a novel character.

The author was once a reporter and his eye for detail helps round out story line with very rich images.

Several of the plot threads are ultimately resolved in ways that I didn't see coming. That was a nice change from the formula endings that seem to permeate novels.

As a bonus, the chapters are short, making this a great bedside reader.

This is a really rare novel, a book one can read, see, smell and feel all the way through.

The stage on which the drama plays out is Louisiana and the writer portrays Louisiana as the terrible beauty that it is. The themes of the work are woven like threads through the tapestry of the political landscape in Louisiana.

The story is universal and has as much relevance to California, Chicago, and New York as it does to New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Most importantly, this book delivers what most novels only promise. The pages turn themselves; you cannot put the book down till the end.

One of the most difficult things in storytelling is accomplished effortlessly by the author - - people whose lives are lived in stereotypical roles (Candidates for Governor, Political Staffers, Corporate Officer, Media and even Mafia) are not presented as stereotypes at all, but rather as real people. And all of the major players have entourages and those entourages are drawn so that the distinct characters within the groups emerge as clearly as the principal players in the drama.

The plot is not something this reviewer wants to hint at, except to say that if one is only going to read one fast paced, complex, colorful novel this spring, this is the book to buy.

This seemingly Louisiana story by a Louisiana writer is anything but a regional story. It's a big story that could play out anywhere. In setting the story in Louisiana, the writer did the reader a favor because he knows Louisiana as well as anyone who has set a story here.

This should become a film. When one finishes reading the book, all one can hope for is the chance to see it on the big screen.

The novel was thoroughly enjoyable and a real page-turner. There is no way of figuring out where the plot is headed.

Of course, it is only fiction, but it was fun trying to put real Louisiana faces on the characters.

Ron Gomez really does a great job with all the details and suspense. As one of our rare honest and ethical elected officials, Ron understand and has seen the dark underbelly of LA politics.

Unfortunately, the book was not only fiction, but more like a fairy tale of LA politics. Here's wishing that one day it may all come true.

Ron has always been a great story teller, so it was no great surprise that he has become a talented writer.