Louisiana Books

I live in New Orleans, La., and lost ALL my cookbooks (and everything else) as a result of Hurricane Katrina. I purchased Cajun Cuisine and I have tried several recipes - I am very pleased with it.

It's hard to learn to cook Cajun food from a cookbook; the food traditions of the Cajuns of Southwest Louisiana have been passed down orally for 400 years, and only in the "Cajun Cuisine" craze of the late '80s-early '90s did Cajun cookbooks really start to become popular.

These recipes are stripped down to the bare basics, because that's how Cajuns do it. Cajuns don't customarily use Emeril's Essence (remember, Emeril is from Boston) or carefully measured spices. It's a dash of this, a dash of that, until it tastes right. Don't make it too spicy; you can add your hot sauce later. You will never be able to make authentic-tasting Cajun food if you follow a recipe to a T.... that's not how it's done! You also need to learn how to modify recipes to suit your tastes... if you don't like file' powder, don't add it (many Cajun cooks don't add file' to anything, some put it on the table for you to sprinkle in yourself, some use it heavily). If you don't like okra, don't use it! Again, not all Cajun cooks do (although in response to the reviewer below, when Cajuns do use okra in gumbo, it is always sliced, and it is always slimy. Some people like it that way.)

This book provides excellent framework-style recipes for you to do what you want with. If you want to add tomatoes, go ahead! No one's stopping you! If you want to pour in a half gallon of Tabasco, feel free! If that's how you like it, that's how you like it. If you want to make your roux with butter (or oil or lard or bacon grease) do it that way! It won't change anything important, the recipe will still be fine. That's the beauty of Cajun food.

In response to the other reviewer who complained about a lack of pictures, the reality is that Cajun food is not as pretty as New Orleans food, and therefore doesn't make for terribly appealing photos. Gumbo looks like brownish-gray glop, but it tastes like heaven. That's just the way it is. If they'd included pictures, the sauces piquantes, the gumbos, the stews, the fricasees and the etouffees would've all looked the same, and how much would that have really helped? Plus, the drawings that are included in lieu of pictures are really adorable.

Get this book, and don't be scared to experiment with it! That's what it's all about!

`Cajun Cuisine', published by the very local Louisiana publishing house, Beau Bayou Publishing Company, and with no clearly discernible author, may be the publishing analogue to what in the culinary world is called `rustic' or in the pharmaceutical world, `generic'. Aside from a fairly nicely composed cover photograph of all sorts of raw and prepared Louisiana victuals, there are no frills and only one `pretension', in the form of a semi-scholarly introductory essay on `Arcadian (Cajun) Cuisine' by the retired Director, School of Home Economics, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Marie Louise Comeaux Manual. While this author's credentials are `academic', her essay is not terribly scholarly, as it is poorly written. It does, however, do a decent job of adding some material to our understanding of `Cajun' cooking.

Most foodies know that there is a `Cajun' and a `Creole' cuisine, which seem to coexist in and around Louisiana, centered in New Orleans. The problem is that I suspect few food enthusiasts who have not studied the matter can make a clear statement of the difference between the two. It seems as if the classic dishes of the area such as gumbo and jambalaya, as well as a foundation in French cooking techniques are claimed by both heritages.

According to the `Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink', the two cuisines are very similar, and the main distinctions that source can make between the two is that `Creole' is an urban cuisine originating with the earliest Spanish settlers from the 17th century and that `Cajun' (from Arcadian), is a rural cuisine deriving from the French émigrés from Nova Scotia in the late 18th century, after being kicked out by the English following the French and Indian Wars (That little opening act for the American Revolution). And, while both cuisines claim gumbo and jambalaya, etouffee and its principle ingredient, crawfish, seems to be distinctly `Cajun'. A second culinary difference is the greater extent of French influence from Arcadia, a purely French colony. This influence can be seen in the fact that Cajun cooking values balanced, but varied seasoning. It's `signature' cooking technique is braising, which is straight out of the French provincial cooking playbook. This is ironic because `Cajun' cuisine is often associated with very spicy foods; however, much of this `heat' was probably added a scant 25 years ago by the famous Paul Prudhomme of New Orleans, who, I believe, virtually invented the `blackened' cooking technique, most famous with `blackened catfish'.

But getting back to this book, my initially cool impression made by the somewhat pretentious introduction was redeemed when I started looking at the recipes. All the recipes are written in a very economical style, with crisp ingredients lists and matter of fact descriptions of procedure. The writing is not the minimalist sparse writing of Elizabeth David in `A Book of Mediterranean Food', but it has few if any `trucs', tips, hints, sidebars, or other accroutremonts of modern cookbook writing. And, it has none of the scholarly observations on origins or variations also found in Ms. David's works. For an experienced cook, this may be a very good thing. It means we have `just the facts, ma'm'. So, an experieced cook can be on their way to reproducing the dishes and fill in the extras where needed. One place a modern cook will especially wish to fill in is in replacing `oleo' with either real butter or a less saturated vegetable oil. In the mid-1980's, we had not heard all the dangers of trans-fats, commonly found in common margerine (oleomargerine).

One advantage of the sparse recipe writing style is that the slim 222 page book can contain a very healthy number of recipes, probably numbering close to 250, if you include the supplementary recipes for dressings, sauces, and condiments. And, this healthy number of recipes seems to cover the full range of `Cajun' specialities. The very best thing is that those classic dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffee are represented by several variations. From there, it goes all the way from fried oysters to boudon to beignets. I did find some famous preparations missing, such as coffee with chicory, `poor boy' sandwiches, and `mouffelata' (sic) sandwiches, but as none of these are `cooked' dishes, I'll not feel cheated.

One thing I like about a cookbook with a lot of recipes for dressings and sauces and condiments is that it adds a great source of information on which one can improvise (See Sally Schneider's new `the improvisational cook'). This book is the perfect source for making a few dishes, then striking out on your own in making `Cajun' style dishes without having to resort to Monsieur Prudhomme or Monsieur Lagasse.

The book was very nicely organized and will stand up to some serious stints in the kitchen. I was also very happy to see tables of contents with all recipes listed at the beginning of each chapter. This is something all cookbooks (other than the monster references) should have. The ony annoyance is that the recipes were not printed in the order they appeared in the table of contents. I have no clue why they were different.

But, for a very reasonable list price, we have here an excellent source of basic, authentic `Cajun' recipes with all the essentials and none of the frills.

This is a book about cajun cuisine. That is all you are getting. That may seem odd to say that since this is the name of the book but many know that cajun cookboks will often have numerous other recipes that may be creole, traditional southern, soul or classical french. Even italian. This is specificaly cajun and not southern louisiana. You get what you pay for.

Because the book operates from a narrower scope you may not have the recipes you want. No red beans and rice for example that is a creole dish. You may also notice the lack of tomatoes in many dishes that you normally think would have them. The crawfish etoufee for example has no tomatoes which is classical cajun. This etoufee is little more than butter and the trinity. You get a down to basics recipe for maque choux and i use it often. This book gives you everything you need to be a cajun cook but maybe not everthing you want.

There are many dishes here that you may have never heard of. Try the louisiana pear cake one time. A spice cake with fresh pears is all the rage now at my little restaurant here in tennessee and some of the recipes have allowed me to expand and my offerings to my customers who are not cajun. In fact cajun cake recipes are one of the real strong points of this book. There are about 10 of them compared to only 2 in prudomme's book. You get everything from that pear cake to wine cake and syrup cake. All are wonderful.

This book has helped me as a restaurant owner to become a self taught cajun chef. Everything from cajun ginger cake to vegetarian gumbo. You can't help but love this book.

Why the 4 stars? No dry spice measurements. The dry spice mix is the standard of paul prudomme's recipes but all this book gives you is is cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. How about telling me how much you normally use? Also unlike the prudomme book this book has no photos of the prepared food. Prudomme's book has many full color photos. No extras here just recipes. No colors or diagrams and even though the author is an expert on cajun cooking there is no significant background given about the dishes. No history, nothing to tell you where the dish comes from or how it has evolved. A book of recipes is great but we all can find dozens of recipes for almost anything online. I'm looking for more than that.

Note that almost none of these recipes makes use of justin wilson's standard flavorings. Wilson uses bitters in about 1/3 of all his savory dishes and worcestershire sauce is used in about 2/3 and all have hot sauce. These ingrediants are rare in this book. In fact i can't think of one recipe that uses bitters.

If you are looking for a solid collection of authentic cajun dishes this is it. They work. But if you want a more complete south louisiana work paul prudomme's book is superior for the same price.

Gelbart isn't a Cajun name, so please pay no attention to her review. Me (a Cajun with a Cajun name - LeJeune), my Cajun friends, my Cajun family, and Cajun and African American and Cajun cooks I have known in Louisiana have always cooked with cut okra, and the end product is not slimy or gooey. And just because Emeril and Paul Prudhomme are chefs doesn't mean that they know how to cook EVERYTHING. Not to mention that I have never met anyone in Cajun Country who made a roux with butter - lard maybe! - but not butter. Trust the creators of the recipes! The food speaks for them!

Well-researched and well-written, this book looks at just about every aspect of the southern soldier: recruitment, messing, billeting, leave, camp life, etc. An excellent book and one that has remained on my shelf ever since I read it. Useful as a reference and entertaining as a good read... how many books can say that?

Few books are written of the common soldiers of the wars. Most are written of the battles they faught in and the generals they served under. This is a nice exception.

A most insightful and highly informative study of the common soldier of the Confederacy. Well written and very well reseached.

A must have for anyone interested in the Civil war.

Bell Irvin Wiley (1906-1990), a scholar of the American Civil War, is best known for his two early books describing the lives of common soldiers in the Union and Confederate Armies. His book, "The Life of Johnny Reb" appeared in 1943 and was followed in 1952 by its companion volume "The Life of Billy Yank". At the beginning of his career, Wiley tended to concentrate on the Confederate War effort and wrote his book on "Billy Yank" as a result of the fascination he developed from writing his initial work with the common soldier. Ironically, Wiley's book on "Billy Yank" is the stronger of the two in terms of detail, organization, factual material, and analysis. His book on the Confederate soldier remains an important effort, essential to understanding the Southern Civil War experience.

In the Preface to his book, Wiley points out the fascination that the campaigns and personalities of Lee, Jackson, Stuart, and other Southern leaders exert (and continue to exert) on students of the Civil War. He aimed in his book to discuss the life of the soldier "as it really was" including among much else "how the hungry private fried his bacon, baked his biscuit, smoked his pipe". His book succeeds in that aim. Wiley's book gave me a good picture of life in the Southern Army with all its privations and hardships. He does not romanticize his subject or, for all his affection for the Southern soldier, fall prey to "Lost Cause" mythology.

The book opens with a discussion of the enthusiasm of the Southern soldier during the early stages of the War -- largely resulting from the conviction that the War would be short and that the Yankees would go home. He discusses how the dream of a short, decisive conflict quickly faded and how the troops were left with the dangerous, boring, and dehabilitating business of soldiering. Some men continued througout with their convictions and enthusiasm but for most the War became something that could not end soon enough.

Wiley gives good pictures and stories of the tedium of life in the camps during the winter and during the long periods when the armies were not in combat or on the march. He describes the bad food, shoddy clothes, and low pay that were the lot of the Confederate soldier. He discusses the various ways the troops spent their time. ranging from the sins of gambling, drink, and vice to the repeated attempts at religious revivials. Wiley is sensitive to the instances of cowardice and fear in the Confederate war effort but he rightly praises the valor and courage, overall, of the Confederate soldier. They fought tenaciously and hard. Wiley discusses the loneliness of soldier life as the men in the lines went to great efforts to write letters home and thought of their wives and sweethearts.

I thought Wiley's discussion of the unsanitary conditions of the camps and the toll taken by disease and poor medical treatment among the best sections of the book. He also discusses well the ambivalent relationships that frequently developed between Johnny Reb and his enemy in blue. Although it became a total and brutal combat, the Civil War was marked by attempts at fraternization, and what later writers have termed the "brotherhood of men at arms." The feelings the combatants developed for each other became important in the reconciliation efforts following this devastating conflict. Wiley also offers a good discussion of the various types of shoulder arms used by the Southern troops during the war, their manufacture, and their limitations.

There is a great deal of anecdotal material in this book. The text is repetitive at times. But this book and its companion volume remain essential Civil War reading and will give the student a feel for life in the lines.

Bell Irvin Wiley seems to have been the first historian/writer to realize that the Civil War was not just about Lee, Pickett, Grant or Stuart or any of the other guys with stars on their shoulders. The real truth about what happened on those battlefields had to do with the guys in the tattered uniforms and the rotted shoes, trying to fight with defective rifles.

As in his companion book, "The Life of Billy Yank", "The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy" is an unflinching look at the seemingly endless plight of a Confederate soldier. This is a very sobering account, and some of the letters the soldiers wrote home are nothing short of heartbreaking. Even as defeat was becoming more and more apparent, the courage and determination of these men did not waiver. This is a truly admirable account of men who were more than common soldiers. I believe they were really common heroes.

I read this book for a military history class and came away very glad I did. The book really lets you know what it was like to be a common soldier in a Confederate army. I agree with another reviewers sentiments that the book reads very much like a research paper, but a well written one at that. You won't always feel like you are right there, but you will come away knowing exactly what these men did, how they did it, and why. To understand the common Southern soldier in the Civil War, start here. Other books have been written since Wiley's, but this is still the place to start.

This book is wonderful. It is had to find books with prostetic limbs, my son was so happy to see Molly wearing one. This book was well put, with beautiful photos.

Great little book about Molly, the pony rescued after Hurricane Katrina, and fitted with a prosthesis after losing her leg from a dog attack. Inspiring and uplifting. Although written for children, this simple story complete with great pictures, will be an inspiration for anyone. Molly is the pony who would not quit and neither would those who came to her rescue. Not just for horse lovers, recommended for anyone in need of a lift.

I was a bit disappointed in this book, after reading news reports about the good work Molly is now doing with injured humans. As a whole this is a well written story about a mature pony with great pluck and stamina. However, in my opinion, not enough was said about the encouragement she gives to children and adults, civilians and military, in her visits.

Still, my 4 year old granddaughter insisted on having me read it to her three times in succession, when it arrived.

I bought this book for my 13 year old granddaughter who's passion is horses. She also lives in the southern part of Louisiana and experienced some affects of Katrina.
She would not put the book down until she finished it!!
Great learning tool also!!!

This book a terrific TRUE story that facinated my 9 year old grandaughter who loves horses. I bought it to read to my 5-6 year-olds in my preschool classroom and they all loved the story as well. Pictures are large, real photos that all the children wanted to look at over and over. Thank you for such a great story that led to a lot of good discussion about older people in resthomes, helping others, our responsibility to care for animals, determination and strength to make the best of a tough situation and outcomes that can almost make things better than they were before....not to mention the disasterous flood that preceeded this story.

This volume could be the all-time official history of that legendary Red Light District of New Orleans. It is exhaustively researched and illustrated including interviews with some of the surviving colorful characters that inhabited the "Camelot of Sin" that was Storyville. The den of sin takes its name from Alderman Sidney Story who originated the ordinance that provided for a restricted Red Light District. Ironically, he hated having his good name attached to a Red Light District. Today it's the only way his name is remembered. Prior to his legal restrictions the brothels and parlors were spreading throughout New Orleans like a cancer.
Rose illustrated his book with photos, maps, directories, flyers, police reports, legal decisions, cartoons, business cards and almost any other surviving evidence of the now torn down section of the city. The author's research was exhaustive and probably as complete as can be contained in a single book. He combined aerial photos and maps of the area with close-up photos of the exterior and interiors of the many vice businesses. He shows pictures of the interior lushness of some more famous brothels, as well as the filth of some of the cribs. He uses most of the surviving photographic nude and semi-nude portraits that Ernest Bellocq made of some of the prostitutes of the district to make the architectural and interior photos of the bars, dance halls, gambling dens and brothels come to life. Rose also included quite a lot of humor in the form of stories from the time or through his selection of colorful characters to describe in detail. And they were colorful and probably wouldn't have been more colorful or interesting even if their biographies were fictionalized.
By the time the reader finishes this book he will feel like he has actually visited Storyville and walked its streets and listened to and witnessed the birth of New Orleans jazz. In fact, Rose does an excellent job of documenting that birth of Jazz and even tracing its spread to the rest of America. The reader will also have been taken step-by-step through the historical reasons that Storyville was a necessary and probably unavoidable development at that time in American history.
Storyville no longer exists. It was closed down by the U.S. Military in an attempt to keep sailors, soldiers and marines from contracting venereal diseases. After the buildings were empty they were condemned and torn down to be replaced by more desirable buildings in the classic version of urban renewal. It took the full force of the U.S. Military to destroy Storyville because New Orleans was and had always been too corrupt to accomplish the job. Almost from it's founding, the city was flooded with prostitutes and criminals (convicts) shipped from Europe to settle the colony. The riverboat traffic provided an endless supply of sex-starved customers for the fleshpots at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Like Camelot, Storyville has become a popular legend in the eyes of the population. The legend may indeed become more mythical with the passage of time. Today the very name Storyville can catch the attention of the public and because of that it is frequently used in the titles of fiction and movies.
The reader won't feel that he hasn't received a very generous return on his cost for buying this fascinating non-fiction book. The fact is as interesting as the legend.

What can I say, Al Rose was the best. I wish he was still with us.

This book reads more like a textbook than a novel, but the historical information and photos are anything but boring. There are some wild stories about what these "buiseness women" did to one another that left my mouth gaping. I had no idea prior to reading this book how districts like these thrived. This is a thourough historical account that is worth reading.

I thought the transcripts from the interviews that Mr. Rose held with the (amazingly) still living, former residents and tradespeople were outstanding. Through their words you really got an idea of what life was like and the way they thought about things. He also remained true to his subjects by capturing the dialect in the interviews.
Also, he does a great job with mapping the district using the few remaining photographs and maps of the time in conjunction with the written descriptions of each of the brothels, bars, and cribs. Some of the pictures by Ernest Bellocq that were printed in this book I hadn't seen before.
Overall it's a very good read, and a must for New Orleans history lovers.

Covers the truly bizarre (and lewd) phenomenon of Storyville -- an 1897-1917 experiment with segregating all prostitution in the city into a 4 block x 4 block area. This was obviously a real labor of love. Al Rose appears to have looked under every sheet and peered into every closet. He has amassed a very large collection of interviews, correspondence, printed material, and photos. The final product is interesting, well organized, well illustrated, and well written. It is amazing what he fits into 200 large pages.

I'd highly recommend this adult glimpse into a seedier and less discussed element of New Orleans' unique and offbeat culture.

I, like another reviewer, read this about 8 years ago when in a college Civil War course. I never sold mine back because I knew I would want to read it again. I also immediately bought copies for my mom and a friend that is a descendant of Caribbean slaves. I can't believe this book isn't more widely known; in fact, it saddens me because Solomon Northup's story is so riveting and deserves recognition.

I was glued to the story from about the third chapter to the end. It was almost like a thriller or mystery because you want to know what happens! Much of it was heartbreaking, though. I had tears streaming down my face when he describes Patsey's predicament. The unending hope and love from his family really touched me, too.

I think this account is even better than Uncle Tom's Cabin for 2 reasons. First, the plot is not as disjointed. Second, and most importantly, everything in the account is true. What's even more amazing is that the author, despite being stolen from his family and forced into servitude, remains somewhat objective about his ordeal. He is a natural storyteller. You can tell Northup was extremely intelligant and observant. His prose is beautiful and easy to read despite being written in the 1850's.

Anyone with even a remote interest in American slavery or Antebellum/Civil War history should read this book.

I had to read this book for school and was very suprised because the story takes place in and around my hometown. I had always saw the "Northup Trail" signs but never knew what they were about until I read this book. I grew up in Avoyelles Parish so this story really hit home. It is an awesome but tragic story everyone should read.

While browsing thru the Boston Public Library in 1970 I accidentally came across this book. I have read it at least ten times over the years, have kept in touch with the editor, Sue Eakin, an expert on the South and cultural matters of this kind. This book is an inspiration to everyone. You will be amazed at the tenacity and sheer courage of Northup as he makes his way thru 12 long years on the plantation, and remember that he did not KNOW it would be 12 years. Every Jan 3 or 4th I wake up and think to myself, this is the day Solomon was set free! This book is clearly a treasure that is relatively unknown. You will not read this book only once-----

This book presents its readers with a first-hand account of not only the cruelties of United States slavery itself, but more importantly it touches upon the ways in which other areas of social life were negatively influenced by the institution. Solomon Northup was a black man who was born a free black man in New York in 1808. In 1841, Northup was kidnapped in Boston and take to the south to be sold as a slave. He spent the next 12 years as a slave, and this book was written after he was rescued in 1853.

Many people have associated this book with "Uncle Tom's Cabin" ever since the former was published. While the story line is not exactly the same, there are a lot of similarities. Most notably, both books have evil Northerners and benevolent Southerners, a feature that I think is too often overlooked. This adds credibility to Northup's account, insofar as he does not simply condemn all Southerners. Other themes, such as the break-up of slave families, the harsh treatment of slaves (especially female slaves who had the misfortune of handsomeness), and camaraderie between slaves also reflect those written about in "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

In the past the credibility of Northup's work had been in question, especially since a newspaper worker helped him write his account. However, in light of the vast number of particular details the Northup provides and the extent to which those details match up with other records, historians generally view this work as an authentic and truthful account of a free man sold into slavery. This is an incredible read, and the fact that it is a real account makes it even more fascinating. This book should be required reading for high school or college American history classes that cover the Civil War era.

A compelling and wrenchingly honest first-hand account of slavery, many
times breaking my heart and making me think of the children of Africa
today. A new book, "The Last Witness From a Dirt Road" which takes
place in 1946, was given to me after commenting about Solomon Northup's
narrative, and it could almost be a sequel to Twelve Years a Slave,
written a 100 years later by the son of an overseer on a plantation
along the banks of Bayou Bouef in the same location in Louisiana. Old
social and economic orders seemed little changed from 1841 to 1946,
tragic, heart rendering but both books are riveting and honest, are
timely and universal.

Terry Thompson-Anderson's newest edition of Cajun-Creole Cooking was a
pleasant surprise. It is the fourth time I have purchased her book (because friends didn't return them) and this update is even better. Terry was a consultant when we opened the original Cajun-Creole restaurant
Cafe Nola in Philadelphia. Her recipes won us a following that kept us in
business for 16 years. I used her latest book for the Mardi Gras celebration at our even longer-running Copabanana which has been doing Tex-Mex for 30 years. I look forward to her newest "Texas on a Plate" for refining my Texas recipes at Copa. My kitchen staff was wowed by the depth of flavors her recipes produce.

This is a wonderful book, filled with tasty, authentic recipes and history. The New Orleans French Loaves are the easiest, tastiest bread I've ever made. This book is a treasure.

No other Cajun recipe book compares to this one. I wanted Grandma's recipes, and now I have 'em! The Jambalaya and Fricassee recipe's are famous at my house.

My girlfriend gave me this book when we started dating. It was the first cookbook I ever owned, I had no idea what a gem it was. Since then my mother gave me all her Cajun-Creole books (about 25 in all), books signed by Emeril and Paul Prudhomme, none compare, this is without a doubt my favorite.

Everyone lays claim to 'authentic' Cajun-Creole recipes, recipes need to have this ingredient or that or else they're not Cajun-Creole. If there were such a standard (there isn't), then this book would have to serve as the measure.

My wife often suggests that giving me this book helped convince me to marry her ;-)

I not only recommend this book, I have bought it-- TWICE!

I owned an earlier version of this book and used the recipes in it as the basis for my parties while in the Navy. I have a few of my mother's recipes but this book is the basis for all of my friends thinking that I am an outstanding cook. Instead, I was a thirty-something bachelor who can read and follow directions. This book is that good.

The recipes are absolutely delicious and after Hurricane Katrina hit I ordered a new copy of this- PRONTO!

My only complaint about the book is that occasionally the recipes assume you know the basics. Maybe most people know that you have to soak dried beans before cooking them but I didn't and so my first attempt at Red Beans and Rice was a disaster. But most of you aren't going to be such amateurs in the kitchen as I was when I did that. I look forward to reading the latest version just to see if those oversights were eliminated.

Aside from that, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I read the reviewer who said he had a separate copy in a safe deposit box. Good Idea!

Stephanie Stanley was a reporter for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans in 2002. She proves to be a talented true crime author with this book.

There is a common theme with some serial killers-an abusive petty criminal breaks the law with impunity and recieves little or no punishment. As a child nothing is his fault. Derrick Todd Lee shares that theme with Kenneth McDuff.

The investigations into the multiple murders that Lee committed were hampered by two factors. First,the usual routine of looking at those closest to the victims as suspects. Husbands and boyfriends. Next was the F.B.I.'s profile that suggested a white male was the serial killer. The author spotlights the pain and disappointment of victims' families as well as some members in law enforcement that believe Lee could have been investigated 5 years earlier, sparing lives of latter victims.

Another problem in the investigations was the fact that he killed in multiple jurisdictions, crossed racial lines in selecting victims,and used different means of killing. A versatile murderer. It took time for authorities to link up the crimes.

As with many cases, DNA evidence was crucial in eventually connecting Derrick Lee to 6 victims. The author explains some of the process without getting too technical.

"An Invisible Man.." is one of the better,recent true crime books that I have read. I recommend it.

Product was used but in good condition. Description was helpful and accuraate. Mailed at a reasonable timeframe and rate.

I'll keep this short - READ this book. Well written, scarey as heck and true ! A must-read for true crime buffs.

This is a must read if you like to be scared and love true crime. I read a lot of true crime but must say this book really got me scared. Reading it late at night, I double, triple checked all the locks before I went to bed! This story of a serial murderer who gets into women's houses in nice neighborhoods to brutally murder them, is frightening and terrifying.

I read loads of true crime, and this one is very well written and is a good story. I wasn't familiar with this case and I like to learn the details of a case as I go along, and that is the way this is written. Some true crimes give the ending away in a preface, or a first chapter which I do not like. This is very a very intersting case of a serial killer, and I can only imagine the horror this man inflicted, seemingly for his own satisfaction. Well, I guess that is the definition of a serial killer/psychopath/sociopath. Call him what you will, he is an awful man and belongs where he is! Held my interest from first page to last page. Hopefully Stephanie A. Stanley has written other books ..... I keep up-to-date on new true crime books through the search button at Amazon, and always read the reader reviews, if there are any. This book had good reviews, and they were right on. Thanks to all the readers who review at Amazon!

If you are interested in developing new skills in how to do the relationship dance, this is the book for you. Fearless Loving is a must read. It doesn't matter whether you're currently in relationship, whether you would like to be in a relationship, married, single, recently split up, or divorced. Rhonda has a talent for bringing together concepts and distilling them into bit size, chewable skills for taking action, which most any one of us can implement, given our commitment.

This book is a valuable tool for me, personally and for my sixteen year marriage/partnership. I'm finding new ways to really listen, communicate, to set boundaries, to clarify perceptions, to honor my feelings and to play.

Fearless Loving also offers an insightful and helpful protocol for people who are interested in a new way to date. I highly recommend this book to my friends and anyone interested in Love.

Rhonda Britten just gets it. This book is so wonderful. She can guide you along your path to loving in a way you never thought you could, but always wanted to. The most poignant truth for me is that everyone is innocent. That's so hard to think and act on, but she's so right about it. I would have everyone believe me innocent until proven guily, so it only seems fair for me to believe that about everyone else. This book will help you with understanding any type of love and how to do it best! She never coaches you to be someone you're not, and even highly discourages behaving as if you were playing a game. She teaches you how to test your prospective partner, or current partner so you can hear what they're not saying (which is more insightful than what they are saying). Rhonda will fill you full of courage and you will feel that you can love confidently without ever sacrificing who you are, or ever compromising what you need from a loving relationship.

Fearless Loving is well-written and packed full of useful tools that if followed will send you on your way to building new love relationships, enhancing the one's you already have and uncovering and discovering the ways in which we block or deny ourselves love. The author jumps into the trenches with you as she reveals her own personal experiences. This approach made it feel real and tangible. The best self-help book I've read in a long time!!

If you've ever been through divorce -- if you've ever had a failed relationship and aren't quite sure why things couldn't have worked out better -- if you're tired of playing relationship roulette -- READ THIS BOOK!! It's the guidebook for finding and keeping love that you've been looking for. And don't forget to read Fearless Living, too! It's your ticket to freedom and to the real YOU!

ok, i only first heard of Rhonda by watching the TV reality show "starting over" + then got hooked onto watching the amazing clarity with which she brought women from all walks of life to.
so my roomate bought this book to assist her from dating another jerk, and boy, is this book stellar! its not thick, not complicated, but really packs an emotional + mental punch. i have even more respect for this woman, who has been through so much + has found a way to positively help others. i've been telling all open-minded pals of mine who really do want to change any "failures" they have to read this. its really good stuff!

Claudia Emerson, Late Wife (Louisiana State University Press, 2005)

I've had very little patience with review-writing for the past six weeks or so, and thus I let this review go unconscionably long (I finished the book on April 30th and am writing this on June 10th). Thus, I've forgotten most of the phrases I was turning over in my mind. I do know, however, they all involved heaping a great deal of praise on Late Wife, Claudia Emerson's most recent book and the winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. I often find myself wondering what the judges were thinking giving the prize to book X instead of book Y; not in this case. The details may be a little fuzzy in my head this far after the fact, but the book itself is pure gold, that much I remember. Emerson has a wonderful eye for detail and that all-too-rare quality in a poet of not letting the story get in the way of the description:

"I'd run that course/so many times I imagined myself/a goat encircling an invisible stake//of the baseball diamond's off-season/desolation, scoreboard blank before/the lightening sky." ("The Practice Cage")

That, right there, is some language, folks. This is a book you want to read. Likely to be on my ten best reads of the year list. **** ½

I read about this collection by Claudia Emerson on a list of recent Pulitzer winners, and its marital themes appealed to me, so I gave it a try. These poems seem deceptively simple upon first reading, but as I've reread and lingered over them, they have grown deep roots. There is indeed a lot going on under the surface here.

The first two sections of this slim volume offer restrained yet poignant snapshots of a marriage viewed in retrospect--domestic moments that serve as subtle metaphors for a failing relationship. For instance, Emerson describes various homes that she and her husband occupied--houses that appear sound on the surface, but that include occupants like spiders, bees, bats, and termites, suggesting a marriage that is internally unsound. "Natural History Exhibits," for example, describes the newlywed poet opening up her silverware drawer to find a coiled snake. Rather than killing it, she hesitates and eases the drawer shut, letting the snake exit the way it came, but washing "every fork, spoon, and knife" afterwards. Her misgivings and her attempt to overlook the event mirror her handling of her early marital regrets. Another recurring image involves trapped birds--an orphaned cedar waxwing, a hawk caught in a batter's cage, and, in "A Bird in the House," the poet herself as a bird... the displaced "late wife" that her ex-husband's new wife chases out.

In the collection's final section, Emerson opens a window on her current relationship--one haunted by the ghost of her beloved's deceased "late wife," yet ultimately hopeful. In "Leave No Trace," a conscientious hiking trip becomes a meaningful metaphor for the subtle footprints we can't help but leave in each others' lives, yet Emerson's eyes are fixed confidently on her companion "on the trail just ahead."

This lovely, empathic collection is well worth a careful reading.

This author knows how to capture the nuances of life that most of us can relate to. I found that I could not put this book down. I will be re-reading this approachable "story" many times.

Claudia Emerson's precise use of words to convey images and to stimulate reflection is an artform. The simplicity of the poems and their ease in reading them mask the depth that is in each. This is key to a poet's success. The ability to appeal to all audiences by conveying a clear picture, yet not giving away too much, allows for the preservation of the reader's ability to use their own imagination. Imagination is the precursor for reflection. When room is made for reflection, each poem takes on a life of their own and the experience becomes unique for each reader and a connection is made. Connection is what poetry is all about. Not only did I make strong connections with these poems, but I truly enjoyed them just for the pure pleasure of reading them. The descriptions and images were so beautifully conjured through the artistic use of words that like admiring a great painting, they encourage you to be artistic as well.

I was a student of Claudia Emerson's at Mary Washignton College, and find her ability to honest and genuine in the classroom translates in her work. I remember her discussing "Late Wife" just as her previous collection "Pinion" was released. It is exciting to see the conversations she had among her students, now present in the art. My favorite poem is her metaphoric look at the batting cage and the hawk escpaing. Perhaps, because I have run around the fields myself, or maybe, because I relate to the universality of feeling like exhibition, and desiring to be the hawk with its talons and break free. She is a wonderful poet, and I look forward to reading every word she writes.

I picked up Larry's Book, "Show me the way to go home", quite by chanceat a local book store. I was interested in Alzheimer's disease because my mother died from it a few years ago. I could not put the book down until I had read the last page. I read it again the next day and then again and again. Then I sat down and cried for a week. I found that I had fallen in Love with this handsome, dashing, man. If you have a friend or relative that is afflicted with this disease, you must read Larry's Book. He has achieved the impossible. He has given us an insight into the mind of person afflicted with this terrible disease. After reading his book and looking at his picture on the back cover, I feel that I know him well enough to call him Larry. Thank You, Larry, for your book and God Bless!Kathleen

This is a fascinating story actually written by an Alzheimer's patient in the early stages of the disease. Larry was diagnosed at age 54. This came after his getting lost on a trip, driving more than a hundred miles out of the way of the route to his destination before realizing it. Larry tries to see the good in this, writing that he has "more compassion for people, birds, deer, and the like" and he says "If when you read this book you feel a certain sadness...let yourself be sad, but not for me...I have had a good and prosperous life...Most of all, I have had the love of some beautiful people...and I have loved them, too."

My mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease at fifty years. I found Larry Rose's account of what was happening to be a wonderful way to relate to her in a way that she was unable to describe to me. This book will be a "hard to put down" account of daily life for those facing similar experiences along the way through this dibilitating illness that robs so much. Larry finds a positive light to shine on purpose in life and to keep on living. He is truly a courageous story that should not be missed. A big five star read with a human approach.

I bought this book shortly after my husband had been diagnosed with Alzheimers. At that time he was 54 - the same age as Larry Rose. I found the book to be helpful & giving us both a positive outlook after being told of this dreadful diagnosis. Larry Rose allowed us to see into his life, showing us so many things that we could recognise from dealing with our own day to day problems, and always writing with a sense of humour & dignity. This book has now been passed on to my family, enabling them to better understand my husbands emotions & feelings. It will be highly recommended to the people in my support group.

Rose poignantly describes his painful experiences of living midlife with Alzheimer's disease. He recalls the early warning signs and symptoms; the process of medical diagnosis and treatment; telling friends and family; coping with the confusion, fear and anger; and family involvement in decisions of property, caregiving and support. Personal quality of life issues are addressed as the author's awareness of the beauty in the ordinariness of life is increased through this experience. A highly individual, personal experience with universal appeal. Recommended for general public library collections.