Louisiana Books

These are short stories about Cajuns who live in the Bayou Country of Louisiana. Some of these stories could be called fireside tales. During long winter evenings many tales were told and retold by the light of a blazing fire from a moss chinked fireplace.

The fireplaces are gone now and so are most of the old ones who knew these multi-faceted bits of Cajun humor and pathos. Many of the tales are based on fact. Some are fantasy. Altogether they represent the Louisiana Cajuns as they were in their pioneer past and as they are today.

These stories provide a look inside of the Cajun community; a glimpse into the heart of one of the largest and least understood ethnic groups in America.
--- from book's introduction

I found this book very interesting. I am of Cajun decent. My father is originally from Vacherie and my mother's family is originally from Edgard. This is the history I wish I would have been taught in highschool when learning about Louisiana history. I had no idea about the deportation in Nova Scotia. The only thing I knew about was that my family was from france. My mom happens to have a book on the history of the Gravois family and after I read this book I went back and looked thru it. It mentions the same places and people. It was just cool to know why I am the way I am and the kind of people I came from. Makes me proud to claim my Cajun heritage.

Funny stories along with the serious war accounts. Fascinating reading

The epigraph of this book is from Faulkner's The Wild Palms: "Between grief and nothing, I'll take grief." This pretty much sums up Wood's sensibility throughout these poems. This book, quite frankly, is one of the most beautiful books I own. Maudlin, but not overly so, this book's poems deal with grief and loss and longing. Particularly moving is the title poem, which deals with the death of the son of a friend. In the poem, Wood wonders, "Which is the greater sorrow / to feel you cannot live without him / or to find, after all, that you can?"

This is a devastating book.

The essays in The Slopes of Lebanon, as the title suggest, are mainly Oz's reflections on the unpopular war which Israel fought in Lebanon in the early eighties. Oz has many insightful, deeply penetrating things to say about this conflict, and on many levels. Oz's political writing, unlike his prose (which is more mystical and elusive), is always sharply defined and delimited. He can state simply but with a measure of complexity an issue and then rip it to shreds. This collection reveals how deeply ethical a writer Oz is; for him, the Zionist dream is far more than the settling of a people in a land, but a moral imperative. What kind of people do Israelis want to be? He asks this question again and again, and provides insightful, deeply humane answers.

This book is written through the eyes of a middle-class, ten year old girl during the Civil war. This book is wonderful and has many extroidinary ocurrances. This young girl is truly amazing and this story has given m a better view of what life was like for someone just like me during the Civil War. I would definantly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

The history of the Ursuline nuns tells a very interesting story of how many of the Ursuline schools came about in the mid 1800's. Many points of history came up from this book evolves around the history of New Orleans. This is an excellent book of history of the great Ursuline nuns of New Orleans. If you enjoy history you shall enjoy this enchanted story of the brave Ursulines.

THIS TERRIFIC BOOK RECAPTURES BLACK WOMEN'S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF THE UNIQUE LIVES THEY LED. WE KNOW SO LITTLE ABOUT FREE BLACK WOMEN IN THE SOUTH AND THESE LETTERS AND DIARIES BRING TO LIFE A NEGLECTED CHAPTER OF OUR HISTORY AND THEIR EXPERIENCE.....PLUS THE DIARY OF THIS YOUNG BLACK WOMAN DURING THE CIVIL WAR IS A COMPELLING HISTORICAL VOICE. THE EDITOR HAS DONE A TERRIFIC JOB SETTING THESE VOICES IN CONTEXT SO WE CAN ONCE AGAIN HEAR THEIR STORIES AND READ THE WORDS OF LOST BLACK WOMEN FROM THE PAST.

Chaplain Davis held firm to his faith and his bible, and, in his diary, he meticulously recorded the most detailed insights and observations of General John Bell Hood and the brigade. This book actually surprised me, I was expecting a plain and boring ministerial observation of God, Hell, and those demon Yankees. In fact, Davis recorded some of the most interesting facts that I have ever read relating to Hood, the brigade, and the Civil War. He was careful to write, almost instantly, the exact words that Hood spoke and shouted to the brigade. Regarding marches, brigade assignments, battle casualties and results, and of course the soldiers' deaths, Davis kept detailed records. His diary, it is fair to say, is similar to the astute unit historian's account. I highly recommend it.

Matthew D. Parker

Peirce's life as told by Brent is extremely interesting. I think that the book may be read also by people not interested in Peirce as a semiotician, because it's more captivating than a novel. The story itself is rather sad, and the last part of the book may be depressing. The reader feels helpless, and gets a very interesting picture of the academic world, in the U.S. but also in many other countries, alas.