Louisiana Books

We as Freemen describes details and history of Plessy vs. Ferguson that my history books had overlooked,,,and I was an American history student in college. We as Freemen is an effective lesson in race relations, legal history, Supreme Court history, Reconstruction history. The reader knows the outcome of Plessy vs. Ferguson case, but the book reads with a compelling story up to the fateful decision. The characters don't know what will happen, and Mr. Medley describes the Supreme Court changes that they must consider,,,you almost forget the historical outcome and keep reading to find out what happened. A scholarly read that I recommend to anyone who enjoys history or period books. With the pending changes at Supreme Court right now,,,this is surprisingly relevant right now.

"We As Freemen" is a book that reminds us that the names impressed on our court cases were people with professions, families and all of the messy problems of ordinary life. The author draws on original documentation to illustrate the pains of the free and newly free Black populace as they watched their liberties curtailed or removed entirely. It was interesting to read the precise legal choices of the Comite des Citoyens as they moved to ensure that the charges against Plessy be properly drawn (This was reminiscent of Taylor Branch's "Parting the Waters"). The text is clear and dramatic. It could easily serve both as a warning of how freedom is lost and as encouragement for anyone seeking a roadmap for change.

We as Freemen captures the imagination of the reader from its wonderfully illustrated cover to the very end; and it just won't let go. Keith Medley reveals a great deal about the people, organizations,strategies and tactics behind Plessy vs.
Ferguson.

Well-written. Well-documented. Well done!

I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in about 6 hours. Medley provided tremendous insight that helped to explain the context in which the case unfolded. Oddly, the descendents of some of the players are still alive and well in Louisiana. Fortunately, so is the fight for equality and justice!

This book was the perfect read on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.

Long before Rosa Parks refused the disrespectful order
to go to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama,
came Homer Plessy, the young shoemaker who knew he'd be
arrested for refusing to leave the "whites only" car on
the New Orleans railroad. He refused to go to the
segregated car in order to make the point that the law
was cruel and unjust. A federal case was made of it,
and in the end, the US Supreme Court made segregation
the law of the land for the next 53 years. The high
court ruled that "separate but equal" was fair and
equitable but history has proven there was nothing fair
nor equal about that decision. History also proves
there was no justice in that high court opinion and no
wisdom or sense of human rights residing with the
Justices who issued it.

In "We as Freemen," Keith Medley uncovers the rich and
intriguing history of the personalities who fought for
equality 30 years after the Civil war ended, but
generations before U.S. rulers ended legal
discrimination based on skin color. In carefully
crafted prose, the author is apparently the first
researcher to explore the character, mores and lives of
the long forgotten men of the Comité des Citoyen
(Committee of Citizens) who planned and carried out the
peaceful challenge to Louisiana's Separate Car Act of
1890. Homer Plessy did not suddenly challenge
segregation. In a story well-told, Medley turned up
primary research found in dusty nooks and crannies, and
church, library and cemetery logs around New Orleans,
which is his hometown. He describes the efforts of
businessmen, lawyers, educators, and artisans to stop
segregation from taking hold in the South. They
conducted their campaign while the forces of reaction
were regaining political control after the Civil War.
The Comité aimed "to obtain a United States Supreme
Court ruling preventing states from abolishing the
suffrage and equal access gains of the Reconstruction
period that followed the Civil War."

Medley manages to summon Homer Plessy from the
obscurity Jeremy Irons identifies in his "A People's
History of the Supreme Court" (Penguin: 1999) with new
research that portrays Plessy as a quiet, hardworking
man anxious not to be treated disrespectfully because
of his heritage and skin color.

Like the U.S. Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott decision,
which barred slaves and their descendants from
citizenship, the high court's decision in Plessy vs.
Ferguson was demeaning and hurtful to millions of
people. The high court decision in Plessy divided the
population, causing widespread suffering. For this
reason, it is useful to recall the dark side of Supreme
Court history and to appreciate that the Justices are,
for better or worse, political appointees who often
press their own viewpoints, which tend also to
represent the narrow views of the class of politicians
who appoint them. Or as Irons put the Plessy decision
in context, amid growing strife "the Court remained a
bastion of conservatism, earning this banquet toast
from a New York banker in 1895: 'I give you, gentlemen,
the Supreme Court of the United States- -guardian of
the dollar, defender of private property, enemy of
spoliation, sheet anchor of the Republic.' "

In 1857 and again in 1896, the Supreme Court inflicted
upon the public the views of Southern plantation owners
and thuggish ideologues, a tiny but disproportionately
powerful part of the population.

In short order, the Comité "formulated legal strategy
while raising money from the neighborhoods of New
Orleans, small towns throughout the South, and in
cities as far away as Washington D.C. and San
Francisco" and published their views in the African-
American daily, The Crusader. Medley documents the
heroic role of The Crusader in the battle for human
rights in the humid South. The Comité held popular

rallies, and did all anyone can do within democratic
structures to organize resistance to the dark era of
ignorance spreading through the legislatures, town
halls and courtrooms controlled by rich white American
men across the South. (Women would wait another
generation to win the right to vote.) And, it would be
more than five long decades before the wrongs of the
high court's Plessy decision would be reversed, in part
due to arguments put forward by then lawyer Thurgood

Marshall to the high court sitting in 1954. Marshall
argued the case in conjunction with the re-awakening
across the land of the persistent struggle for Civil
Rights.

I highly recommend Keith Medley's "We as Freemen" and I
particularly like that he was able to locate
photographs portraying those who fought bravely but
lost a key round in the struggle for human rights.

I just finished reading The Year of the Sawdust Man and enjoyed it very much. The characters are vividly drawn and the feelings of Nissa after the departure of her mother are truthful and carefully examined.

I do have a couple of problems with the book, however. I doubt very much that LaFaye has spent any significant time in Louisiana. For example, almost all of the characters had moved in from elsewhere in the country or the world. Louisiana has the highest retention rate of its citizens in the US, and very little influx (especially from the areas the author makes her characters from), so it is doubly unlikely that the small town of Harper would get all of these "foreign" people. Things like that makes the novel ring more false than it should, at least for readers from Louisiana.

This would make a good book to use on an optional reading list for middle school students, however I would not recommend it to be required reading for one of their classes. The pace might be too slow to maintain students' interest (very little actually happens) and the portrayal of minorities is cursory at best.

Despite these detractions from the book (primarily from a pedagogical perspective) I enjoyed this book very much and thought it dealt with the issue of family separations very well.

The best book I have ever read this deserves a medal. But beware it makes you cry.

In year of the sawdust man Nissa Bergen (a smalltown girl from Harper Lousianna around depression times)'s fierce and dependent mother runs away from the gossipy mouths and ears of Harper. While her mother is gone she deals with her papa couritng and remarring a woman (Lara Ross-soon to be-Bergen) whom she doesn't care for.
It was intese at times on your emotions, but I loved the book. The writing had a strong flow to it and a great language.
5 stars LaFaye!
-Egg

The world of Nissa Bergen is like none other in fiction. Her mother, Heirah Rae, causes the people of their small town in Harper, Louisiana, to talk constantly. She's a free spirit, doing as she pleases and finding beauty in the most surprising places. Her daughter, Nissa, has some of that spirit, but she also has a good share of her father's calm way of looking at the world. When something goes dreadfully awry in their family, Heirah Rae leaves, and Nissa and her father are left trying to understand. A book that will be enjoyed by teens and adults alike, A. LaFaye writes with a one-of-a-kind voice that creates Nissa Bergen as a strong young girl for the ages.

This book is a heartwarming tale of a little girl who is trying to rise above the troubles of her life, and face them with grace and pride. I would recomend it to anyone who has ever faced adveristy or ever doubted the love that their parents felt for them- you are sure to relate to Nissa and all that she has been through. LaFaye has a writing style that is positivly unique- she has the ability to make you laugh and cry in the same sentence, and to cause you to relate to the characters no matter how different they may seem from you. This book is an emotional roller-coaster that is sure to be pleasing to everyone. It is a story that mirrors everyday life in its theme, actions, and characters. Once you read the first page- it is impossible to put it down until the last. I have never, in all the years that I have been reading, been so swept away by a book and it's verisimilitude. This is by far the best book that I have ever read.

Oh my...tried all of the recipes and there is not one that is not delicious. Like the way you can substitute other fish for oysters. Very interesting to read about the restaurants that feature the recipe. You don't need a lot of ingredients to make a true New Orleans dish. Try it...you' like it!

I love this cookbook so much that I am buying a replacement as I have worn out the first one over the 10 years I have it. A personal fav is the Jambalya, easy to make and delicious. The recipes give alternatives (chicken instead of shrimp etc) and the range of recipes is huge. If creole is of interest to you, this book will get you started in a great way.

I've used this book for about six years now, and have never been disappointed. Mr. Guste's Chicken Creole is soulful and authentic, and his Gumbo is gospel truth. He does not trifle with passing fancies such as lite, fusion or lo-fat anything. His ingredients are unapologetically authentic: many cooks outside the South may need to do some creative substitution. A minor complaint is that this cookbook, like most nowadays, seems not to have been edited at all, and a few ingredients and steps are missing, so a smart user will read carefully and in some cases extrapolate. But the recipes are simple and honest, well within the skills of the average cook, and the results will make you appreciate the only high cuisine native to America.

The best of Louisiana cookery comes from a restauranteur and French-trained chief who uses his background to select the definitive and best dishes of New Orleans. Creole cooking has a reputation for complexity: not so in The 100 Greatest New Orleans Creole Recipes, which adapts dishes for home use and simplifies many of the steps involved in producing the classics. No color photos here - but the simplified dishes don't need them.

I saw this book in a bookstore over the weekend and am ordering it now from Amazon. I was impressed by the detailed information the author gives for each hike. I am a native of Louisiana but still unacquainted with some of its many parts. I know 50 Hikes in Louisiana will inspire me to get to know the state better from a peripatetic perspective.

This is an outstanding book, which breaks down each trail with directions to trailheads, maps, photographs, descriptions of trails and the surrounding landscapes, wildlife and types of plants you are likely to see, and extra information on the history and geography of each area. If you are interested in getting to know the nature of Louisiana, 50 Hikes will get you there.

This author is equally a hiker, a writer, and a Louisiana lover, and a shining example of all three. With excellent pictures, maps, and information on what to expect as far as animals, plants, and anything else one might encounter, this book is by far the best book on Louisiana hiking I've ever read. The stories about the area are just good Louisiana lagniappe. I can't wait to hike the Port Hudson trail!

"50 Hikes in Louisiana: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks in the Bayou State" is a wonderful help book in getting one started in the pleasant hobby of hiking. What I know comes from reading reviews written by people who live in California and New York and who hike regularly. They make hiking sound so worthwhile that I decided to hike, too!

My area, North Louisiana has five hiking trails listed in the book. Coincidentally, I took the first one a year ago when I took my Pretend Children to visit Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park with its Intrepretive Building and a conservationist on hand to explain and demonstrate and show.

The trail is divided into parts, designating length and time to hike. The longest is 2.2 miles and subdivided into shorter segments. We took the half mile hike because we had a three-year-old with us, who did most of the hiking on her own feet then part clutched to my side and on my two feet. What was missing and what I now know because of this book and the accoutrements to take.

1. Wear comfortable shoes like tennis, walking, or running shoes.
2. Take a water resistant rain jacket in your pack.
3. Wear two pairs of socks (described in detail and reasons why)
4. A pack which contains first-aid kit, flashlight, knife, compass, toilet paper, waterproof matches, a plastic bag for trash, and food and water.
5. Insect repellent. Wear long pants because of ticks, spiders, fire ants.
6. A walking stick to knock down spider webs when necessary
7. A poison ivy remedy
8. Sun block

Since none of the trails in North Louisiana are difficult, this set of supplies is quite complete. I plan to take the Pretend Children again this summer to Walter Jacobs and try the one-mile trail and go to Cypress Park for its Nature Trail.

The book is organized beautifully. The first chart lists the hikes, location, distance, time length, features, if the hike is good for kids and brief notes of what to look for. Next is a state map with locations numbered and marked. The introduction provides the information in my above list. Then comes the local map with ordnance points and black and white photos. Each of the 50 hikes is detailed thusly.

Happy hiking. And don't feed the bears or snakes or any other animal. They become too curious and demanding then.

Dedicated to Fritz and Bob

ok. Maybe I'm biased since I am a direct descendant of many of the African/FPOC families listed in the book. However, what Dr. Hall has done for Louisiana genealogy research is nothing short of miraculous.

I purchased this book several years ago in Natchitoches, LA while in college and have consulted it and Dr. Hall's online database faithfully since then. It has been instrumental in my being able to trace my direct and indirect family lines back into 17th century France and Western Africa.

I think this book is an absolute must for those who have a real interest in gaining insight into the Louisiana "peculiar institution" or who desire a good, solid, and well-researched social commentary and genealogical database.

This book corrects the many lies that racist white Louisianians and their Creole of color sympathizers have been telling about the origins of all things Louisiana for decades. It reclaims Louisiana for the Africans, who were brought there as chattle property to build the buildings, cultivate the land, blacksmith the iron and ultimately create the culture.

As a descendant of Colonial Louisiana Africans, this book was the first to tell me that I am a descendant of the Bamana of Mali. It is one of the only books I have come across to describe in detail, the battles of Louisiana maroon leader Saint Juan Malo. It is one of the first to tell it like it is concerning the true relationship of the French and Africans of this bastard french colony & address the underlying factors of why it became an Afro-creole colony more so than anything else. Basically this book tells the unadulterated truth backed by facts. It doesn't, like so many other books about Louisiana, get caught up in the romance of the Creoles of color and there obsession with their white fathers. Instead it tells the story of their Senegambian mothers. And shows how the culture of these Africans is the foundation of what is now considered Louisiana Creole culture.

This book is a breath of fresh air to some one like myself who loathes the hundreds of books written about Louisiana that describes it as " a mixture of French, Spanish, and Indian cultures". Always omitting the fact of African influence due to the legacy of white supremacy inherent in the telling of US history. In most other books on the subject, Africans are merely slaves. In this book we are shown for what we are, the foundation of the culture. It will most definitely be a textbook in any course I teach on the subject.

I had to read this book for a seminar class and was fascinated by it. It documents in much detail the history of colonial Louisiana putting West Africans squarely in the middle of that development. Midlo Hall uses sources from three countries, France, Spain and colonial Britain to document the African presence in Louisiana. She spends some time on the fact that most of the Africans brought to Louisiana were from the Senegambia region of West Africa. Consequently, the Africans brought with them their way of life and were able to exercise much of it in Louisiana. She notes the difference in French/Spanish colonization and the contribution of African language, food and cultural practices in Louisiana. It is well worth reading for it is a history book quite well written that would appeal to the general public. It is entertaining as well as informative.

Check out the front page article in the July 30 Sunday New York Times, headlined "Anonymous Louisiana Slaves Regain Identity," to fully appreciate the significance of the historical research embodied in this book.

Yes, the New Orleans Times-Picayune correctly labeled Bruce Henricksen's book: A spiritual comedy. The author's inventive mind, wit and understanding of human nature allowed me to suspend all belief and most gloriously travel from post Katrina New Orleans to Cold Beak, MN in this mythic tale. He wraps us around odd-ball characters and animals that make the reader laugh and cry. (I looked askance at my own dog quite often while reading.) The author's keen and worthwhile observations we absorb will stay with us and truly makes this a one-of-a-kind gift book.

The blurb on the rear cover describes this unusual novel as "magical realism -- southern style and northern style." Although I'm not too familiar with that genre (I'm mainly drawn to history, memoirs and realistic fiction), I ventured into After The Floods while I commuted to and from downtown Detroit everyday this past Winter/Spring. The weather was cold and dry, or cold and wet; the predominant color, grey; and the exterior of the bus always smeared with salt and dirt. The city was suffering economically and mired in a corruption scandal. Very real, and not very magical.

After The Floods was an escape in one sense, to places (New Orleans after the flood, and Cold Beak, Minnesota) where some animals mysteriously speak, where an obese Birdella May Borguson becomes a local hero as she strips at a local restaurant to lose weight, where time is sometimes suspended, and where a whole host of real and unusual people live, love and survive. I loved the characters, and believed in their world, as strange and irrational as it is often portrayed by Henricksen. In that sense, the book is a worthwhile escape. If that's what you look for in a novel, then go for it.

But in another sense, the book made me look around the bus, so to speak, and wonder about some of the strangers on the bus (who really aren't strangers, because I see most of them off and on all the time). And despite the struggles around, the book helped me to see the some of the magic. And I figure that maybe my time on the bus everyday is a real-life suspension of time.

After The Flood is interesting. And add to that, Henricksen's wonderful way with words and keen sense of observation, and you end up with a great read. Here's a small sampling of his prose: "Happiness never comes alone, it always drags a shadow."

"A voice told me that truth and meaning are wanderers, living here and there, sometimes in a church, sometimes in a book, a river, or a person. And as soon as you're sure you know where they are, they're gone and you have become a wanderer too."

"On warm evenings the ice rink at the recreational complex was a meeting place. Birdie, given her pregnancy and her inexperience with skates, stayed indoors sipping coffee, but many of the others I've told you about glided around the oval plane of ice under blue lights as music drifted from the speakers. Few things are more beautiful than snowflakes illuminated by lights beneath the vast darkness, snowflakes descending on children who duck and dodge among adults, forever losing and finding one another as they call 'Marco' and 'Polo.'"

I'm lucky enough to live in a place where I still get to skate at night "beneath the vast darkness" and experience a bit of Henricksen's magical realism right around me. The cicadas are hissing outside as I type, marking another seventeen year cycle of summers. I suspect that most readers will come away with similar connections to this story, and it will evoke long-set-aside memories. If this is magical realism, then I like it. It now has has a distinct place in my library.

"After the Floods" reminds me of the "Odd Thomas" series by Dean Koontz. I know I did not get everthing on one read and this will be on our bookshelf so I can enjoy it again.

I live in Bruce Henricksen's home city so I may be biased, but to me this is an absolutely terrific novel. It gives us a rich variety of characters, all in recovery mode. I cried in one chapter and laughed until I cried in the next. One of the sites where the drama of healing is staged is the fictional town of Cold Beak, situated on the New Hope River. Fans of Lake Wobegon and readers of Garrison Keillor's new novel, Pontoon Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon, are sure to take a special delight in Cold Beak. In this town, and eslewhere in the book, magial events underline the theme of upheaval in the natural order. This theme is also reflected in the novel's somewhat deconstructed plot, a plot that makes a couple of large geographical leaps and plays some entertaining games with time itself. Nonetheless, it is all easy to follow and a joy to read. Moreover, there are moments of rare lyrical beauty. This book is five stars all the way.

Excellent collection of Newman.
Everyone does environmental portraits these days.
Newman is the original and the best.
A beautiful and inspirational collection.

I just got back from the Newman exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. and although I thought I had seen most of his work, I was stunned by the boldness of some of the photo collage work and color work which I had previously only seen in B&W. The book has all of the show and many more. It was $40 there and they were selling like hotcakes. The book is beautiful and has $1 million worth of images in it. Hard to pick a favorite. Certainly Picasso and maybe Isaac Asimov too.

I'm an amateur photographer, so when I heard an interview with Arnold Newman on NPR's Morning Edition, I knew I had to get this book. Newman is considered the inventor of "environmental portraits," in which the photographer uses surroundings to capture essential elements of his or her subject.

The photos collected in this volume span Newman's entire career and range from Senator John F. Kennedy to President Bill Clinton. The collection is mostly black-and-white. Leafing through the book, I've gotten many ideas for my own photography, but I've also gained a new appreciation for many of the historical figures Newman captured in his work.

The book is large and heavy, very satisfying to hold and look through, and will make an excellent coffee table book. Whether you're into history or photography, you'll really enjoy this book.

Arnold Newman died recently at age 88 but his photographic work will live one. Newman was known for his environmental portraiture - capturing the famous faces of his time in the atmosphere in which they created their magic and lived their lives, sometimes private, but most times public.

In this superb collection of Newman's work there are the famous photographs of Igor Stravinsky at his piano, Marilyn Monroe ('she was terrified of aging'), Carl Sandburg, Mickey Mantle, Truman Capote, Pablo Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Sir Cecil Beaton, Diana Vreeland and many more. Each subject is part of a personality scape, accompanied with the trappings that made them famous.

Arnold Newman felt that a subject's environment illuminated the subject, and while many other photographers have followed his lead, Newman remained at the top of his genre. This book is an excellent tribute (though not published as such!) to an artist departed whose legacy will linger. Recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

I love Kate Chopin and the stories were great...the condition of the book was not bad either...

Like far too many, I was first introduced to Chopin in college. As an educator, I find Chopin's work to be timeless. Chopin speaks to contemporay society--and especially American society--in ways that few authors can and do. I use "The Awakening," as one of the cornerstones (yes; one may have more than one cornerstone) of my literature class--a class that relies on trade publications rather than anthologies and "typical" textbooks for reading material. One of the unexpected rewards I have experienced while teaching this novel is that male students, generally speaking, truly enjoy the work. Given its content and storyline, one might expect the opposite to be true. Nonetheless, the novel speaks to readers of all ages and genders. I believe that virtually ANYONE will identify with the characters Chopin brings to life in "The Awakening." Not only is it the story of a woman in search of her identity--arguably, a rather Maslowian tale of ! "self-actualization"--it is the story of the human condition.

Additionally, given the story of Chopin's life, the book takes on even greater significance (sorry, but you'll have to read the book to understand why I feel this to be so).

This book is a MUST read for all who seek to dispell the myth of "June Cleaver." (Ya, I know I am not suposed to say that but this is one VERY cool book--a book that EVERYONE should read.)

Besides, "The Awakening" itself is short enough and compelling enough that one will finish it in a matter of a few evenings. That the Penguin version also contains Chopin's EXCELLENT short stories, and a good deal of equally excellent biographical and critical writing regarding the author and her works makes grabbing a copy for one's personal library a must-do.

(Buy the book.) =)

The author, Kate Chopin, began to write when she was age thirty six. She had a ten year productive career the introduction by Nina Baym discloses. She died at age fifty three. Her work went out of print to be revived in the early 1960's. She wrote two novels and close to one hundred stories following the death of her husband and her mother.

Women, including Kate Chopin, writing after the Civil War turned to regionalism. By 1893 railroads had wrought a tremendous change. Regional writing, as the introduction points out, is tourism of the imagination. The stories are short and skilfully done. Even the use of dialect for the Cajun and Creole speakers is not off-putting. The stories have a wonderful stripped down to the essence quality. One is reminded of Chekhov.

In THE AWAKENING it is noted that the summer colony staying at the Lebrun cottages are almost entirely Creole. An exception is Edna Pontellier. She came from old Presbyterian Kentucky stock. Even as a child Edna tended to live in her own world. She feels a sense a of exaltation when she learns to swim. She has children, a husband, and becomes infatuated with a young friend, Robert Lebrun. Later Robert leaves to go to Mexico. Returning to New Orleans, Edna spends time with the people she has met at Grand Isles. Her husband is caught up in his household furnishings. When she decides to leave to live by herself in a smaller house, he prudently closes their large marital house to avoid gossip. Her absolute disregard for her duties as a wife shocks her husband. Her doctor can find no trace of the morbid condition ascribed to her. Robert Lebrun returns. He shows reserve. Leonce her husband and her children are part of Edna's life. She yields to the water of the gulf.

Kate Chopin was a writer of major achievement. One regrets, as outlined in the introduction, that there were no literary works produced by her in the last five years of her life. She was discouraged by the critical and moralistic response to her masterpiece, THE AWAKENING.

In "The Awakening", a woman rejects the drudgery of her life and decides to live selfishly, for once. Kate Chopin captivates her readers with a story of transformation and growth, and writes with clarity and ease. Perhaps most enjoyable about "The Awakening" and Kate Chopin's short stories is the vivid New Orleans setting. Chopin pays attention to the charms of Louisiana in this novel--Creole cooking and language, Southern black and French mannerisms of the time--not limiting herself by focusing on members of the elite. Definitely worth checking out!

Having eaten several selections from the Best of New Orleans Cookbook, I knew the receipes were wonderful. Friends had shared the book back and forth for months. I prepared some of the dishes myself and was elated at how simple the food was to prepare and still how delicious it tasted.
I have sense ordered The Best of Italy and The Best of France. I know they will be equally as rewarding

These books are definitely among my favorites. Hands Down!

For a native of Louisiana, long time expatriated, this brings back many memories of fantastic tastes, scrumptious flavors, a savor no one should be denied. Excellent recipes! Merci bouquet, lm

I really like this book...I visit New Orleans a few times a year and one day got the urge to cook New Orleans style. I saw this book and thought I'd give it a try. I really like it! It has most of the recipes you would want to cook from New Orleans. It's a good basic New Orleans Cookbook! Now, I just need to throw a Mardi Gras Party!!

My wife presented me with this cookbook as a Christmas gift a couple of years back and I initially sighed to myself, thinking that here was yet another of those flashy, little culinary marketing devices with no real cooking foundation. My pre-judgement could not have been more wrong!

I'll keep it brief but this diminutive 1994 volume features every essential Cajun/Creole recipe that you could ever wish for and they're all first-class renditions. You'll find top entries for all the well-known dishes (jambalaya, gumbo, etc.) but you'll additionally encounter some superb and lesser heard-of entries such as "Cajun Popcorn" and "Crab-Stuffed Mirliton".

Here's the table of contents:

1. First courses
2. Breads and sandwiches
3. Egg dishes
4. Main courses
5. Vegetables and side dishes
6. Desserts and drinks
7. Glossary
8. Conversion tables
9. Index

I was thrilled to also discover that Paul Prudhomme had some heavy influence in this cookbook. Paul is "The King" in the realm of Cajun/Creole cooking as far as I'm concerned and some of his K-Paul Restaurant recipes are featured.

This cookbook is 96 pages in length and the dimensions are 6 7/8" x 7". The work is heavily illustrated with beautiful color photographs (by Steven Mark Needham) of the various dishes. This is an especially important feature to the cook with these sorts of intricate ethnic recipes. The fonts, while not huge, are big enough to read easily; the book lies nicely flat when opened; and the paper is a good, heavy, slick stock which will somewhat repel spills and stains and can thus be wiped clean which such accidents occur.

"The Best of New Orleans" is one of a series: all titles begin with "The Best of..." and they include California, China, France, India, Italy, the Mediterranean, Mexico, Spain, and Thailand.

If you're into the exciting and flavorful fusion dishes of Cajun/Creole food this one is a must. The author, Brooke Dojny, has created a treasure with this entry. My highest recommendation.

Well, I know Charlene personally and lets just say that shes' working on a few nice recipies to be published. I think my favorite is her Praline Glaze Cheesecake... mmm... Anything she cooks is great, and what a crazy lady she is. Dont let her get around her chainsaw!

One of my grandmother's died 15 years ago at age 75 and another just a year ago at age 97. There are recipes in this book almost identical to those they used during their cooking days. This book is wonderful because it actually contains the recipes that they never got around to writing down or had jotted down on a notecard and put in a bible. The recipes may have different names but they have the same rich flavor. I throw out the diet and delight my family with recipes from The Black Pot at every gathering. My dad loves it because it reminds him when...

When my grandmother died she took her recipes to the grave with her. This book is the closest I've come to recreating her food. I've used recipes for birthday's, Christmas, and family reunions and I've never failed yet following the instructions. Big Mama is folklore, it's a family history and it's divine food.

I love this cookbook! The recipes are just like grandma and great-grandma used. Being from the south I could really relate to this. It's the best southern country cookbook I have found yet! Signed, Mississippi