Louisiana Books

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.

The Palace Cafe is one of my required stops whenever I'm in New Orleans. I discovered this cookbook at the airport on my way back to Chicago. The book is a high-quality publication. It has the real recipes, family history and famous menues. There are short sidebars with each recipe. The photography is georgeous, although I wish there was more of it. This book is truly the taste of New Orleans.

Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe: The Flavor Of New Orleans showcases more than 170 recipes enhanced with a wealth of culinary tips as well as anecdotal stories from the "first family of Creole" and insights into the Palace Cafe, one of New Orleans finest and most popular restaurants. Featuring complete menus, the "user friendly" recipes range from Milk Punch; Pork Grillades with Andouille Goat Cheese; Crabmeat Cheesecake with Pecan Crust; and Shrimp Remoulade; to Oyster and Eggplant Soup; Ponchatoula Strawberry and Spinach Salad; Grilled Rib-Eye with Roasted New Potato Port Salut Hash; and White Chocolate Creme Brulee, Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe is a superbly presented volume enhanced with occasional full color culinary photography and would grace any dedicated gourmet's cookbook collection.

If you want to enjoy real New Orleans cooking with a unique flair, this is the book for you. As a New Orleans native, I have many cookbooks with local recipes, but this one has not only wonderful recipes, but surprising insight into the Brennan family and a behind the scenes peek into a great restaurant. Each recipe is extraordinary combining unusual ingredients into fabulous dishes, such as the red bean dip with homemade potato chips and the delectable fish recipes. The instructions are concise and easy to follow. Buy this book if only for the famous white chocolate bread pudding. This is a true epicurean delight, and the Brennan family is a New Orleans treasure.

I really enjoyed this cookbook. The recipes were not difficult and were delicious. In addition to that the book itself is lovely. Between the pictures, family stories and tips on so many pages, I felt as though I were in New Orleans cooking with a friend! Dickie Brennan - I will be waiting in line for your next cookbook.

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.

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.

I found her poetry wonderful in the sense that she can articulate the voice of every narrator in each separte poem. Each with its own author, the storyteller, be it a worm or an old woman has a story. I'm not sure if that makes perfect sense, but I really loved her book.

This book is so excellent that I've already purchased three extra copies to pass along to friends. Andrews' poems explore the instability of memory, family, and ownership, drawing on the experiences of the narrator and her Southern family, the dissolution of their land, the objects of their history, time and the past. Andrews exhibits amazing control of her art form; her poems are breathtaking in their clarity--emotional without seeming overwrought, as beautiful as they are brutal, and as personal as they are universal.

The obvious thing to say is that this book will appeal to fans of Faulkner and other great Southern writers, but Pharaoh, Pharaoh will be appreciated by anyone who likes good poetry.

Arrests your consciousness with its imagery and language. Rewards thoughtful reading with its insight and wisdom. The fundamental themes of generations and inheritance are a modern echo of Ecclesiastes. This is the best debut collection of poems I've read in years.

Claudia Emerson Andrews's Pharaoh, Pharaoh is the rarest and best kind of discovery: a book full of poems by an author who has found her voice and allowed it to free, rather than limit, her explorations. Demanding to be read aloud alone or to others, the rhythm and language bring the reader along on a remarkable journey. Full of gentle reminiscences and powerful histories, Pharaoh, Pharaoh is quiet and profound, capturing moments in time and meaning with a heartbreaking and familiar clarity. The first book of the Southern Messenger series, Pharaoh, Pharaoh, like all the best Southern writing, contains messages for all its readers. Become one.

For Dostoevsky fanatics, this book is a must-read. It explores The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov. It keeps Dostoevsky in the context of his times, examining his political and religious philosophy. Extremely well-written and thought provoking--good help to understanding Dostoevky's other works as well.

Ellis Sandoz (one of only a few graduate students philosopher Eric Voegelin took on) provides an excellent discussion and analysis of Dostoevsky's "Legend of the Grand Inquisitor" from The Brothers Karamazov, perhaps one of the world's greatest novels. Sandoz first gives the historical and religious background of Dostoevsky and the Russia he knew, placing Dostoevsky's thought in the particular (and peculiar?) character of Russian Orthodox Christianity, with its roots in old Slavic cults. He then launches into an explication of the Legend, understanding it in distinctly biblical terms. His discussion of the "threeness" of the tale (he finds dozens of triplets throughout) is quite interesting. But more than an analysis of Dostoevsky, it is an insight into the nihilism of modern times. The solution to the crisis lies in returning political science to a search (zetema) for truth. "Political Apocalypse" is a step in that direction.

What a book! Great for any serious fan of Dostoevsky and his philosophy of religion and metaphysics. It puts the context on his thought and his works.

In the fairest and most detailed way, Elis Sandoz fairly and accurately examines Dostoevsky's "Legend of The Grand Inquisitor."

This is one of the best books I've read all year. I'm speechless just buy this book!

What a book! Great for any serious fan of Dostoevsky and his philosophy of religion and metaphysics. It puts the context on his thought and his works.

In the fairest and most detailed way, Elis Sandoz fairly and accurately examines Dostoevsky's "Legend of The Grand Inquisitor."

This is one of the best books I've read all year. I'm speechless just buy this book!

In 1996, after having covered the South for over three decades as a newspaper reporter and columnist, Rheta Grimsley Johnson., with her husband Don, journeyed from their home in Iuka, Miss., to the shores of the vast Atchafalaya Swamp.

They purchased the Green Queen, a gawky one-room houseboat, and soon bought a cottage in the nearby town of Henderson, which "may well be the funkiest little town in Louisiana." There she fell in love with the people, traditions and culture of Acadiana.

A marvelous prose stylist, Johnson delivers a glowing encomium of the Cajuns--their music, food, occupations and celebrations--a people bubbling with joie de vivre and having an unselfish commitment to family and friends--"the salt of the earth"--who will literally give you the shirt off their back.

For the past decade, Rheta and Don have made their second home in Henderson, where they enjoy authentic Cajun culture. In Poor Man's Provence, she debunks the myth that "all Cajuns are illiterate hicks, backwards bumpkins."

Poor Man's Provence reveals a warm humanity and is a fun book to read.

Rheta Grimsely Johnson's reporting has won awards including the Ernie Pyle Memorial Award for human interest reporting (1983), the Headliner Award for commentary (1985), and the American Society of Newspaper Editors' Distinguished Writing Award for commentary (1982). In 1986 she was inducted into the Scripps Howard Newspapers Editorial Hall of Fame, and in 1991 Johnson was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Syndicated today by King Features, Johnson's column appears in about fifty papers nationwide. She is the author of several books, including America's Faces (1987) and Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz (1989). A native of Colquitt, Georgia, Johnson grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, studied journalism at Auburn University and has lived and worked in the South all of her career. She and her husband Don Grierson live with three dogs and two cats in Iuka, Mississippi, and Henderson, Louisiana.

Poor Man's Provence: - Having a fair amount of familiarity with the area and people, I'd say Mrs. Grimsley wrote as good of a memoir of this part of Louisiana as any. Whether one is familiar with the area of not, it would be worth reading it ahead of time to get the most of the visit to Cajun Country. From beginning to end I felt like I knew the central figures in this non-fictional memoir, Johnelle & Jennette, and they didn't disapoint. The place is crawling with people like them and it'll please and even surprise them all to know a transplant appreciates them for just being themselves. Whether the writer, Miss Rheta(as locals would call her), intended it or not, she and Don are now a part of Cajun's lives forever and we're all grateful for her memoir and presence.

All ethnic groups have their on distinct qualities and because of this most are completely misunderstood. Cajuns are no exception. I know when I was a kid I wanted be black. I truly didn't understand why then, but over the years thinking back I know it was because of the sense of pride that most of my black friends had. Ms. Johnson has tapped in to the Cajun pride. She conveys with humor and humility the love they have for their land and family, as well for others not of their ethnicity. Her love for them shines brightly. I love this book and highly recommend it to all.

Somewhat like the wonderful nonfiction works of Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways" and Raban's "Passage to Juneau", only better, much better. Like those two travel novels, "Poor Man's Provence", entertains with unique true anecdotes and historical facts about the down home exotic people and places of the Acadiana ("Cajun") Country, Louisiana. Woven into the colorful quilt of her writing, Rheta Grimsley Johnson also gives us wicked irony, Twain like humor and a little subtle, sincere, simple human philosophy. Unlike "Blue Highways" and "Passage to Juneau", "Poor Man's Provence" is not a travelogue, but instead represents ten years of learning and loving the gentle folks of Cajun Louisiana. It's a great book to read if you think that you will ever want to see this part of the American South, and it's still plenty entertaining even if you just want to get to know the natives vicariously. If there is any justice in such things, this must read book should win lots of awards.