Louisiana Books

Unquestionably the best commentary on Plato I have read as yet. No ideology, no radical interpretations of Plato, just extraordinarily insightful and incisive. The essential secondary reference in studies of Platonic political philosophy.

Oxford Don, Raghavan Iyer noted that the world is a fortunate place when there are two people alive -- at the same time -- who understand Plato. Eric Voegelin was clearly one of those people in the twentieth century. This material was originally published in Volume 3 of Order and History, the core of the magnus opus that Voegelin chose to publish during his life time.

I met Eric Voegelin once as a graduate student, and asked him, "why'd you publish all this stuff?" I've been digesting his answer ever since. It was "to resist totality and totalitarianism."

Particularly, seen from this standpoint, a clear core of this book is his articulation of the Platonic concept of "metaxy," or the in-between character of life. In philosophical terms, this refers most directly and fully to "in-between" the Agathon (e.g., see myth of the cave and the Divided Line in the Republic) and the apeiron (explored most directly and deeply in the Timaeus). For the philosophically uninitiated, it is possible to speak of this in more mundane terms.

An unstated corollary of Plato's notion of the "metaxy" is that life is always larger than our categories. From a Socratic/Platonic perspective, this may include but will entail more than the epistemological recognition that every way of seeing is a way of not seeing. The notion of the "metaxy" is most fundamentally a linguistic indice pointing to ontological plenty as the ground of life, albeit lived within bounds of existential scarcity. This is a notion commonly shared by the great civilizations of East and West. The notion of the "metaxy" underscores that life is lived within a tension between the "transcendent" and "immanent" dimensions of being.

When we lose track of this tension, as we have to a great extent in the modern world, and subscribe to reductive ideological notions/understandings of life -- and most particularly, when we imagine that we can encapsulate life within the pride of our own "enlightened" categories -- on a political plane, there may be little to constrain the prideful actions of ideologies, irrespective of whether their clothing is Red or Black, or whether it is "left" or "right." Irrespective of the political stripe, repression and murder become "justified" in the pursuit of an ideological aim -- which in Voegelin's philosophical terms is to dissolve the "metaxy" in the usual modernist mode, through immanetizing the transcendent "eschaton."

Voegelin's philosophical terms may sound remarkably abstract to the modern ear (recall Robert Dahl's silly review of Voegelin's The New Science of Politics for the American Political Science journal). Facile critiques such as Dahl's typically focus on the unfamiliar language while overlooking the elementary fact that what Voegelin is asking us to do in every aspect of his work is to take a journey that precisely allows us to see the world in terms other than that of our inherited climate of opinion. For those willing to be thorough scholars rather than merely play at it within the context of given suppositions, Voegelin's scholarship offers new vistas and incredibly rich fields of study. His scholarship offers the capacity to reflect upon and act in the world in a substantively grounded mode with implications for every discipline (see e.g., A.G. Ramos' New Science of Organizations).

I submit that a key to understanding this text and the greater body of his work at large is to grasp the central significance of the "metaxy" -- not as a concept within the history of ideas -- but as a life referent of perennial relevance to the recurring challenge of resisting sophistic pretensions and the inherited or emergent ideologies of any time and place.

This text demands a good deal. You'll develop insights into Plato available no where else. But for Voegelin, such studies were never a matter of antiquarian interest. They were a matter of developing meaningful referents for life. The value in this text is precisely in its yield, capable of resonating throughout your life and offering far more than the initial effort it will require of you.

Glenn Tinder's The Political Meaning of Christianity is what Reinhold Niebuhr might have written fifty years after The Nature and Destiny of Man (sic). Tinder gives us an astute analyis of the human condition, individually and socially, exalted through the destiny God gives us, and fallen through the exaltation we give ourselves. His chapters on "prophetic hope" as it works for social transformation and spirituality have little rival in current literature. This book, now sadly out of print, should be required reading for all theology students, no matter the degree of their specialization or education. John W. Riggs

Glen Tinder is probably best known for his seminal Atlantic article"Can We be Good Without God?". The Political Meaning of Christianityexplores many of these same ideas in greater detail, examining, for example, the importance of Love in the political system (a novel idea.) I strongly recommend this book for both Christians and non-Christians wrestling with the importance of the transcendant in our political system. Kris Childress

Marvin Olasky's new book on Katrina stands out among the rest because it is the first to look closely at "what worked" as well as what failed in the days following the storm. It is the first to identify the important role that faith-based efforts played in the recovery, and most importantly, it is the only book to offer real strategies for the future.

Hurricane Katrina was a national disaster that was played out on an international stage. In this age of instant and graphic communication where there is an increasingly thin line between news and entertainment, the whole world watched while the hurricane bore down on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The world watched with sick fascination as pictures of death and devastation flashed across their television screens. Untold millions watched as the New Orleans levies let go, inundating the city with water. And the world saw the response which was both impressive in its speed and frustrating in its disorganization. In The Politics of Disaster, Marvin Olasky, professor of journalism at the University of Texas and editor-in-chief of World magazine, takes a look back at this disaster and looks forward to the inevitable "Katrinas" of the future. "This book examines incidents, some partially preventable, that have a major negative impact on the ability of an entire community to live peaceably."

Olasky dissects the disaster and gazes into the future. He begins by asking what went wrong in New Orleans. He traces the bulk of the problems to two sources. The first is what he calls "Katrina's paperocracy." This sarcastic sentence tacitly describes the paperocracy: "Perhaps New Orleans could have used even more planning and more meetings to unify the FEMA, OEP, LOEP, NHC, MCI, and ESF plans and experience." New Orleans was prepared, on paper at least, to deal with a Hurricane. Various agencies had plans in place. But these plans were contradictory and allowed little flexibility. Fear of overstepping boundaries, fear of litigation, kept the plans from being effective. "The brutal fact is that big government tends toward big bureaucracy, which means elaborate paper flow but the tendency of one misplaced card to bring down the house."

The second source of problems was the media. "National media had become a megaphone for hysteria and blame. Among the casualties were truth, speed in offering help, and progress in both international affairs and domestic relations." Reporters focused undue attention on the traumatic, dramatic events at the Superdome and the Convention Center. Olasky looks at the reality of the crime and violence in the days after the storm and shows how the media stirred hysteria, constantly reporting rumor as fact and fiction as rumor. This hysteria did great damage to the city. For example, reports of armed gangs and snipers were largely false, but relief efforts were put on hold while soldiers and police were dispatched to hunt down these non-existent criminals. As Olasky says, "crying and yelling made for much better ratings than calm assessment of the damages." News became entertainment. A real-life tragedy became little more than an action movie, and millions sat transfixed by it.

The second section of the book discusses what went right. Olasky looks at rescue, relief and recovery and shows how faith-based organizations, primarily the Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Convention and local churches, by far outperformed any government agency. The absence of a paperocracy allowed these organizations to move quickly and decisively. He looks also at corporations such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Fed-Ex which played an integral role in relief efforts and which put the government to shame with their speed, preparedness and organization.

In the third section the author suggests ways of reforming national disaster policy and then, in the fourth, proposes how faith-based organizations can take the lead in post-disaster relief efforts. The book wraps up with a chapter on international disasters and another that looks at how America is equipped to deal with one of three disasters likely to strike her in the future: earthquake, terrorism and pandemic.

The final chapter, "Beyond Worry," provides a biblical basis for not becoming overwhelmed with fear of the future. We must avoid both fatalism and undue worry, and place our confidence in God's providence. "Maybe we need to reawaken that understanding if we are to deal with disasters in ways neither foolhardy nor fearful." We can have full assurance that God is in control, that nothing happens apart from His knowledge, even events that are difficult to understand. "What's hard to accept is that the road to contentment runs through misery." As has been so clearly shown in the death of Jesus Christ, pain and suffering can be terrible means to a wonderful end.

The Politics of Disaster shines some much needed light on the events of Katrina, proving that so much of what we witnessed on television was pure fiction. While the disaster was an act of God, it was made far worse by politics, pride and falsehood. We can only hope and pray that the next time a major disaster strikes America, she will be better prepared and that she will have learned from the mistakes of Katrina, for future disaster is inevitable. Clearly the fruit of much research and much consideration, this is an excellent book and one I enjoyed thoroughly.

What Hecker has put together here is more than just a facsimile edition of Poe's early West Point poems; calling it a poetry anthology is insulting. Hecker's "introduction" to the book (which makes up about half the book's pages) is an in-depth discussion of Poe's military career attempts, from an enlisted soldier to his studies to be an officer at West Point. This "introduction" is, bar none, the single most comprehensive discussion of this widely-neglected aspect of Poe's biography. Many biographers gloss over these years as a sort of anomaly in Poe's story, an odd divergence. It's a shame, really, because Hecker enlightens us. He notes that Poe wasn't just giving the military shot, but he was diving in to his endeavors at the (relatively) new West Point Military Academy with gusto and, undeniably, was good at it. Sure, he eventually gave it up after his enthusiasm has passed, but Hecker has really shown that had Poe been interested, he would have made a fine officer (and we'd have a different story to tell about Poe).

On 5 Jan 06, MAJ William F. Hecker, III, 37 years old, was killed in action with (from the Washington Post, dated 10 Jan 06) "...four other soldiers in Najaf (Iraq) when an explosive detonated near their Humvee, the Defense Department said." Also from the Post, his mother said, "He was looking forward to going. He was doing his duty, and he believed in what he was doing and hoped he could make a difference."


"West Point Alma Mater"

Hail Alma Mater dear,
To us be ever near.
Help us thy motto bear
Through all the years.
Let Duty be well performed.
Honor be e'er untarned.
Country be ever armed.
West Point, by thee.

Guide us, thy sons, aright,
Teach us by day, by night,
To keep thine honor bright,
For thee to fight.
When we depart from thee,
Serving on land or sea,
May we still loyal be,
West Point, to thee.

And when our work is done,
Our course on earth is run,
May it be said, "Well done;
Be thou at peace."
E'er may that line of gray
Increase from day to day
Live, serve, and die, we pray,
West Point, for thee.

P.S. Reinecke, 1911


On behalf of all of us West Pointers around the globe, "Well done; be thou at peace, MAJ Hecker."

Chip Armstrong
USMA '83

This well written and researched little book deals with the issue of whether the Confederacy could have done more with their victory in April, 1864, in the Red River campaign and whether there was a failure in the command structure. The Northern forces quickly captured New Orleans and south Louisiana in 1862; but it was not until 1864 that they began their move north to capture the rest of the State of Louisiana and begin their conquest of Texas. The Northern forces were led by the inept political general, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, a former Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives. The Southern forces were led by the aristocratic Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor, the son of a former president, Zachary Taylor, and the brother of Jefferson Davis's first wife, who had died at a young age. Neither man was a trained career soldier. But Taylor, a Yale graduate and former Louisiana sugar planter before the war, had served under Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862 and was the better general.
After the Battle of Mansfield on April 8, 1864, resulted in a Confederate victory, General Taylor wanted to pursue and destroy the remainder of Banks's 30,000 man (and some women) army, but was prevented from doing so by his superior in Shreveport, Lt. Gen. Kirby Smith, with the result that most of Banks's army was able to retreat to the safety of south Louisiana and live to fight another day in other battles. The author documents all of this and specifically shows how certain troops from the Red River Campaign were used in other battles in other states.
The author further points out that the crushing destruction of such a large Union army so close to Lincoln's re-election campaign in November, 1864, might have contributed to his election defeat with all the consequences that might have meant for the war.
An excellent and recommended study.

An interesting account of largely ignored campaign during the Civil War. Michael Forsyth's detailed descriptions of the relationships amongst the primary Union and Confederate leaders sets the stage for his analysis of the campaign and also sets this book apart from other military history books. His conclusion that this campaign could have changed the outcome of the Civil War is both interesting and soundly arrived at based on the level of research he conducted. Highly recommend this book for those studying the decisive but intangible aspect of combat power - leadership.

This was an awesome book about a tenant farmer from Louisiana. Many books have been written about slavery and other aspects of African American heritage, this is my first tenant farmer book. It's a compelling work of art for the Clark family. Bertina Suber (Jessup, MD)

The history of early activists who connected civil rights and labor rights is a compelling story. This book offers the reader an extremely personal view of the struggle of an early civil rights leader who made the connection between fair labor practices and basic human rights. The story is told through the voice of Mr. Clark who made incredible sacrifices to bring to the forefront the exploitation of sharecroppers and tenant farmers in rural Louisiana. His story awakens the reader to the conditions of the poor in Louisiana and asserts the rights of African-Americans as they struggled to make a living in the rural south prior to the depression and during the Roosevelt New Deal Era. Mr. Clark's narrative is a story that has value to those who are interested in exploring the historical significance of labor and civil rights as well as for those who wish to read and understand narratives of early leaders in their own words. The authors do an outstanding job of placing Mr. Clark's story in context of the historical period and provide excellent documentation to substantiate the era. For those who love history and enjoy reading about individuals who have given so much to help others overcome obstacles, this book is a must read. I highly recommend this book and encourage the exploration of a truly remarkable period in our history. The relevance of the struggle to organize small farmers is particularly important as the decline of African-American farmers continues to present a blight on the history of this country. I highly applaud the editors, Davey and Clark, for bringing Mr. Clark's manuscript to a larger audience and for highlighting the book with exceptionally well documented sources that assist the reader with placing the story in its historical context. Mr. Clark's story has universal appeal and truly demonstrates the resiliency of the individual and the strength of close family relationships. This is a must read for those interested in the evolution of agrarian structures in the south, the strength of families, the development of labor, the impact of educational opportunities on groups of people, the importance of the narratives of individuals participating in historical events, and the rights of the poor. Victoria Cofield-Aber, Educator and Clinical Social Worker

This book does for the subject of southern reform what J. Mills Thornton's Politics and Power in a Slave Society did for southern politics. We simply have to reevaluate out traditional approach to antebellum southern culture after this book. Absolutely not for general readers, who do not like such detail and a 57.50 (!) price tag, but essential for South historians.

Historians of antebellum reform have tended to divide their subject along sectional lines, with northern reform being considered normative. Antebellum reform in the North has been difficult enough to understand, so it should be no surprise that few scholars have dared to reconcile the reform impulse in the North and South. Even admitting that the reform impulse existed in the South has been a somewhat recent development in the historiography (for examples, see Anne Loveland's Southern Evangelicals and the Social Order, Stanley Harrold's Abolitionists and the South, and Janet Cornelius Duitsman's Slave Missions and the Black Church in the Antebellum South). Quist, however, tackles the problem head-on by comparing reform in two counties, one in Alabama and one in Michigan. That he finds significant differences should surprise no one. That he also finds striking similarities, however, may require us to do some rethinking about reform in the antebellum South. Just as in the North, he sees reform in the South as "compatible with the demands of market behavior." His study is truly pathbreaking in that it opens up new territory and problems to explore. Because of Quist, any comprehensive account of antebellum reform will need to incorporate the Southern reform experience. I highly recommend this work to students of antebellum reform.

Just moving to the Texas coastline I have fallen in love with the Pelicans here:brown and white. This is a fabulous book with the detailed pictures, and I was fascinated as to how Dan G gathered/took the pic's to illustrate Joseph Brown's detailed text so wonderful. It is the best book for all ages and a purrfect coffe table book for anyone who lives in the Pelican areas of the coast. Looking to buy a good used copy so I can finish this FAB book.

This book was really good. Even though i'm kind of young, i understood it and thought it was an amazing book.

This book is the original and still definitive book on New Orleans rhythm & blues, the music that was the true forerunner of what popularly became rock 'n' roll. As a boy in England, Broven was so thrilled by Little Richard's performance of the song "Long Tall Sally" in the movie DON'T KNOCK THE ROCK that he ran from the matinee showing at his local theatre to buy it before the record store closed. It was only years later that he discovered that Little Richard's hits, like those of his other favorite, Fats Domino (who dominated Louisiana music and rhythm & blues in the 1950s and is appropriately pictured on the cover) were recorded by New Orleans studio musicians who created the backbone of rockin' rhythm & blues. Other musicians featured here include Roy Brown, who popularized the word "rock" in rhythm & blues long before Alan Freed in his 1947 classic "Good Rockin' Tonight" (which like Little Richard and other New Orleans records were significantly covered by Elvis Presley); Aaron Neville, Dave Bartholomew, Lloyd Price, Allen Toussaint and legendary drummer Earl Palmer, the last four of whom have recently been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Similarly to Charlie Gillett's groundbreaking classic THE SOUND OF THE CITY, Broven thoroughly covers the record companies who came to New Orleans to mine the city's musical gold, but he also takes an in-depth look into the musicians which made the city a musical force. RHYTHM & BLUES IN NEW ORLEANS features interviews with many of them, including Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack, whose lengthy reminisces during an English tour inspired the book. It is a must for anyone interested in the history of rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll, black culture or New Orleans culture.

I think I have read this book at least 5 times. It easy to read and includes info about all the stars of New Orleans Rock and Roll.

The second updated edition of Roadside Geology of Louisiana is especially important to any regional geology or Louisiana geology collection because it updates a 1995 edition and adds newly updated sections to include recent geologic changes from Hurricane Katrina. Here are treks complete with maps, charts and discussions blending travel and geology under one cover, along with a survey that breaks Louisiana into regional chapters for quick, easy access. Especially recommended for destination travels to Louisiana with a special interest in geology and history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This guide does a great job of explaining the geology of Louisiana, a state where impressive geology doesn't come to mind. From the hills in the north of the state to the coastal salt domes, Spearing explains it all in great detail for the layman. In addition to discussing the sights you'd see on the side of the road, Spearing also discusses the geology of the oil and gas industry of the state. Additionally, he provides a good discussion of the Mississippi River and how it has changed the landscape over the years. This book will open your eyes to the hidden geology around you!