Louisiana Books

Dawson's study focuses on Louisiana during the Reconstruction period. Basically, three types of northern generals oversaw the government's role: those in favor of the views of the Radical Republicans (Sheridan, Mower, Reynolds), those opposed to those views (Hancock, Rousseau, and Augur - all Democrats), and those somewhere between the two (Emory and Buchanan). Of course, Southerners hated the likes of Sheridan and Mower (Sheridan was perhaps the most hated man in the state after Benjamin Butler). But Dawson makes it clear that some sort of northern control of governmental affairs in the state, indeed the whole South, was necessary.

The book examines the role of these agents, how they acted, and where they succeeded and failed. It was a tremendously difficult task, given the South's antipathy toward the freed blacks, the Republicans, and the army that was occupying them. There was general distaste to occupation all around; even the soldiers were uncomfortable with it, a view going back to the Mexican War when soldiers occupied parts of Mexico, something they disdained then. This was something new in America. But the Republicans had an agenda they wanted accomplished, including guarantees for the freedmen, an agenda the army found difficult to attain. Dawson writes well of these hard times. All of it ended in failure, of course, with the election of Hayes as President and subsequent troop withdrawal (part of the "deal" that got Hayes the electoral votes he needed to win), leaving only the final curtain of Jim Crow to descend on the Southern stage.

When Federico Garcia Lorca said, "The song, the picture, are only water drawn from the well of the people, and given back to them in a cup of beauty, so that in drinking, they know themselves," he envisaged works such as this: cups of beauty filled with commonplace things. You will never see the Great River in the same light again. A lush and extravagant work accomplished by one of America's premier photographers from a raft as it noodles its way from the river's source to its mouth. Along the way, you meet Willie the river hobo and the nutria, the regulars and occasionals who ply the river for fun or profit.

Suggests that O'Connor's "fiction arises from pressure and resistance" and draws "from voices both within and without herself" to test and challenge "her self-conception and her faith." Brinkmeyer acknowledges that his approach is partially based upon "the type of dialogic encounter" seen in Mikhail Bakhtin's work. Remarks that O'Connor's ability to give "free expression to her fundamentalist voice and to other voices of her self rather than monologically suppressing them is a crucial factor behind her artistic greatness."

Explores "the crucial role that the narrator plays in the dynamic of O'Connor's fiction." Discusses Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away, and four stories: "Everything That Rises Must Converge," "The Artificial Nigger," "The Enduring Chill," and "The Lame Shall Enter First." Contends that "the narrator is a central figure in O'Connor's stories, and the narrator's relationship with both O'Connor and the story itself is fraught with tension." Sees the novels as displaying "an intensification of the narrator's perspective," and as having a subject matter that is openly religious and fundamentalist, resulting in "a more charged religious tone and tension." Argues that O'Connor "was pressured" by the narrator and, "as the narrator was, by the narrative, and particularly by the characters and their interactions." Notes that Bakhtin frequently discussed this dynamic and argued that "in the best fiction characters exert profound pressure on the author."

Discusses three types of O'Connor's characters: intellectuals, artists, and prophet-freaks, chosen "because they all embody aspects of O'Connor that, at their extreme, come into potential conflict with her overriding Catholic ideology." Characters discussed include: Sheppard, Rayber, Joy/Hulga Hopewell, Mrs. Hopewell, Asbury, Julian, Calhoun, Mary Elizabeth, Singleton, Old Tarwater, Lucette Carmody, Hazel Motes, The Misfit, and the grandmother.

Suggests that O'Connor had conflicting views regarding her readers, sometimes downplaying their significance while, at other times, arguing that readers "played a crucial role in artistic creation and that writers always had to be aware of, and to take account of" them. Explores these assertions and relates that because she kept her readers in mind when she wrote, O'Connor "entered into a profound interplay with aspects of herself usually suppressed by her ruling Catholicism," a process which brought her Catholic vision "under pressure and challenge."

Adapted by R. Neil Scott from: Scott, R. Neil. FLANNERY O'CONNOR: AN ANNOTATED REFERENCE GUIDE TO CRITICISM. Milledgeville, GA: Timberlane Books, 2002. TimberlaneBooks.com

This is a treasure at the prices offered. The best of Creole/Cajun recipes from the artists and staff at the museum.

I found this book to be a very indepth resource about a virtually unknown American explorer/adventurer. The author's inexhaustive research into the subject is astounding and enlightening. William Darby made considerable contributions to the early mapping of the state of Louisiana as well as many other regions including Pennsylvania. His work was used by other unscrupulous editors and mapmakers, who gave themselves credit for Darbys work. Anyone interested in early geography and mapping of the Uinted States will find this book a goldmine.

Doris Betts has written a group of stories peopled with all of us. Faced with their own "ordinariness," and their recognition of what they could be if only they knew how to get there from here, Doris Betts' characters charm us and break our hearts. Ms. Betts has done it again; she does it every time. Brava!

An invaluable source for those wishing to research Louisiana families. It gives a short history of the name, where it originated, known progenitor(s) and other family information. It is a good place to start for the beginner and a sound reference work for the more advanced genealogist.

Each poem in *Atonement* is perfectly poised and fits inevitably into its form. The central situation in many of the poems is the moment of first flowering--into adult experience, love, sexuality, a new consciousness--which moment is repeated and rehearsed like an archetype. A Nicaraguan woman is raped by a stranger while her husband cuts sugar cane; it is a half desired violation. In "The Babysitter," two girls mimic their teenage sitter's immature sexual antics while her two charges watch, and then later parody her, anticipating their adult lives.

These are lovingly preserved cries from a voice most don't hear or can't hear. They put the reader back in the world of possibility with a tenderness so fine and surely shaped that the reader can feel "the swell of moonlight, / and the chill under the separate eaves, / pure white and choked with love." The title poem is a concentration of the whole collection, which glimmers with radiant sadness and often pain. A strikingly affecting book.

The Attakapas Country is a must have book for anyone doing any type of genealogy research on the area, or just for those intersted in learning more about Lafayette Louisiana's rich history. I was first introduced to this book at the Family History Center while researching my family roots which started in Attakapas many many years before. The photographs are what brought it home for me. It was thrilling for me to see images of the places I had read about (through census records) such as the Convent and General Store. There is a wealth of information in this book. A must have. I was happy to order my own copy. Something I will cherish forever and share with my family.

This is a beautiful cook book. I bought my first copy locally, intending it as a gift for my mother. I liked it so much that I kept that copy and bought a copy through Amazon to send to her. Its a beautiful cook book, combining history with recipes. Its great for both the cook book collector (my mother) and for people who just want great recipes in a nice book.