Louisiana Books

This is a book which once read, will never be forgotten. It is a close up view of American history at a time when our country was in turmoil. But be prepared for truth, because Pires does not flinch from showing all sides of the conflict with all their warts plainly visible.

My Wars: Nazis, Mobsters, Gambling & Corruption is the true-life story of World War II veteran turned incorruptible reformer of Superintendent of State Police in Louisiana, Colonel Francis C. Grevemberg. A hero in the war abroad, he found himself embroiled in just as deadly a war at home, for at the time of his enstatement the Mafia had corrupted Louisiana's government. Marked for death, with his family subject to the threat of kidnapping, he fought to take back his state from the criminal world. My Wars recounts the harrowing struggles, setbacks, and triumphs; from the frustration of watching politicians free convicted criminals in exchange for large bribes to standing fast against threat of personal harm to even contesting other people's attempts to take credit for the reforms he struggled to enact. A number of black-and-white photographs and transcripts of primary sources enhance this incredible story of one man's striking contribution to make Louisiana a better state. Nor is the war over; My Wars warns the reader of the ills that still haunt Louisiana, with gambling and its legalized thievery of the working poor's wages at the top of the list. Highly recommended.

I picked this book up thinking I would read far enough to be sure I didn't want to read it. :) Instead, I was riveted. Written in 1896 by a white man deeply committed to Abolition, it is the tale of Dan, a plantation slave who is treated far better than most slaves.

At age 7, Dan is given to the plantation owner's son as a gift, and the two boys carry on through life deeply committed to each other. The book is written in a surprisingly modern style, without the dense narrative so common at that time. Dan is in a hard position--he is allowed to study with his young master, and to better himself. He has a keen mind and is sharper than most of those who own and control him=--yet he remains a slave. At the same time, the field slaves bitterly resent his favored position, and they are eager to see, and even cause, his downfall.

As one reads, one guesses why Dan is so well treated by the plantation owner (not hard to guess, looking back from our era.) The book beautifully depicts the times and the stresses of the era felt by people who truly wanted to be honorable but who did, after all, live in their own time period with their own prejudices and blindnesses. One character in the book sees past the biases of the day and is surprisingly modern and compassionate in his outlook. Interesting--this character (Clem) must reflect the author's own enlightened viewpoint.

One small aspect of the book that interested me was the very high stress laid on oratory at that time. Dan's young master studies to be a lawyer, which, apparently, was largely a matter of being a great orator. That makes sense--after all that time was largely pre-media, and one speech (such as the Gettysburg Address) could have a vast influence before the days of media "spin." Where are the great orators today? :) It was fun to "discover" a new book over 100 years old. I usually read fiction then pitch the copy, but this book I will keep and reread. Plenty to think about here for Civil War buffs.

I *did* mean to stop reading Gothic fiction before I went insane, but I found there was a genre I hadn't covered: Urban Mysteries. The Gothic genre was winding down by the 1840's, for obvious reasons: medieval castles imprisoning wronged virgins were no longer very relevant, and no one could possibly read another book with a dungeon full of skeletons. However, in 1843 Eugene Sue wrote a book called "The Mysteries of Paris" that became a massive bestseller: it mixed real and thinly-disguised fictional characters in sinister conspiracies set in places in Paris familiar to all readers. No one had thought to make a big busy city the site of invisible and unspeakable horrors, so it struck a thrilling chord in urban readers and was enthusiastically copied by hack authors for every big city in Europe and America. The problem was that most of these novels were pretty dismal: there aren't that many vices to serve up freshly horrible day after day.

That's where Baron Ludwig von Reizenstein comes in. He was a German ne'er-do-well sent by his family to make his fortune in America, only he never really buckled down, selling birdcages, working as a surveyor, dabbling in journalism, and collecting insects. He published his scandalous novel "The Mysteries of New Orleans" in installments in one of New Orleans's German-language newspapers beginning in 1854 (where it lay forgotten until recently). What makes Reizenstein's "Mysteries" worth reading is: first, while he wasn't the greatest of fiction writers, he was a fine journalist, and his picture of New Orleans in the 1850s pulsates with life: poor children scavenging outside warehouses for fallen coffee beans, women selling goat's milk from carts, mixed-race prostitutes plying one of the few trades open to them, and thieves mixing with new immigrants in slums threatened by fire and yellow fever. This portrait would be interesting in itself but is especially poignant now, with New Orleans lost yet again. Secondly, Reizenstein described "America" almost entirely through its immigrant populations; most coming from somewhere else unwillingly or in order to remake themselves, and in their bustling interactions, of Scots with Frenchmen, Germans with slaves, they form a uniquely "American" picture of city life. Thirdly, his sympathetic portrayal of homosexuality and lesbianism were unique for the time and place (he was probably gay and his mother was probably lesbian). Finally, while most of the other "Mysteries" dealt with garden-variety vices and secrets, this book had a very serious core: Reizenstein was horrified by slavery, and the novel's plot was driven by a fast-approaching Apocalypse to purge the earth of this sin.

The book is too long, and drags in the last half, when we spend *much* too much time following blue-eyed, blond-braided 7-yr-old Gertrude as she collects Spanish moss for bedding as her immigrant family, through no fault of their own, sinks into poverty. Angelic Gertrude begins to pall and you wish a horrible death for her, but: guess what? Reizenstein gives her one! He sees slavery as an evil that transcends ordinary morality and dooms both evil and ordinary well-meaning people to damnation. His anger is startling. While "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was forceful in its depiction of slavery's evil, its good characters went to heaven: Reizenstein spares no one. "Mysteries of New Orleans" is certainly one of the most interesting books I've read this year.

I'm a French major and read this book for a research paper. I liked it so much that I bought it. It's well written -- no pompous, stuffy academese here -- and highly interesting. Napoloen was able to put into effect the societal changes that turned France from a feudal to a modern society. This book tells this history by examining not only his military career, but also examines the Napoleonic Code of law, his administrative reforms, his fiscal reforms, his relationship with the church, and his effect on the French education system. Did you know it was Napoleon who instituted the "bac" in France? Or that 21 countries in the world, and the State of Louisiana, still use the Napoleonic code in some form? Fascinating man and fascinating period!

...you are doing ANY genealogy research on your family in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana who were Catholic. EVERYONE is there and EVERYTHING is there. Invaluable information and will save you LOADS of research time. Its value is guaranteed nothing less than that.

Following a series of recommended drives throughout the Middle South from west to east, this compact little book provides an excellent listing of sights (including brief descriptions) that a reasonably intelligent reader might enjoy. I read it with highlighter in hand, marking the sights that appealed to me, an approach I recommend to others.

Mr. White appears to be an active bird-watcher (he apparently has written other books on that subject). Readers who share that interest will find this book particularly interesting, since he highlights the best bird-watching spots along the Gulf Coast.

Being from the New Orleans area -- I like to see read this area's guide books and play the game of finding something wrong in whatever local guide book I am reading. Well this book seemed to get it all right. I couldn't find any boo boos. Another nice feature of the book was that it covered areas surrounding "The Cresent City." New Orleans is one of the world's greatest destinations. If you are a local or a visitor - this book will help you discover and rediscover "The Big Easy."

Nancy Camel's book is not another coffee table book with exquisite photographs; it is more - a book to fascinate all ages from elementary school students to senior citizens. The book catches swamp creatures in action, shows their personalities. It could easily be the basis for a science unit. Camel does indeed explore "the Wonder of Cypress Island Preserve" and takes me with her each time I open this magnificient book.

J&W Enterprises: (318) 929-1730
trade paperback.
when ordering, ask about revised edition to be released in 2006.If requested, publisher will include author's supplement to 1988 edition (supplement created 2005).