Louisiana Books

Enter the hearts of a man and a woman, newly married and swallowed like a drunken night on Bourbon Street in the dangerous criminal world of New Orleans. Ruffin's power lies in his ability to use incredible imagery entwined with an amazing storytelling ability to hook his reader and slowly unwind the tale to its dramatic finish. You will be hooked, and you will not be disappointed.

I had the fortune of hearing Ruffin speak live in his hometown of Columbus, MS during a book reading and interviewing him for a newspaper story. His skill live convinced me to read his written work. He is an incredibly talented writer I grow to increasingly appreciate the more I read.

The editors of "Porchtalk" have given us the sound of Gaines's voice, just as he has given readers the sound of Miss Jane Pittman's warm and human voice. In "Porchtalk" we become more familiar with the author who charmed Oprah Winfrey's audience earlier this year. Everyone who has read one of Gaines's novels will want to own this book because of what he tells us of his own background and his artistic values.

There are Seven Hundred and Eighty-Five pages in this very thick book, over a thousand recipes. And they are down home Southern finger-lickin' good. However, if low fat is what you're looking for, better look somewhere else. No fancy photos in this book either. And the sparse artwork, what there is of it, is cheesy, like the cover. In fact the cajun chef on the cover kind of looks like Saddam Hussain. And boy this book is heavy, you could knock out a robber baron with it.

But as I said above, follow the recipes and you'll be cooking up food that's good to eat. Sure, a lot of the recipes are pretty basic, but there are lots of surprises here too. Basically this book was compiled by, and I'm guessing here, dozens, if not over a hundred, different woman on the Councils of Louisiana Telephone Pioneers of America, each woman contributing her favorite recipe or recipes.

I'm a cookbook junkie, so when I ran across this book at a garage sale in Portland, I had to have it. I don't know how it got all the way up here, but I'm glad it did. If you collect cookbooks, as I do, or are always on the lookout for a different way to prepare an old favorite, then pick up this book if you can find it.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

John Farrenkopf's _Prophet of Decline_ fills a gaping hole on a controversial historian. Farrenkopf effectively shows the greatness and magnitude of Spengler's thought while keeping a critical eye throughout the book.

Farrenkopf's prose is crisp and fluid - certainly a complement to the rigidity and obtuseness that is typical of Spengler. Farrenkopf goes to great pains to not only dispel certain lingering myths about Spengler (specifically, that he was a Nazi sympathizer) but also to familiarize the reader with Spengler's influences (especially Ranke) and his more obscure works. As it is impossible to understand Spengler without a larger understanding of the historicism (and Goethe) that permeated his worldview at the time, this contribution is long overdue.

Farrenkopf also devotes quite a bit of time to Spengler's obscure political phase. While certainly an authoritarian conservative, Spengler was certainly no Nazi - he viewed Hitler as a man more "of the people" than a "leader of the people." While Spengler did find court with the Nazi regime during its early years, it appears that it quickly lost interest in him. In fact, Hitler made a reference to "Decline of the West" in one of his speeches - stating unequivocally that he was opposed to the book's thesis!

The book ends on a tragic note as the reader comes to terms with Spengler's "ultra-pessimistic" view of reality. There is no saving culture, Spengler says - we must all come to terms with the fact that our culture will extinguish itself, just as our own lives will eventually wither away. Coming to terms with the true implications of Spengler is not an easy task - especially when one considers that one of the few things Spengler got wrong was his glacial timeframe for predicting the demise of the West. However, foreknowledge of impending doom may lead to potential greatness: in the end of Spengler's _Man and Technics_, he implores us to heed the following words: "We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue, like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii, who, during the eruption of Vesuvius, died at his post because they forgot to relieve him. That is greatness. That is what it means to be a thoroughbred. The honourable end is the one thing that can not be taken from a man."

In close, _Prophet of Decline_ is an excellent, timely, and long overdue contribution to the study of a man that may yet prove to be the West's greatest seer.

Malone writes a biography of the well-known New Orleans reform Rabbi Max Heller of Temple Sinai, beginning with his life in Prague and ending with his death in 1929. Malone examines Heller's family, education, career, travels and ties to the communities in which he lived. Alongside the biography of Heller is a story of the American Jewish community during his lifetime, touching upon such topics as would befit a Rabbi of a major synagogue in America: the Reform movement, Zionism, the New Orleans Jewish community, and immigration. Also, the growth of racial beliefs that affected the Jewish community's identity with and acceptance in a Southern community which was defined upon racial and caste grounds is also much discussed. Malone does an excellent job of giving the reader an "actual feel" for the person Max Heller. Between sharp letters to and from his wife while Heller was in Europe to pictures of him working the land in Palestine, Malone carefully outlines Max Heller the activist, the family man, the community leader, the Rabbi, and the Zionist.

As Malone's dissertation, this book is extremely well researched and the sources of evidence are varied and credible. However, Malone does not discuss some of the larger aspects of her scholarly research. Mainly, Malone does not discuss how the environment of New Orleans helped shape Heller's career. Malone argues that Heller's public stance on controversial topics put him at odds with his congregation and community. Yet, why was Heller not fired, as would have occurred in other Jewish communities? The answer lies in a comparison of the relationship of the community, synagogues and Rabbi to other communities, such as Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, the largely Quaker roots, which was anti-clerical by nature, put the community at odds with the clergy. The Jewish community in Philadelphia was also anti-clerical. Had Heller been the Rabbi in Philadelphia, he would have been fired. Yet, in New Orleans, Heller is not fired. In fact, his tenure is extensive. Answers to this question are also the answers that would explain why Heller's predecessor was so beloved as well.

There are a few other areas that needed more explanation. Once such area was the relationship between Isaac Mayer Wise and Heller. Such knowledge might establish an extremely close tie between New Orleans and Cincinnati, and that tie has not been adequately completed. Indeed, from the evidence in the dissertation, it would seem quite easy to establish that New Orleans was extremely close to Cincinnati. In addition, another aspect that might warrant further investigation is the Zionist beliefs of Heller. Heller's views of Zionism are ahead of a famous Zionist, Ahad Ha-am, and Heller's negation of the Diaspora stance pre-dates and even contradicts the beliefs of many contemporaries. Further exploration of this matter would shed light on the distinctions that distinguish Southern Jewry and Southern beliefs from the greater Jewish America. Also, Malone discusses with much significance of the dueling identities of Jews in the South. The first is the Jew who lives in a Southern city that adheres to a racially divided social system that supercedes the standard applied to a divided religious community, but is aware that such a system exists. The second identity crisis for American Jews is as Americans in the greater American culture. Thus, the difference between Northern Jews and Southern Jews is the degree in which the South shapes conceptions of Jewish identity. Malone explores these concepts, and her exploration leaves many questions concerning these different identities.

Overall, this is a quite readable biography of a Southern reform Rabbi during the growth and transformation of America and the American Jewish community, touching from the end of Reconstruction in the South through World War I and then on to Zionism. This book promotes the study of American Judaism in the South, and proves that biography is an excellent vehicle as a methodology for examining the issues that confronted the Jews living in the South.

Can you put a price on a human life? Slave owners did, and you can read the inventory record of a plantation.

The story is an interesting one, told many times before. The reason this little book stays in my mind is that it does not sugar-coat slavery. It's a real lesson in history.

I gave this present to my aunt and uncle for Christmas as they have recently purchased new bikes and begun riding trails in our area. They have planned a trip to Florida next month and told me this book has been a great source of information in planning their trip. They really enjoyed this gift.

Bought this map for a long weekend in New Orleans. Not only is it compact and easy to read, it has lots of other valuable information such as public transit routes and fares, as well as street listings. Also, the maps themselves identify certain points of interest as well as hotels and restaurants. Absolutely got my money's worth from this map.

This map is great if you are cruzing in New Orleans. Larger streets are highlighted, and navigation is made much easier. I highly suggest that people new to the Big Easy pick up one of these maps. It will save you a lot of trouble.

Fast shipping a flawless transaction. Rand Mcnally sure knows how to make a great map. Extra little tidbits such as areas of interest, restaurants,and of course the main thing how to get from Point A to Point B. Thanks