Louisiana Books

This is an excellent work of scholarship and is highly recommended to anyone interested in political philosophy. Professor Ryn draws on many sources, but most specifically ideas about the ethical life of the individual in relation to the community embodied in Aristotle's "Nichomachaen Ethics", Judeo-Christian morality, Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the French Revolution", the "Federalist Papers", and the moral, esthetic, and political philosophy found in the "New Humanism" of Irving Babbitt and Paul Elmer More. Ryn contrasts the egostical idealistic(i.e. unrealistic), and ethically distorted imagination of a Rousseau with the ethical and realistic imagination of a Burke, and shows how these differing worldviews lead to the contrasting and conflicting political visions of the utopian socialist(e.g.Robespierre, Lenin, et. al.) and the constitutional republican (e.g. Madison, Lincoln, et. al). To paraphase Madison, men are neither beasts nor angels. Beasts are incapable of government, and angels don't need government. Rousseau foolishly idealized a non-existent "natural man", while equally foolishly sanctioning bestial behavior by wrongly concluding that human evil was the result of social and economic oppression.

The individual who governs himself by attention to his "inner check" freely consents to constitutional government, with its checks and balances and concepts of ordered liberty, free market economy,federalism, and representative government as the best regime practicable for our diverse and pluralistic community.

To those who like this book I would also highly recommend Babbitt's "Rousseau and Romanticism", Thomas Sowell's "Conflict of Visions", Harry V. Jaffa's "Crisis of the House Divided", Pierre Manent's "City of Man", Nicholas Wolterstorff's "Thomas Reid and the Story of Epistemology" and Prof. Ralph Ketchum's excellent one volume biography of James Madison.

This book exlores in depth two main contending views of democracy. The authour shows them to be radically different and ultimately incompatible. The book relates the two forms to different notions of man and society. It defends American constitutionalism as an example of constitutional democracy and rejects "plebiscitary" democracy as destructive of the civilized society. Agree or disagree with the author's conclusion, this is a penetrating work with broad philosophical relevance--really makes yoy think!

The diary of a single, young Southern Belle who gives us glimpses of her life from before the Civil War, to when the fighting comes close to home and when they have to flee to the West. You experience her emotions and innermost thoughts.

Often overlooked, diaries are the primary source of women's history during the Civil War. Here this elite South Carolina woman documents her life, not for prosperity, but as the custom of her day, via her private diary. Poignant and enjoyable to read, Emma carries through this time of war with the true dignity of Southern womanhood. Excellent social history of the daily life of a Southern woman. Thank you for bringing this wonderful diary to light. Joy Melcher, Civil War Lady Magazine

Ella writes what she remembers about her childhood and gives us a chance to understand what life was like for a girl dealing with World War II and the aftermath. The details of everyday life help you understand what it took to survive. She writes with honesty and gratitude for those who helped her. It is an inspiring story. God is good - all the time!

I think this was a great book. It answers alot of unasked and unanswered questions. It also talks about the effects of war. We met the author at a time share and she gave a talk about the book. She was very interesting to listen to. My Dad read this book too. He agrees with me that she didn't leave anything out. I did wonder why I couldn't get a straight answer from distant relatives where our relatives were from. When a country or state boundary line has moved other places people write on there family tree death or birth record that when the people were born they live in X which is call Y in 2006. I never thought they were not telling the truth because they were afraid the communists would find them.

If you want to read an interesting book about Russia and Germany about WWII this is the book for you. The section about life in America was vivid about living with her parents but when she was more integrated into American life and not living with her parents the information was slimmer. I definitely wouldn't have wanted to live on a cotton plantation in the South.

I really think that people will enjoy this book. It moves at a easy reading rate. It has been called "a compelling" story by a literary agent who is not handling the book. It deals with a period history, The colony of Louisiana in the early 1700's, that has very seldom been dealt with. The characters are real people in a very difficult environment. The military events are true down to the detail. There is action, romance, and intrigue in this far outpost of civilization.

It has been referred to as a new Drums Along the Mohawk by one professor and "a descendant of The Northwest Passage" by another. Readers have commented that they didn't want to put it down because they wanted to see what would happen next.

It is a must read.

I have already read this book several times, and each time I have found things I've missed the previous round. The Distant Empire is a seemless blend of the result of years of painstaking research with an engaging individual story of a young man's turbulent journey to a home he never knew he had. This is not a historical epic. It uses the most accurate historical information available to create the backdrop for its story.
Mr. Howell refreshingly does not burden his characters with a modern worldview. The feel of this story is made all the more authentic since it is told from the contemporary perspective of its characters.
The Distant Empire maintains a good tempo making it a leisurely read, while incorporating very sympathetic characters and revealing a much-ignored aspect of the our country's development.
I eagerly anticipate Mr. Howell's work in the future.

Flogstad's Dollar Road ("Dalen Portland" in Norwegian) is a compelling, often quite brilliant picaresque on the road to Social Democracy in Norway. To me, it's an absolute shame that more people haven't read this book, and I do not think that you have to have lived in Norway (or read copious amounts of Marx and Hegel) to enjoy this book--though it certainly helps. It touches on themes of industrialization, international trade, neo-Marxism, philosophy, science...It's a very brilliant work, an amazing first novel, rich with detail and consistently intellectually engaging. A great novel--possibly the best from Scandinavia in the last 50 years

The novel is a story of how the farmer population in a Norwegian town walks down 'Dollar Road' to the capitalist industrial society, and how that changes their way of living ... but not necessarily their way of thinking.

The author combines this large societal perspective with close-up portraits of the people walking Dollar Road. Two characters are of special interest. One is a somewhat pathetic representative of the more or less uninteresting lives in the new everyday of industrial society.

The other becomes a sailor who experiences great adventures in South America and ends up being a half-hearted radical librarian, marrying a girl who happens to be his sister in blood. And he just walks out of the last pages knowing that he also is the half-breed of capitalism.

I have read this book (in Norwegian) four times - discovering new details and perspectives each time. Strongly recommended!

I had the joy of meeting Margaret Gibson at a literary festival and was pleased to put a face and warm personality to the beautiful works I have read. Earth Elegy is a wonderful book, with a mix of new poems and selected old favorites. "Dia De Los Muertos" and "Fire Elegy" are strong works, along with the other poems. She has a good grasp of language and I'm glad to have become acquainted with both her as a person and her as a poetess.

I picked up this book randomly at the book store when I saw the title and was intrigued. This has turned out to be the best book of poetry I have ever read! If you like Rilke, you will love this book as well. Margaret Gibson has an amazing gift with language and a very insightful view of the world and her own experiences. Her poems are filled with longing and love. "I want the faith that moves mountains. / I want the bright force that keeps them still." ("Keeping Still") This is the kind of book that you keep near you and pick up again and again whenever you want comfort or inspiration.

Eating New Orleans is a feast--a terrific read brimming everything that's worth knowing about the Crescent City's unique universe of food. It deliverse a full course meal of facts, legends, and stories, seasoned with portraits of the people, unique ingredients, and classic dishes that make New Orleans a place unlike any other in the world. Mr. Johnson writes about his city with extraordinary insight, knowledge, humor, and passion. Before Katrina this book had tremendous practical value. Now it is a treasure. It provides a unique and precious window into a world in transition: a history of what was, a handbook to what is, and a guide to the culinary world that we as Americans can and must revive, restore, and renew in this Living National Treasure of a City, New Orleans.

There is no more fun place to dine anywhere on earth than New Orleans, Louisiana. This book has great advice on all the restaurants one should consider and I mean all of them. You may be asking yourself what a Texas redneck knows about Creole food and I say plenty it has been a passion of mine for quite some time. Pableaux has done a fantastic job in this book and it is a must have if your into food in New Orleans. Dont leave home without this book if you are a novice on New Orleans cuisine.

This book is an excellent guide to enjoy the best New Orleans has to offer. The restaurants atmosphere, service, price and food was exactly as the book stated. New Orleans has so many choices, this guide sends you to the right choice for every meal.

I love living in New Orleans, but mostly I love EATING in New Orleans. We are blessed with fabulous restaurants that serve wonderful meals at unreal prices. Tom's book is an excellent guide to the best of the city when it comes to dining. Buy it and have a great New Orleans meal.

Julia Schueler seemed to float through history. Her view of the world's progression is everything it should be, funny, emotional and honest. This is a wonderful book.

Julia Schueler's autobiographical book remembers the story of a girl who always lives elsewhere - Russia, Germany, France, America. . . She interlaces the past with the present - often within the same page. She describes people's lives, hopes, fears during the 1930's and 1940's during World War II (we Americans tend to think Hitler's terror began with Pearl Harbor). She does not paint with a broad brush - the details are exquisite.

Unlike most monolingual English speaking Americans, Julia's world was/is peopled with many languages, many cultures. Her style of writing is unique and made me want to taste each word, each phrase, each story - and often I reread. Some books make the reader sad to see that there are fewer and fewer pages left to be read. "Elsewhere: A Memoir" is one of those books. -Diana DeMille

What a pleasure to read! Robert's recollections of 'simpler times' are vivid and engaging. I can easily visualize the old home place, though I've never seen it. An easy and pleasant read that takes you back in time and away from the hectic life and everyday pressures we all face. Thanks for a great bit of history and perspective of life in the deep South, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What was it like to grow up in the Great Depression, to experience childhood according to the rhythms of farm life in a north Louisiana community where friends, family, school, and church defined the dimensions of daily life? History buffs and those interested in the landscape of the old south will find much to enjoy in Robert Aycock's memoir, Essays of Remembrance, which follows the author from his boyhood on the farm to his college days at LSU in the boisterous aftermath of the Huey Long era. The book's vivid and detailed account of wartime experiences in the Army Medical Corps offers a fascinating glimpse of the World War II homefront at a time when care for sick and injured soldiers predated the discovery of the sulfonamides and antibiotics. Aycock writes of special friendships formed, and the haunting reminder of friends and the thousands of others who did not survive the great conflict.