Louisiana Books

What's The Deal is 144 pages with about 60 illustrations taking up a half page or full page. These are paintings, ink drawings, and newspaper cartoons. The book begins with a six page list of a "case of characters," with a 2-sentence thumbnail description of each, for example, Rene-Robert La Salle (French explorer who claimed the Louisiana Territory in 1682), James Madison and Robert Livingston (negotiated the Louisiana Purchase Treaty), King Louis XV (gave Louisiana Territory to Spain, that is, to his cousin King Charles III of Spain), and Napoleon (took back the Louisiana Territory and sold it to the U.S.).

Although What's The Deal was written for the "school market," the writing style is never condescending, and there is plenty for any adult to learn.

SPAIN RULES OVER LOUISIANA TERRITORY. At the outset, we learn that the French kings, King Louis XIV and XV, as well as King Charles III failed to see any real value of the Louisiana Territory. We learn of the first three Spanish governors of the Louisiana Territory, Don de Ulloa, "Bloody" O'Reilly, and Don de Unzaga.

BAD BEHAVIOR OF FRENCH. We learn of Edmond Genet of France, sent as a minister to the U.S. He arrived in the U.S. in 1793, and commissioned some privately owned ships, and tried to capture Spanish ships and English ships. Genet's goal was to enlist U.S. citizens to liberate Louisiana from the Spain, for the benefit of France. Eventually, everybody (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and French government) got disgusted with Genet, and the French gave up on its plot and recalled Genet.

MORE BAD BEHAVIOR OF FRENCH. But the French kept up their bad behavior, and seized American ships and raided American commerce. The French asked the U.S. for bribes, in order to bring the French raids to a halt (this was called the XYZ affair). This was in 1798. In November 9, 1799, Napoleon conducted his coup d'etat.

FRANCE GETS BACK THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY. In 1800, Spain transferred the Louisiana Territory to France. The exchange was supposed to be as follows. The agreement was for Napoleon to give the Kingdom of Etruria (part of northern Italy) to Spain, and Spain was to hand over the Louisiana Territory. But as it turned out, Napoleon kept hold of Etruria.

FRANCE HAS BAD LUCK WITH NEW WORLD TERRITORIES. At this time, Toussaint L'Overture, a former slave, led an uprising against the French in St.Domingue (Haiti) and drove out the French by way of a slave rebellion. At this time, St.Domingue was, for France, and extremely valuable source of sugar, cotton, and indigo. Napoleon's wife, Josephine, had been born on the nearby island of Martinique, and her family owned a plantation on St.Domingue. To view the big picture, what we see is a former slave defeating Napoleon, a man famed for taking command of Austria, Poland, and Italy.

FRANCE SELLS LOUISIANA TERRITORY TO U.S. In spring of 1803, Napoleon needed money to wage war against Egypt and the English. So he decided to sell the Louisiana Territory to the U.S. The price was 15 million dollars, and to get the money, Jefferson borrowed 15 million dollars from an English bank. The goal of the English was to ensure that the French would never own territory south of Canada, while the French goal was to get money to fight the English. The treaty of the Louisiana Purchase was signed in May 1803, and two months later, Jefferson sent Louis and Clark to explore the new territory.

SEE *Starred Review of "School and Library Journal --- a rave review. eg. quotes: The author makes an exciting and suspenseful tale out of the negotiations" ..."Students of polotical science and American history will welcome this title." Book written by Newbery Honor winner, and recpient of many prestigious awards.

Being one of Gary Schreckengost's students, i can testify that he is an awesome dude. I plan to either purchase this book when my paycheck comes, or borrow it from a library. Doubtlessly, it is sure to please me. So dont hesitate, get it.

I am the author of this book and have pulled my contract with White Mane for several reasons. As such, this book is not for sale. However, it shall be published this autumn by McFarland and will be listed on Amazon.com.

Where the River Bends: A Memoir

Barry Raine has the gift of writing a detailed account of an incident that literally changed his life. His detail places you right next to him as a silent observer at the moment of fear and the trauma in his mind as he relives that night that started out innocently. Descriptions of his family interactions and those with others are so pure the reader will never forget them. I would like to hear more from this author. Soooo Good.

I read this sad book in one long evening. Because it was slim, yes, but more because it wouldn't leave my hands. Mr. Raine has a powerful (and horrible) story, but what makes this book brilliant is the angles he chooses to explore the story; the not-obvious prisms he holds up for us to look through. He does his characters -- all real people, of course -- the honor of bringing them to life on the page as much as they are in New Orleans, or his memory.

Essentially, this book is a history of the political relationship between three presidents and the South (FDR, Truman, and LBJ). The book also focuses a great deal of attention on the attitude of each president on civil rights and the plight of black people in the South. Leuchtenburg does a good job of pointing out the ambivalence of each of these presidents towards civil rights juxtaposed against bold actions they took (mostly for political reasons) that ended up helping black people in Southern states and advancing the cause of civil rights. The book is full of fascinating aspects of each president's regional identity, including FDR's second "home" in Warm Springs and the struggle of both Truman and LBJ to truly identify with a particular section of the country (whether it be West, Midwest, or South). The book also serves as a fascinating history of the shift of strength within the Democratic Party away from the Solid South and towards liberals in the North. In all, this is fantastic historical research and writing that I would highly recommend.

William E. Leuchtenburg is the preeminent historian of America in the twentieth century. Based on research in 400 manuscript collections, together with 200 oral histories, his The White House Looks South is both highly original and beautifully written. It ranks with the very best of Leuchtenburg's previous works, yet is different from any of them.
Through incisive biographies, the book establishes the relationship of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson to the South of the early-to-mid-twentieth century. Leuchtenburg argues that politics, together with the influence of individual politicians, remains central to an understanding of the broader sweep of American history, and that place and section are central to an understanding of politics. Certain presidents take the helm of change, altering through governmental action the individual lives of millions. Judging from the remarkable popularity of presidential biography, most Americans seem to comprehend at least some of these points, but they have been unfashionable among professional historians for a long generation. The White House Looks South is, in effect, a timely invitation to the historical profession to return to once-established precepts. As if to nail down the point, the book takes as its central theme the three presidents' transformation of civil rights from the 1930s through the 1960s.
Like all of Leuchtenburg's books, The White House Looks South makes splendid reading. Its pages sparkle with anecdotes as well as pithy (and often astonishingly revealing) quotes. Both a master political analyst and a master storyteller, never has Leuchtenburg produced a work so richly combining both.

Sit here and hope trying to cope my friend died it was suicide i said he wouldn't but i knew i couldnt stop him it's his life ended with the cut of a knife i dont no what he resolved but i hope his problem is solved.

It's impossible to do justice to Dave Smith's "The Wick of Memory" in a brief review. In this book he writes as a young boy, a young man, a lover, husband, and father, a poet, and finally as one beginning to experience the deteriorations of aging. But all his poems are firmly grounded in specifics, and contain many startlingly apt similes. Some examples, recalled at random: a bird's eye in the rain "serene as a man ... bent at a radar screen," the sudden stillness as the eye of a hurricane passes over "like a lock with no key," and "can't breathe hardly better than stones made neon in deep space." These jewels, and many, many others, are embedded in poems that explore situations deeply, in concentrated, precise but accessible language. There are no wasted words in these poems.

There is humor in this book, sometimes laugh-out-loud, see "Boys in the Square in Bologna," more often wry or sharp, as in "A Lay of Summer" and "The Mourners' Line." There is pathos ("Floaters"), and perhaps he skirts the fine line between sentiment and sentimentality ("Red Dog") on occasion, but everywhere there is rich, rhythmic, pleasure-giving language. I most highly recommend this book.

Not only should everyone in Louisiana read this book, but everyone in the country should!

This is an anthology with a strange title, inscrutable cover, and some of the best stories I've read. Some oldies but goodies (i.e., "The Convict") and many new-to-me stories. Some are surprisingly dark, but of course Louisiana is the land of mojo, Spanish-moss draped trees along black bayous . . . Well worth the read. These are stories to be read and read over again.

I echo the previous reviewer - this book is great for Louisiana, adjoining areas of Texas and probably other adjoining state to Louisiana. The only complaint I have is that there aren't quite enough flowers for it to be as comprehensive as I wish it were. It would be great if the book were published again with updated photographs - due to film and the technology of the times in which it was published, the images could be better - but they are still very good and it's an excellent reference for this area of the country. If you live in Louisiana particularly or in adjoining states, this is probably a book you want to have.

This is a great field guide to wildflowers in Louisiana. The photographs enable the reader to immediately identify the plant that they are trying to discover. I have owned my copy for 30 years and I still use it. Grab a copy if you can find one. I'm never parting with mine!

I originally bought this book for a child who was in the St.Louis Muny Opera because the Muny is on the site of the 1904 World's Fair. I also purchased one later for my son, who will be a history teacher. I read the book myself and was so amazed that something as wonderful as this fair is little known, especially for those of us who grew up in the area. There are details in this book, as well as pictures, that would interest many. Did you know that the Ferris Wheel actually had cars big enough to hold 60 people and weddings often took place on the Ferris Wheel?!? That is only one of the many interesting things you will read about in this book.

This book is based on a collection of about 150 pictures of the fair taken by the author's father. The pictures are very good and give a very good idea of the fair to anyone who is truly interested in the fair.

The map of the fair ground is interesting too, with its comparison to the present day Forest Park.

In addition, Mrs. Daniels Birk has explained the activities and events at the fair ground in a very smooth manner, from the eyes of a visitor !!

This is not a detailed narration of the fair. I know there were 45 nations represented at the fair. I was especially looking for any mention about a building on East India, but couldn't find anything about it.

A real good book !

I first read this book, quite by chance, a year or two after I returned from Vietnam. I have read it several times since then; specifically, whenever my memory starts to fail me, and I start to think about how good I had it in the Army.

Like the Army itself, Yancey's War is short on actuall combat scenes and long on abject misery. Although the story takes place during the Second World War, it was just as relivant in 1971 as it was in 1945. And I suspect that a GI reading it today would relate to most, if not all, of the events in the book. No book that I have ever read captures the essense of just how bad it bites to be an enlisted man in the US Army, the way Hoffman did with this book. And it surprises me that it isn't better known than it is.

Oh yes, we all know this man. This Yancey and his limitations. We all find him sometimes despicable and often pathetic. We, from time to time, want to to leave--to put the book down and take a deep breath--but can't. We have to see it through to the end. Too well written. Too unbelievably descriptive. After the last sentence, you close the book and say one word: Damn.

Beautifully various and distinguished--like a needle in the eye. I adore this book and this poet.

Year of Morphines
Poems
Betsy Brown
The National Poetry Series / Selected by George Garrett
"Allusive, edgy, smart, and utterly relentless, the poems of Year of Morphines move gracefully in the zone between our necessary morphine spells of forgetting and life's implausible reclamations: `. . . all these stories ending with life.'"-George Garrett, from his judge's citation
Betsy Brown is no stranger to loss. Breast cancer runs rampant in her family; both her mother and her thirty-two-year-old sister died of the disease and another sister has been diagnosed with its late stages. Her father also fell victim to cancer, this time pancreatic. The poems in Brown's stunning first book pivot around the mechanisms we use in facing loss and fear-whether those confrontations are as wrenching as a bone marrow transplant or as confused as a brief love.
In lyric verses with a driving narrative force, the poet depicts loved ones coping with illness, sometimes achieving recovery, and reshaping a family. From his hospital bed a father relates "the color of his pain-killers, / the in-and-out narcotic conversations / of the doomed." A woman recalls Baltimore, where her sister received treatment, as "a city of doctors, messy brain scans, / slick cobblestoned lanes thick / with Christmas." She returns to the spot where her sister's cremated remains were scattered, relishing "the secrets of ashes, / the clean wash of lake water / like all the nights we sat / with the little waves lapping."
An unusually intimate collection, Year of Morphines is both a heartbreaking portrait of the process of death and encouraging evidence of life's perseverance.
A native of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Betsy Brown works in corporate communications in Minneapolis.