Louisiana Books

Beautiful photos, good text, but awkward size (doesn't fit on book shelf)

In my opinion this coffee table book is the one by which all others should be judged. Gleason is one fine professional photographer who needs to expand into yet more regions on this same subject of old plantation homes

Anne Butler's horrific but astounding account of a near death experience at the hands of a tormented and twisted cold blooded and clearly calculated killer, is truly more stranger than fiction could ever be, particularly when it is her own husband, that pulls the trigger, not once, but over and over again. From the moment I began to read this amazing piece of literary prozac truth, I knew that there would be no stopping until I had devoured it, sifting the underbelly of it, carefully, weeping and laughing with her as each moment of her life leading up to that ghastly moment and each step thereafter, unfurled. I couldn't stop until I had finished it--all in one setting.

The book shocks you, saddens you, but it also somehow speaks to the heart of us all; how one can find strength in the midst of literally death and dying; how one can keep her priorities straight and think on, in her case, her two brave yet fainthearted children. I admire how this true-to-life protagonist fought back. Not in a physical way at first, but with the inward will and drive to beat it all and to beat him at his game, a game he had by all accounts mapped out, hoping to win. But he didn't get his wish. This woman fought with the stuff that warriors are made of. She got through surgery after surgery, and from all accounts, it appears she still has more to endure. The need to be around for her children, for her family, and for her friends, surely were the driving pathos, not to mention the love of her stately home and her thriving buisness.

All I have left to say is kudos to a woman who's made from lion's cloth, to woman who's got grit in her craw. Anne Butler, was in deed carried in the arms of angels, but to me she is an angel. To have lived to tell the story is victorious. I am so grateful to have read her book. And now when I am going through my dark tunnels, and I think that I can't make it, I just think on Miss Butler, and quietly and thankfully I go on.

A psychological thriller and at the same a true story of both a heinous crime and emotional and physical survival. The story is beautifully told of a married couple, each individually well respected, and why the marriage went wrong. Anne Butler asked herself this question many, many times during her amazing recovery from five 38-caliber bullets fired at point blank range. The book delves in depth her answers and also shows remarkable aspects of her community -- the friends she never knew she had and the success of the Louisiana criminal justice system in putting here estranged husband in prison for good.

Follow the steps leading up to the shooting, the recovery (as it is to date), all aspects of the trial which was a perilous trip for Anne Butler as well as for everyone touched by the bizarre crime and finally her forgiveness of her assailant. Anne's prose reads as though she is talking directly to the reader, explaining in detail her pain, her anxiety over her children, her conclusions, and her own realization of how wonderful life can be when you are in the bosom of friends.

A book to read that will keep you captivated from beginning to end. The author tells her story as an experience that nearlly cost her her life. A true Southern Belle in the heart of Louisiana's plantation country running her familys plantation as a B&B. She tells her gripping events as she looked down the barrell a foot away of the 38 special that put 6 bullets in her body. Her courage to assume death to survie her attacker as he stood over her reloading. She talks of the unbelievable pain she has just been rendered, then feeling how serene her body felt as she was carried in the "arms of Angels" for survial. A mother of two children with their thoughts in her mind as she is shot. Who will take care of my children? If you like reading mysteries, this true mystery will keep you on edge as you turn each new page of her account and candid revelations. Knowing the author personally, her near death, and the people surrounding her makes this a more compelling book to read.

My daughter who is a very big fan of "Court TV", as am I (this is where she heard about "Weep For The Living")-told me about their review and couldn't wait to read it. It was everything they said and more. How this woman survived the brutal torture at the hands of her husband is difficult to understand. She evidently has a very strong will and desire for life. She is definitely to be admired. Neither one of us could put the book down. We highly recommend it. The title is perfect. Society all to often forgets their is a victim and all attention is put on the defendant, maybe this will help turn this kind of thinking around. Our only regret is that it took a long time to locate this book, couldn't find anywhere ...It definitely should receive more publicity. ...

"While in the Hands of the Enemy" by Charles Sanders is an outstanding historical review of the policies and operations of prisoner of war camps by both the north and the south during the Civil War. It is thoroughly well documented in its source materials and takes the reader through the policies of the Union and the Confederacy from the early days of the war to its conclusion.

The book provides a heart-rending account of the plight of prisoners of both sides not only due to shortages of food, building materials, clothing and money but because of the tit-for-tat mentality of senior government officials on both sides who preferred retaliation for perceived mistreatment by the other side of its prisoners over humanitarian concern for fellow men.

After reading this book it appears clear to me that more than Captain Henry Wirz of Andersonville infamy should have been brought to account following the war. And that includes a number of Union officials.

As has been noted by others, a full professional review on the topic of Civil Prisons has been lacking. Sanders work certainly fills that void. So many myths have been made as to why the prisons were such hell holes that they have been accepted as fact-in the face of little to support.
He starts of with the history of how POWs here handled in the 3 previous wars before the Civil War then launches into a well researched and written narrative of the phases of the prison system during the war. Like in every other area, neither North or South were ready or able to handle the almost continous filling up of prison space from multiple battles. Prisoners were simply a low priority. On both sides the entire system seemed to be the definition of Dysfunction.
The real heros, if one can claim any, were the men who handled the exchange programs and those who tried, often in vain, to improved the horrible conditions of the prisoners. On both sides their sincere and honest efforts were continually being underminded.
To really understand the whole view of the entire prison story this book is a must.

Civil War Prisoner of War history is a very simple four-note song requiring little or no thought to answer almost all the questions.

#1 The South was unable to care for the Union Prisoner of War due to lack of resources.
#2 Exchanges ended when the South refused to treat members of the United States Colored Troops as solders.
#3 The South had a history of parole violations.
#4 The North reduced rations out of sheer meanness

A possible fifth note is Grant was responsible for stopping the exchange of Prisoner of War. This note plays best with the anti-Grant factions and many refuse to consider it part of the POW song.

How is it possible to write a full symphony with such a limited set of notes?

You can start by including a chapter on the American POW experience up to 1861. I considered this filler but worked my way through it, starting to question if I had bought a clinker. The "work" paid huge dividends. It allowed me to appreciate the foundation of the prison systems, establishing the American mind set on prisoners at the start of the war. The second advantage is an understanding of the pre-war Army financial system. An officer did not to spend government money but supplemented post rations by extra-legal methods. An elaborate system of withholding, selling and buying rations developed during this time. Designed to provide a varied and healthier diet for the post it became a procedure for abuse during the war.

Parole and exchange are the foundation of the POW system going into the war. Prisoners are to be paroled at the time of capture or shortly there after. Parole involves agreeing not to perform military duties until exchanged. Exchange is the swapping of prisoners freeing them to rejoin the army. Values had been set during the War of 1812 for cases where a one to one match was not possible. Imprisonment is expected to be temporary, of short duration and requires no extra preparation of facilities.

It was a nice idea that failed almost at once. One of the first questions was; did parole and exchange agreement grant recognition to the Confederacy? This was a major problem for Washington and it took time to resolve. During this time, prisoners accumulated. Each side was pushed to find or build prison space and to spend money to maintain the prisoners. Richmond was designated the Confederacy's collection point and scrambled to lease buildings. Washington tried to use existing prison space but soon was forced into building. Nether side ever came caught up with demand or made real provision for the men's needs. Why should they, this was a temporary state until exchanged.

An unexpected but major problem was the duties of a paroled solider. The government and the individual often had very different ideas on this subject. As the number of paroled soldiers grew so did the problem. After a number of attempts to use these men in non-combat roles or as Indian fighters, both governments gave up. Each had faced a riot or near mutiny in the process. The men who wanted to be in active service were those who did not went home. The problem created the idea that some men had surrendered to escape service. The quick parole and long exchange process would honorably keep a man out of the field allowing him to escape the hardship and danger. It did not matter if this was true or false, both governments accepted the idea adding an additional burden to the process.

In 1861 and 1862, the parole/exchange system managed to stay in place. Frequent halts would fill up the prisons but each time an exchange would reduce the numbers to a more manageable level. These two years are critical as both sides established their policies and procedures for treatment of the prisoners of war. The book does an excellent job of explaining this complicated process while placing politics, the press and needs of the service in the picture. We come to understand what is coming while not inevitable is the logical out come based on history and current experiences.

By 1863, the "hard hand of war" was falling on both sides. Military logic told the North that exchanging prisoners was more beneficial to the South. The South was facing the problem of Negro soldiers, many of whom were ex-slaves and the white officers that lead them. The parole/exchange system, never stable, collapsed and what follows is a national disaster.

Neither side is prepared to house, feed and care for tens of thousands of long-term prisoners. Not being prepared is one thing but being unwilling is another. Here the book truly gives real value as the author avoids moralizing and sensationalism in favor of a straightforward historical account of the tragedy. Andersonville and Elmira are the best-known camps. This book introduces a host of camps that may not have been as bad but were terrible in the same way. The North's motivation for treating prisoners the way they did is covered and at this point, with our historical background, has an awful logic. It is impossible to find as much logic in the South's policy of deliberate neglect. The book details the specific failures of both will and policy that create and expand problems. Andersonville shows us all that is wrong with the Confederacy's policies. We follow the prison from inception to the death camp it became, tracing the warnings, pleas and multiple attempts at improvements that Richmond refuses to consider. Under political pressure and trying to avoid the advancing Union armies, prisoners move from location to location with no consideration of facilitates or supplies. At the time when "no food" was available, the commissary department is accumulating over a million rations for Lee's army.

The war's aftermath and the finger pointing is well covered too. The book gives us a good understanding of how the majority escaped commendation. The era of reconciliation ends the inquires as both North & South struggle to forget what they did.

This is an outstanding book on a "hot topic". The author provides a balanced coverage that is accurate without moralizing. However, he is unsparing in fixing responsibility for what happened. This combination gives the reader the background and information to make an intelligent assessment.

Although numerous books on individual Civil War prison camps were recently published, there has been relatively little professional research on POW policy during the last twenty years. While some of the recent prison books are of questionable scholarly value, Sanders' work is wholly professional. Although there will no doubt be some criticism of his harsh judgment of both governments, I found his arguments mostly convincing.
He contends that the South had the ability to feed prisoners, but failed to make the necessary effort. The North, outraged by southern treatment, deliberately worsened already deplorable conditions in 1864. Secretary of War Stanton and General Grant felt that halting prisoner exchanges would help the North win the war. Presidents Lincoln and Davis did very little to improve the conditions of camps. Sanitation and institutional responsibility were almost nonexistent.
While Sanders' work is repetitive in places, his book is highly accessible to the general Civil War enthusiast. Though the book concentrates on POW policy-making, Sanders does provide some chilling details of conditions at specific prisons.

We love this book!!!! I read this to my son who is 9 1/2 years old and has ADD. He has such a short attention span with any book I read to him. He actually looked at the photos and listened to me read this book without taking his eyes off of it. The rabbit is cunning and the wildcat part is histerically funny, we laughed and laughed. Thank you and You need to keep writing more funny books about this funny rabbit, wildcat.

I was enchanted by Br'er Rabbit when I was a small child. Now as an adult, I find myself emamoured with Compere Lapin! "Why Lapin's Ears Are Long" is a truly delightful story of a mischevious rabbit who knows what he wants, usually gets it and sometimes a little more than he bargained for. It's easy to find yourself laughing while reading this story aloud with a Cajun accent. The stories and illustrations are equally wonderful! Hope Madame Doucet plans to write more Lapin tales!

The pronunciation guide is the subtle difference in this children's book. Granted, the stories are amusing and the illustrations captivating but the real enjoyment comes from reading the story to a child "in character."

I participate in a program in California called Rolling Readers. I am currently reading to a class of third graders. The children were enthralled with the book both with the stories and with the illustrations. They begged me to find more stories of Compere Lapin's antics. I cannot imagine a more successful book from their point of view.

I think you should seriously consider removing Publisher Weekly's review; this is a very good selection of poems. The poet's word choice seems so natural. The poems' sequence of words seem inevitable and the writing is beautiful and appears effortless. The themes are accessible but not cliched. These are not screeching confessional poems, nor do they contain the so-called words of the street ("f...", sh..." etc) It is becoming a cliche but the review by Publisher Weekly almost certainly stems from east coast bias. Highly recommend her poetry along with that of Betty Adcock and David Mason. Good poetry is being written in the U.S.; too bad that you have to read reviews by Fred Chappell to discover it.

Lord only knows who Publishers Weekly gets to review its books, but it goofed with this reviewer. (Maybe from NYC, too jaded to know what real poetry is?) This is a wonderful book, lyrical, unashamedly so, and full of the the details that make literature stay in one's imagination.
While the NYC critics celebrate the obscure and fashionable (Jorie Graham, anyone???), real poets are out in the hinterlands writing memorable poetry. Let's read them and let the literary establishment go about its silly business.

So much of contemporary poetry is as prosy as your average obituary. And just about as engaging. A few poets, more than a few of them from the South, still know how to wield a line, a stanza, a whole poem. This poet does. The poems in this book, in the voice of a mountain woman named Alma, gather up the physical, emotional, erotic life of one woman into a texture of beauty and terror. "Abandoned to hoot owls and copperheads," Alma survives and sings her journey through the dark into luminous song. If you despair of what is happening to poetry, these days, don't. Read this book.

Byer is quoted as saying of the Blue Ridge Mts. "...these mountains are a crazy-quilt of trails haunted by women's voices," and what Byer is successful in doing is bringing those voices to life. Each poem connects the reader with the lives of women who have lived in the mountians, the isolation of their daily lives and how they sink into or break the isolation by communicating with each other through their songs. The poems are sometimes joyful and sometimes haunting as the boundary between domestic space and nature overlap. I couldn't stop reading and usually with poetry I only read one or two poems at a time and then let it settle. But with this book I got caught up Byer's crazy-quilt and read untill the end. It is a rich book.

This cookbook is outstanding! Not only does the book include wonderful recipes from my favorite city, but there are also written treasures about this awesome city. My friends and I went to New Orleans for our senior class trip when we were in high school (three buses filled with kids from Akron). To celebrate our 50th birthday, we went back to New Orleans. We had a blast - riding the trolley, eating the food, visiting the French Quarter, eating beignets at the Cafe du Monde, sightseeing, etc... I bought this cookbook for my friends as a Christmas gift. It is a beautiful cookbook!

I cried when I leafed through this book. I doubted that WS would deliver an authentic New Orleans cookbook (they might try to change stuff), but I purchased it from WS anyway to support the hurricane victims. What I received was an awesome "food pictorial." Beautiful shots of the wonderful and authentic recipes, but also beautiful photos of the restaurants, markets, streets and people I miss.

The opening paragraphs and sidebars that accompany the recipes are thoughtfully written and insightful. This book does an artful job of presenting recipes that draw on all of the cultures that make up New Orleans' cuisine. The recipes range from simple to sublime. As with all WS books, the recipes are well-written. The seafood gumbo recipe is excellent. I've shared it with family and it will be the one I use for my Christmas gumbo.

I lived and worked in the city for a while and this book makes the good memories rush back. I commend WS on the excellent research and other efforts that went into producing such a stellar book.

Like the other reviewers, I, too, cried into the pages of this beautiful book. Gone are the kind, smiling waitstaff who waited on us in the French Quarter restaurants. Scattered over the face of America. No homes, no place to work. We will never see some of the beloved chefs who, like everyone else, are scattered. New Orleans will never, ever be the same. This incredible book is living testament to the glory of a glorious city. She welcomed me and let me stay a while. Now the pages of this book are stuck together with tears. This book is a national treasure.

My husband and I fell in love with this book. We go to New Orleans each year for a mini-vacation with the kids. We are originally from south Louisiana and we enjoy the people, the culture, and especially the food. This book reminds us of our trips and the photos depict the true New Orleans the way it was before Katrina. We wanted to save our memories and that is why we bought this book. Also, we have frequented several of the restaurants mentioned and we love to cook and try out new recipies.

My grandfather was born in 1888 in the town of St. Martinville, LA and turned the century with the rest of Mr. Capuder's cast of characters. Even with that connection, in reading this book I still learned things about my ancestors that I didn't know. It is amazing how real these folks still are on the pages of Le Petit Paris, as if they'd just closed their storefront or doused their lantern for the night, not the century. I am the author of a book of Cajun poetry, Porch People, that tells the stories of these same people two generations later and it is with great respect and pleasure that I add Mr. Capuder's vast information to my own.

The book takes you back in time. The author makes you think the people are still here with us today. And he makes you feel like you're living in the past. The book is very informative, interesting, beautifully detailed with pictures, and sectioned. It's our own heritage and the way they lived. It has cross references which makes it even more interesting. But most of all it leaves you hunger for more.

This book is a small treasure of riches from the past for rural southwest Louisiana. The turn of two centuries finds us viewing our ancestors as if they still worked this land and shopped these store fronts. I learned things about my own great-grandfather that our family oral history had not documented. Mr. Capuder has done a wonderful job condensing such a vast history into such elemental beginnings.

This very fine book has been in print in one form or another since the early-to-mid 1980s. Not many music books remain in print that long, but this is an exceptional collection of model solos in the urban blues style.

The book is quite popular with music teachers (as evidenced by the other reviews) and it is enjoyable and productive for students as well. The book is aimed at the ambitious early intermediate student, and a few of the solos will challenge an intermediate guitarist.

There are 25 full-length solos in the book, each written in notation and tablature, and each recorded note-for-note on the accompanying CD. The band on the CD is excellent. There are five solos in C, five in G, five in D, five in A, and five in E. The solos are played to standard blues progressions, meaning that they may be "plugged in" to similar blues progressions that are found in many, many songs.

The solos sound exactly like the solos heard on real blues records. They are varied and performed with taste, authenticity, and feeling. You can hear why the author was a columnist for Living Blues Magazine and why his work has received consistently high reviews in a number of guitar magazines.

Great book, highly recommended.

I wish all music instruction books were written in this format. The song tabs just go from one page to the next without a bunch of talking/writing in between, and the song numbers in the book actually match the song numbers on the cd...what a rare and unique idea! Of course, none of that would matter if the material were bad, but that's not the case, the solos are great - quite diverse too. There is a lot of helpful information in this book: theory, writing your own solos, a guide to blues styles and artists,etc. - but it's all in it's own section of the book, not sprinkled throughout the book here and there making it impossible to find. As a full time guitar instructor I would just like to say "great job", "great blues solos" and "great, easy to use format". Thanks.

The author of this book, Larry McCabe, is re-releasing books that have gone out of print for one reason or another. This particular book is an old friend. After I received it, I went into my library and found a copy. It has been in print in one form or another for 25 years. Most instruction books don't last anywhere near that long. First, this book (as the author warns) is not for beginners. You need to be familiar with the movable blues scales we all use. If you are playing out, and feel comfortable with the whole neck, get this book. The style of lead is closer to Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King than anyone else. If you don't know who these men are, buy their CDs. You are in for a treat. Please read the author's introduction. There is a lot of good info there. The Tab system is the older style. It should take about 30 seconds to adjust. It's actually easier to read than the current form. If you consider yourself a Rock guitarist instead of Blues, you really could use this book. If you use these solos as a "how to", instead of just memorizing them, they will give you some new weapons. You know, for scaring the heck out of other guitarists.

I suppose Jon Riley's Irish File could be classified as a travel book. However, that description falls short of the true value of this book. This is a travel book with spirit and soul. Riley doesn't just look "at" Ireland, but looks "into" the spirit of Ireland. The photographs and the words, both Riley's and O'Faolain's, give the viewer a sense of, not only seeing images of Ireland, but feeling, hearing and almost smelling the countryside. This is a beautiful book- beautifully photographed, written, and designed- worth owning for those reasons alone, even if you don't have a specific interest in the Emerald Isle.

The Irish File is the strikingly beautiful photographic works of Jon Michael Riley. Riley lives in North Carolina has done award winning works for numerous magazines and other publications. On his journey to the Emerald Isle, Riley incorporate in his photos a conjoining of dramatic elements.

The photographs are so absolutely beautiful it gives the viewer a sense of a Victorian era painting. The artist gives you the feeling of haunting sounds of music and gentle breezes. The sounds so lovely and celestial like an ethereal song-as he describes his visit in Co. Kerry at the gate entrance of St. Senan's Holy Well. The place inspires the spirit of the breezes tumbling about the metal pipes of the gate [on the front cover]. It's looking at the land with a sense of grace and prefection. Not seeing it as a picture postcard snapshot. Like a scene out of a cinema graphic still with soft overtones. He gives his images a vintage look yet bringing out the realness of their simplicity.

Nuala O'Faolain's author of 'Are You Somebody: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman', poetic words in the introduction expresses the photogrpher's broader ego to the spirit of the place. This would make a beautiful coffee table book for lovers of breathtaking photography and those who want to reminisce their travels to Ireland.

If you want to know the soul of Ireland then sit in a quiet spot with "The Irish File" and let the images show you an Ireland you probably never knew. As a photographer I am not easily impressed with "photography" books but Jon Riley's images in his book are absolutely stunning! Well done Jon and thank you!

This guide by far is the absolute best novel to use for a reference about Louisiana's River Road. It starts just past New Orleans from the East Bank and goes upriver, crosses at Baton Rouge and then continues back downriver to New Orleans marking points along the way by mile markers. This book will tell you where you will find every plantation, every creole housee - every single place that is or remotely historical in nature. This book is NOT to be left behind when exploring Louisiana's magical River Road.

This revised and expanded version of Sternberg's previous work makes for fascinating reading for both visitors and Louisiana natives. It is not only a wonderful guidebook, but concise glimpse of the history of the Great River Road. For more from this author I suggest "Winding Through Time" which is her study of the history and influence of Bayou Manchac.

Describing details along both River Roads (one on each bank) from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, this is a great read. From Colonial to Antebellum to the Refineries populating the area now, its a very interesting and informative book. Including both straightforward history about various plantations and local people as well as colorful local stories, it's a great read. I only wish someone would write a guide like this for the area stretching north from Baton Rouge to Natchez to make it dovetail with Persac's map, around which much of the book revolves.