Louisiana Books

This is a gorgeous book--filled with Grey Guirard's lyrically haunting photographs and complemented with poignant stories from past and contemporary Cajuns. It's the best book I know of on the Atchafalaya, and I own most of them.

This book is absolutly beautiful in that it captures the rich and important history of this amazing area. Text is easy to absorb and even locals of the area will most likely be enriched by the wonderful documentation and photography available in this book

The Insiders Guide to New Orleans is a giant step forward in the city guidebook field as well as the best guide I have found to New Orleans. The authors put history in its true place as an introduction to one of the world's most fascinating cities and then present the destination in fine style as experts on the city, its attractions, its almost embarrassing riches in restaurants, its quirkiness and more. As a resident of the Big Easy (who also happens to be a professional travel writer) I found fifty things I didn't already know. Unlike many guidebooks which are either on-paper cheering sections or, alternatively, a drab presentation of facts, open hours and prices, this guide is a delightful and informative must-read for anyone every thinking of escaping to what can be considered almost another country. Five stars for The Insider's Guide to New Orleans by Becky Retz and James Gaffney.

If New Orleans is a city that easily evokes the utterances of Tennesee William's Blanche Dubois , the New Insider's Guide New Orleans by Gaffney and Retz certainly is a kindness to strangers visiting to city. Written in a lively and fun to read style, the authors take you on a lively tour of the famous and infamous aspects of the Big Easy. Locals will find the book a way to explore the underpinnings of a city they may have too quickly come to take for granted. Like the city itself, this guidebook is an easy read to curl up with (to paraphrase Blanche) on a long rainy afternoon when an hour isn't just an hour, but a little piece of eternity dropped in your hand." I highly recommend this guidebook. --Candace

Jack Dempsey has always been my favorite boxer, , Randy Roberts did his home work before writing this wonderful book. He went into great detail, when Dempsey fought Firpo ,and when he lost his title to Gene Tunney.Anyone who enjoys reading about heavyweight champions from the past, will really love this book. i still go back and read my favorite chapters over again. Kenny Hetrick

Jack Dempsy: The Manassa Mauler by Randy Roberts (Professor of History, Purdue University) is a solidly written biography of the famous Heavyweight Champion of the World who held that title from 1919 to 1926. From Jack Dempsy's childhood and his rough-and-tumble beginning of a boxing career at 16; to his rise to the top -- and eventual defeat; to his retirement from boxing in 1940 with sixty-four victories (forty-nine of them by knockout), and more, Jack Dempsy: The Manassa Mauler is an excellent and very highly recommended contribution to Professional Boxing History, and a "must read" biography for dedicated fans of "the sweet science".

Joe Brown is the owner and chef of the Melange Cafe in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Joe Brown's Melange Cafe Cookbook is his debut effort to present his imaginative and inventive Louisiana-Italian cuisine to the American public at large. Comprised of more than one hundred recipes, Brown features easy-to-follow recipes that reflect his own casual and adventurous approach to cooking. From Curried Coconut Shrimp; Salmon and Caviar New Potatoes; Breaux Bridge Crawfish Etouffee; and Okra Soup; to Veal Franchaise with Crabmeat; Pan Crusted Salmon over Wilted Spinach with Honey Balsamic Reduction; Sweet Potato Chocolate Ravioli with Pecan Bourbon Sauce; and Chocolate Grand Marnier Cheesecake, Joe Brown's Melange Cafe Cookbook will prove an instant, "kitchen cook" favorite.

Last night I went to Melange Cafe in Cherry Hill, NJ. The food was full of great flavors and the presentation was very appetizing. The fusion of the two cuisines are awesome. I am definately going to return and try other items on the menu prepared by the masterful chef. I purchased the cookbook and the chef was kind enough to take the time and sign it for me. Thanks Joe for creating a great dining experience! I can not wait to prepare the dishes using the recipes from the cookbook.

Stephen was my 2nd Great-grand-uncle. His brother William, my 2nd great-grandfather also served in the Civil War despite his brother's prostestations. I William's guard detail book from 1864. This is an interesting compilation of Stephen's writings from the Civil War.

"Jottings" is a wonderful, welcome addition to Civil War studies. This collection of newspaper columns by Sergeant Major Fleharty gives a vivid account of the 102nd Regiment Illinois Infantry during the American Civil War. The introduction written by the two editors provides a splendid biographical account of Fleharty. This book is well worth purchasing for any student of our Civil War but especially for those interested in Illinois' role in the war.

Judah Benjamin's story has fascinated me since I was a child. Here was a man who lived by a masterful combination of brains and charm, who overcame great adversity, and, when The Cause was lost, picked himself up and moved on. Benjamin was a biographer's nightmare...he never kept correspondence, burned all his papers before evacuating Richmond [and did the same shortly before he died], and never wrote, or spoke, of the Civil War once it was over. He became the richest lawyer in Louisiana at a young age, lost everything in the war, and, starting over in England in his 50's, became the richest lawyyer there. Who was the first Jew in the U.S. Senate? Who was the first Jew nominated to the Supreme Court? Who was the first American Jew to hold a Cabinet position. Who was the first Jew [and man born outside England] to be a Queen's Counsel in England? Benjamin is the answer to ALL those trivia questions. [David Yulee had served in the Senate earlier, but he had long since converted to Presbyterian; Benjamin turned down President Fillmore's nomination because the Court didn't pay enough] Judah Benjamin held three different jobs in President Davis' Cabinet,[despite an earlier near duel with Davis in the Senate] and was, in many ways, Davis' right hand man, accessory brain, and designated "nice guy", soothing the feathers that Davis ruffled. The story of Benjamin's escape to England at the end of the war is, alone, worth the price of the book. Benjamin's marriage gets plenty of space; in many ways, it was the match made in Hell. Natalie was a piece of work, yet the Benjamins were, on some level, quite devoted to each other, and stayed more or less together for over 50 years.

Judah Benjamin is a problem for some Jews, and northern liberals...here was a Jew, educated at Yale, who owned slaves, and was probably the most articulate defender of slavery. Then, he was one of the central figures in the Confederacy for four years. History does not always fit neatly; try making Thomas Jefferson fit anything. The number of Jews in the Confederacy was around 2000 [see Robert Rosen's "The Jewish Confederates"], and, as for slavery, not only did rich Jews own slaves, so did rich Indians, Mexicans, and free Blacks.

Dr. Robert Meade published this great masterpiece in 1943. It is one of the very finest pieces of biography about anybody, anytime. There are three other Benjamin biographies that I know about, and own. Two of them are even worth reading. But, there is no real comparison. This is up there with Dr. Freeman's "R.E. Lee". High praise, I know, and not made lightly. {If you can find Meade's two volume study of Patrick Henry, get it. Good luck} LSU press deserves a big "THANK YOU" for making this great book available.

ADDENDUM: There is now a fifth volume available...the 1933 "Judah P. Benjamin-Statesman of the Lost Cause" by Rollin Osterweis can be had from Amazon. See my review of it; this volume remains definitive.

Excellent perspective of history without the northern or PC agenda.

Do you like "home cookin' as much as me? This book has GREAT "home cookin' family recipies - some have a cajun touch. I say call the family and let's open the book and laissez les bons temps rouler!

This book is as much about the stories of family and friendship as it is about cooking. You can sense the passion for all things food and fun in the authors words. I know I have lived the story. Brandon Hall, Tim Hall's son.

Parrish impresses her reader with not only the grasp and knowledge of her material, but with also a certain spice that is often missing in non-fiction. Through her vivid descriptions, the reader is immersed in the Hollins culture. This is most definitely a must for the Dillard and Smith fan, but even more so a must for the reader who enjoys exquisite writing.

The author provides an historical overview of the development of private Southern women's schools from finishing schools to respected institutions of higher learning. Primary in this change at Hollins is the influence of Louis Rubin on both the writing program and the writers that program produced, with many quotes from the students about their mentor. Parrish also gives many humorous and interesting anecdotes about Lee Smith, Annie Dillard and the other subjects of the book during their formative years at Hollins. She shows how their college experiences carried over to their writing both then and through the years since graduation. For Lee Smith and Annie Dillard fans, this book is a must-read.

This is such a cute story and fun pictures. My boys age 3 and 7 really liked it.

Based on the stories of Poucet and Ti-Poucet from the oral tradition in Louisiana, this is a retelling of Tom Thumb in a Louisiana setting. In addition, readers will recognize folktale elements from Hansel and Gretel and the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

San Souci captures the essence of the Louisiana Cajun setting and diction as he relates this story of the youngest child who saves his bungling brothers from the terrible swamp ogre and the life of Marie Louise, the daughter of the richest man in the area. As justice would have it, Little Pierre married Marie Louise and received the reward from her rich father which allowed them to purchase a farm so that they could make a successful life for themselves. And the lazy brothers received their justice also, as they had to stay at home to help their parents.

San Souci also provides a pronunciation guide and glossary of Cajun words on the back of the title page and an author's note in which he traces the various versions of the story he consulted in retelling his story. David Catrow's illustrations capture the lush swamp setting as well as the humor of the characters.

I discovered this great poet at random in a library. Williams poetry is graceful and brutally honest all at once. Two must read poems are "The Associate Professor Delivers an Exhortation to His Failing Students" and "He Speaks to His Arguing Friends and to Himself". This is a collection to be cherished.

Miller Williams, the inaugaral poet, is a writer who offers more than meets the eye. His attention to detail, form, and motion are unsurpassed. This is a great introduction to his work, which spans over decades. Some of the notable poems in this collection are "Thinking of Bill, Dead of AIDS" and "Let Me Tell You," a poem which offers some of Williams's theories on writing.