Louisiana Books

Danny Heitman writes with keen observations on the beauty of nature, Audubon's sometimes contradictory motivations as man and artist and a page in Louisiana history as seen through his subject's eyes.
The book is expertly written and rich in historical detail. Heitman's enthusiasm for his subject, and his love of his native Louisiana, is evident on every page.

Nicely written delineation of Audubon's preparation of his great work. Expresses the family and financial problems involved.

First, let me declare openly that I am a biased reviewer. I was a classmate of Danny Heitman (the author) in high school and learned to love his story-telling and writing skills many years ago. I follow Heitman's columns and essays with interest because he always finds a way to seize me.

I knew that would the case with this book, and I was not disappointed. Although I am a native of Louisiana, I must confess that I've never examined the life of Audobon nor his oeuvre. Nor am I a birder. I am simply someone who loves history and stories. Heitman tells an interesting story, and tells it well. Using the nominally episodic setting of one summer in the forests of Oakley, Heitman weaves the story of Audobon's life, dreams, and ambitions, and you leave this book with a grasp of who Audobon really was. I may never read another book about Audobon, but I know him now.

You'll find this a quick and satisfying read, by a writer who deserves the opportunity to tell us more interesting stories in the years to come.

What a refreshing and delightful read. Exquisitely detailed, I felt as if I were in the woods of St Francisville, Louisiana observing the birds myself.I love the way Heitman took liberty with the time line as he wove together past and future events in Audubon's life that supported the current points in each chapter. I also appreciated how adeptly he intertwined the account with modern metaphors --reading the book was like ascending that beautiful spiral staircase to the Oakley House gallery. This author has a gifted ability to observe and write that make this a delightful read, not only for the Audubon fan but for the general reader. Kudos! I do hope there are ideas for future books in development by this talented author.

Poet Susan Ludvigson is the real thing. She is smart enough to keep her ego out of the way (which is the downfall of most poets of the last 50 years). Her swaths of craft are large-writ, like the brush strokes of Van Gogh, but the word paint is well-mixed. No need to look for intricate rhyme schemes here (though they are there), rather look for whole colors whose radiance can best be viewed like a mosaic. Ludvigson is a great poet in this style. Read her and lines will haunt you for days. She is an exquisite beauty. This is one of the finest books of American poetry in the last decade. It should have won a Pulitzer.

Susan Ludvigson is a genius, a daring genius

Ludvisgon illuminates the human side of Jesus in a way that few would even dare

Her work makes the feelings of women especially breathe on the page. Anyone who has ever had an interest in Mary Magdalene will imagine her more deeply after reading this book. Few poets would dare to write in the voice of God talking to one of his favorite daughters (Emily Dickinson), but Ludvigson does so successfully, creating a God who is wise, witty and somewhat plaintive, trying to reconcile himself and us to His creation.

This was a great book for the seasoned visitor or someone going for the first time. The info was right on and the artwork thruout the book was beautiful. BUY THIS as some of the proceeds go to Katrina relief. A lovely tribute to one of the greatest cities in the world.

I've been to New Orleans 9 times and we're again going in 3 weeks. This book was very informative, even to someone who's been there many times. I loaned it to a friend of mine who's a New Orleans native and she loved it. She lives here in California and it brought back many memories for her. This is the perfect book for the person going to New Orleans for the first time or an old timer. I'd highly recommend it.

Very thoughtfully written and beautifully illustrated. Great gift for any New Orleans fan -- whether traveller or native.

I bought this book for my husband who used to live there. He really likes it. He is a former lucky dog vendor so it was nice to see that they had been adressed in the book as well as other areas that he is familiar with. I would definately recommend this book to people who are familiar with N.O.

I would recommend this book if you're looking for something with great pictures and a brief narrative. The photos were good in that they weren't all taken in the summer, as in most books of this type. It was nice to see these historic homes in the spring bloom, fall colors and winter white-scape. Of course the summer shots were also beautiful. A good book for your own or for a gift.

Gleason really excelled in books of this kind, he really knew how to capture these old grand buildings. This book is first rate and it covers all of the well known homes as well as some that may not be so familiar. All of his books of this genre are consistantly top notch. The colors are vibrant and just pop off the page. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the grandeur of the Old South, it's just amazing how many of these houses survived the Civil War, with battles often within earshot of the veranda.

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.

I am from Louisiana and have listened to a great deal of our state's very unique zydeco and Cajun music. There is always a lot of controversy about the differences between Cajun and zydeco music, and the definition of Creole people. This book was so well-researched over a period of years, it helped me understand even better than before how zydeco was born and who started it. I particularly enjoyed the wonderful interviews with the musicians themselves, particularly people who are no longer with us, like Clifton Chenier and Beau Jocque. If you want to know about zydeco, this book is the next best thing to coming to Louisiana to listen for yourself!

Well maybe I channel for the original king of zydeco - maybe I don't. But hey this is the real book about this southwest Louisiana music. The photos are second to none. The photos really could be framed and hung on the wall of any art gallery in the country. Sure I know the photographer but anyone who knows me knows I tell it like it is. And this is a wonderful book. The writer, Ben Sandmel, writes like he is talking to a good friend. It is a fun read. Both the writer and the photographer must have had really good access to the musicians to come up with such original stuff.

FAIT ATENCION!: This is one vast bursting boudin of a book! It'll put the salt back into your snap beans! Tear out its pages and stick 'em in your dancing shoes, cher! Along with Michael Tisserand, Sandel and Olivier form the triumviate of Zydeco, mavens three of zydeco! For locals fans, converts and overall BooZoo-aholics, you have a New Testament (to Tisserand's Old Testament -- The Kingdom of Zydeco)! For recent arrivals and the general reader 'zydeco' will now no longer just be a killer Scrabble word! For anyone who reads this book, I bet you a six pack of Dixie that you'll soon be booking your flight to SW Louiaiana! You can't go wrong if you play it right, and nose to nose with Mr. Tisserand, Messers Sandmel and Olivier have done it big-time right! Merci beacoup. Laissez les bons temps roulez!

As a zydeco novice, I really enjoyed this book. It is not an exhastive history of zydeco. Rather, author Sandmel covers the giants of the genre with chapters on Clifton Chernier, Boozoo Chavis and Buckwheat Zydeco. Shorter chapters cover some other musicans. Looks like Sandmel conducted personal interviews with most of his subjects.

Oliver's black-and-white photographs are terrific. While there are a few photos of the musicians performing, most are of a portrait nature.

The appendices include a discography of Louisiana music (more than just zydeco), Internet resources, etc.

I also recommend Let the Good Times Roll: a Guide to Cajun and Zydeco Music by Patricia Nyhan.