Louisiana Books

Chris Tusa is a true artist, allowing us into the strongholds of what he sees as Haunted Bones. At times there are themes of Gothic, Realism and Dark Humor, we are never ok, plagued by what haunts us: facets of fear, cancer, Alzheimer's, betrayal, fantasy, sickness (inside and out), our personalized gifts from previous generations. This is poetry that Generations X and Y can relate to; waiting for a pill such as, Prozac that can numb what haunts our bones, "the way you dissolve on my tongue, like a peppermint, like a host- the way you bury my grief". In The Disappearing Act, Tusa recalls our nostalgia for innocence, in a trend of the broken family, he paints us memories like a photo album before dad (the magician) leaves the pictures, "...the final secret trick none of us knew tucked up his shiny tuxedo sleeve". On a lighter note, the poem Habit lets us reminisce about what we gave up along with smoking, "...the slow drag of conversation, the cold November evenings... fireflies blinking in the trees like thousands of lit cigarettes." What's haunting your mind, paralyzing parts of your life or your bones? Chris Tusa's poetry in Haunted Bones is a gem.

I own this book and found it very inspirational and would recommend to anybody especially to young boys and girls in athlectics overcoming lifes hurdles.

As is evident in this collection,
Kelly Cherry gifts us with her always luminous,
distinctive language, and memorable content.
Julie Suk, poet

Increasingly since the early 1980's, standardized testing has been appropriated not as a general measure of institutional comparision, but punnitative measures towards students who can't quite measure up.

Using a case study in Lousianna, Johnson and Johnson demonstrate standardized testing sounds great in political propaganda (what individual wants to be against academic excellence?) but implementation is sharply at odds with the complex reality of learning styles and economic limitations.

Because standardized tests rely on rote memorization and repition of facts in a multiple choice format, they are not the best format for people who have other learning styles. Additionally, different groups of students are educationally tracked (advanced placement, special education) but this system and it's real effects on the individual student are too convienently downplayed during test administration time.

The tests real function is to ultimately provide quickie reassurance to elected officials and parents alike that their communities are 'smart' while continuing to avoid and/or underaddress the curricular and economic issues which would actually enable these students to succed on the same programs.

Eric Voegelin's monumental historical masterpiece encompass a series of 5 volumes of a new vision of a theoretical history. Voegelin's Israel and Revelation approached the question of revelation from a highly sophisticated view of revelation as part of a historical context. The traditional theological analysis imparts only a limited dimension to the historical reality of revelation. Voegelin's theoretical conception takes us to the heart of revelation as a human activity that created a discontinuity from the the secular world view. He carefully used the Biblical account of revelation against a scholarly approach to revelation that is grounded in the order of being, i.e., the order that reflected the symbolism of revelation. He pointed out the inherent limitations of confusing the order of revelation with the pragmatic dimensions of the human existence couple with confusing revelation as a "second reality" experience. Voegelin investigation in the historical figures of revelation and the complex relationship that must be mastered to keep the religious tension with the order of being and pragmatic structure of human existence. A very absorbing book and a great understanding of revelation in a historical context.

Being a student of the War of 1812 and of the Battle of New Orelans in particular I eagerly awaited the delivery of this book. The book has four main parts; firstly, the atlas; second, Gene Smith's introduction; third, the extensive appendices; fourth, the narrative or memoir.

The atlas (actually a series of maps in a seperate docket showing the contemporary battlefields and approaches used by the US and British forces)is worth the cost of the book alone. Coming as it does from Latour's hand, Jackson's principal military engineer, it is, put simply, priceless to the serious student. Not only does it help visualise the struggle but much can be deduced by a simple comparison of Latour's battlefield and environs maps with, say, John Peddie's equally contemporary print for the British forces. Also the maps illustrate a host of detail not covered in the general histories (i.e. the correct anchorages and approach points for the British fleet - these I checked with the original ship logs that survive in England).

Mr Smith gives a very interesting introduction. His detail of Latour's life before, during and after the Battle is informative and really helps underpin the memoir by putting it in its proper place (i.e. he highlights the 'blurring' around Latour's actual location on the 8th January itself - was he with Jackson or Morgan? If so did he actually see the battle?) As good as the introduction is, however, I must point out that it is imperfect. The Commander of the British forces was EDWARD and not EDWIN Pakenham and I wish he had said more about Latours relationship with the Jean Lafitte and why Latour latter became an agent for Spain.

The appendix table is extensive and full of that incidental detail that brings history to life. It gives an added dimension to the memoir. Most students will be familar with the key documents repeated here but hidden in the despatches, letters and orders are nuggets of pure gold (i.e. the exchange of letters between opposing commanders - many not always in the official archives). Some of the items appear direct transpositions from already published sources particularly on the British side (i.e. from the London Gazette). This is unfortunate as Lambert's despatch of the battle was censored and an important paragraph excluded which, is turn, is likewise excluded from the tables.

Turning to the narrative itself it is surprisingly short. Of some 400 pages Latours memoir accounts for only 160 pages plus some notes. Of these not all are of real use to the student (i.e. Latour's preface and the war's origins I found superficial and vague). However, Latour more than makes up for this in his specialist areas such as his description of New Orleans and its defences and his descriptions of the Battles of Lake Borgne and New Orleans (not to be read without the appropriate maps) are vivid and substantial. Latour obviously conducted a lot of far ranging research (i.e. with bearly concealed contempt he provides tantalizing details of the fishing village and inhabitants and a number of Pensacola inhabitants who helped the British in their approach. He lists names and places and these too are borne out by the surving records (i.e. Guillemard p.71 received a large some of money from General Keane for his services).

All in all I found Latour's memoir to be an excellent and rewarding read. However, to get the maximum benefit from this book it is suggested that it is read in conjunction with a more modern work on the subject perhaps Frank Oswley's 'Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands' or Robin Reilly's 'The British at the Gates'.

Incredibly relevant at this time. Being from Louisiana, I felt it was important for me to read this. And I recommend this as essential reading for anyone affected by Hurricane Katrina. The chapter specifically about New Orleans was so creepy that I re-read it once I was done. The book is written very matter-of-factly and uses so many agency names and acronyms that it sometimes gets bogged down in itself. But it still reads well, and is so well researched, that this is more than compensation. Would love to read a follow-up.

Humphrey's book is remarkable -- a tour de force on any number of levels. The story is brilliantly evocative of East Texas in the 1950s; the writing is masterful throughout; but more than anything "Home From the Hill" is a beautiful and shattering story about a young man and his father. A book-jacket note compares William Humphrey to William Faulkner; read this novel and you will understand that the comparison is not hyperbole.

Beatrice is growing up on a Louisiana sugar plantation in the time of slavery and enjoys the protection of a great-aunt who can communicate with the spirits. While their favored position keeps them from contact with those who consider them witches, Beatrice can find no refuge against her own blossoming powers - and her master is taking a special interest in her. Is she sole heir to a power that really will change her life? Honey Bea is a warm story of slave days evolves with a fine personal touch and supernatural twist.

Plain, pickled, or in hot sauces, three-quarters of the world's population like peppers and like them hot. Tennessee reporter Richard Schweid has followed the American use of hot peppers to their source, New Iberia, Louisiana, where the capsicum thrive on the oily salty soil as nowhere else. Besides being home to the hot pepper sauces of McIlhenny and B.J. Trappey, New Iberia is also Cajun country, where the soft lilt of the language can be heard sung over the music of a zydeco band, co-existing with the combines of agribusiness and the boom (and bust) of offshore "oil patches." Keeping his journalist's eye on the pepper, Schweid follows it to New England herbalists, Columbus, and its uses by the Aztecs and the Mayans. With recipes like Okra Shrimp Gumbo from the New Oreans School of Cooking compiled exclusively for this edition, HOT PEPPERS is a treat for all the senses.
--- from book's back cover