Louisiana Books

This beautifully produced volume deserves a prominant place on anyone's coffee table. Abstractors and professional landmen, especially if they live in Louisiana and its surrounding states, will fall in love with it.

I purchased this volume at the Louisiana Book Festival the year it came out. I even got the authors/editors to sign it. During a presentation and discussion of the book, it fell to the floor with a loud thud. The speaker quipped that it was "heavy reading". While it is a large book, I would hardly rate it a "coffee table book". This is an excellent well done book with a lot of color and information throughout. Maps from all the countries that had an interest (and some that didn't) in the Louisiana territory from the age of exploration until the last of the twentieth century. Excellent price too! I would've waited but I really wanted the signatures. I can't ever see selling this book. It is a great aid to re-enactors and living history personnel. No museum in the Louisiana Purchase should be without this book either. Kudos!

This coffee table volume was produced to celebrate the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. It contains 193 high-quality reproductions of important maps illustrating the development of Louisiana from the early sixteenth century to the present. Each map is accompanied by an historical essay placing the map in its cultural context. There is a detailed cartobibliography and list of selected readings.

The maps themselves are wonderfully reproduced. Here are a couple of examples of the essays:

"21. A Map of Louisiana And Of The River Mississippi by John Senex. London, [1718 or 1719]. The Historic New Orleans Collection

"A restless band of Carolina tranders--who crossed the Appalachian Mountains seeking closer economic relations with Native American nations to the west--galvanized English interest in Louisiana and the Mississippi River valley. In light of this development, English mapmaker John Senex responded to market demands with this map, copying liberally from Guillaume de L'Isle's ca.1718 Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississipi. This plagiarism did not, of course, include L'Isle's notation about French claims to Carolina. Interestingly, Senex dedicated his map to William Law, the father of financier John Law, whose scheme to develop French Louisiana eventually caused the ruin of many European investors."

***

"74. Louisiana from Mathew Carey's General Atlas Improved and Enlarged: Being A Collection of Maps of the World and Quarters...[Philadelphia, 1814]. The Historic New Orleans Collection

Mathew Carey became a pioneer American map publisher following his immigration to Philadelphia from Dublin in 1784. Carey set up a publishing firm financed by the marquis de Lafayette, with whom he had earlier become friends in Paris. His success in publishing Guthrie's Geography Improved led him to similar projects. Carey's American Atlas of 1795 was the earliest atlas of the United States. His American Pocket Atlas, in which the map of Louisiana appeared, was published in editions of 1796, 1801, 1809, 1813, and 1814. He had issued the earliest printed map of Louisiana as a state in 1813, which appears here in an enlarged version from his 1814 General Atlas. This map was probably compiled by Samuel Lewis, Carey's principal mapmaker."

This book makes for fascinating reading and study.

Robert C. Ross 2008

I find most contemporary poetic practice notable only for its miserly concern for the difficulties attendant upon the small, the domestic, the momentary--huge acreages felled only to tell us that someone built a fence in their backyard once, and their husband helped them and the bindweed grew up around it and that was symbolic of relationships enduring and such. I'm therefore ensanguined by Burt's new collection (definitive enough, I should think, to silence the shrieks of Robert Penn Warren harpies), which teaches us that bindweed can't "hold candle to chokeweed," that fences tend "to grow thick with unfencing menses," and that husbands are meaningful only inasmuch as they "lung persevering into the guts of Cromwell." As a result, this collection--under Burt's sprightly editorship --provides a needed corrective; Warren takes an uncompromising view of the suffering subject splayed upon the rack of history, and the results are cheerful and life-affirming. This book made me realize that there's a reason for everything; I will recommend it to my co-workers.

John Burt has provided an extraordinary service to students, teachers, scholars, and readers of Robert Penn Warren's poetry. Among the 554 poems included in this volume are previously uncollected poems and an unpublished poem, "With or Without Compass?" (in the textual notes)--all neatly organized chronologically in versions that are explained logically and thoroughly in the section on emendations and in the textual notes. The Explanatory Notes section adds glosses to words and references that might otherwise be obscure to a younger audience. Well formatted, well thoughtout, well articulated. "The" volume of Warren's poetry to own, to read, and to re-read.

I will leave it to others more qualified to sing the praises of Warren's poetry, and will merely add some vital information that is inexplicably left out of the books description above: this volume contains every poem published and unpublished that Warren ever wrote with the exception of his book-length poem "Brother to Dragons." It includes his earliest poems from the "Fugative" at Vanderbilt, the long and wonderful "Audubon: A Vision" and all subsequent books of poetry he published. Further, Warren was an constantly revising his poems, and the editor here includes Warren's final revised versions of the poems. Finally, Harold Bloom's introductory essay is a fabulous overview. In short, if you own this book and "Brother to Dragons" then you have ever word of Warren's poetry and you are set for a lifetime of enjoyment. Buy it.

I was wonderfully surprised by this book. Although I have read a lot of literature on the Civil War, I had little knowledge of the women charged with espionage. I found it a fascinating read, and very insightful as to a role women could take in a war that was, although tragic, passionately fought by both sides. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history, and particularly to those Civil War afficionados.

From 1861 through 1865 Southern women in the Confederacy challenged Federal authority, aiding deserters, feeding Confederate bushwhackers, and cutting Federal telegraph wires. Lowry's investigation uses some 75,000 Federal court-martial records recently uncovered in Nation Archives files and largely unrevealed since the Civil War to provide a striking historical survey of the events and lives of these women, making this a major pick not only for military collections strong in Civil War history, but for general holdings strong on women's history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a superb work for those interested in long-buried facets of our Civil War. Although the great number of publications dealing with the general subject might make one think that there are no new pastures to plow, Dr. Thomas Lowry has been pioneering one new field of research after another, from the "dark side" of Civil War medicine to the way courts-martial records illuminate--and round out--the moonshine-and-magnolias approach that still infects so much popular history-writing. I was bemused to read that one reviewer found this something of a "Lost Cause" book, since Lowry more often has written from the Union point of view; the point is that he's fair and serious--and easily the most creative, brilliant, innovative researcher at work today in the field of Civil War studies. The professoriat, buffs and lay readers alike owe Lowry a series of enormous debts. I believe I've read every one of his books and no author has taught me more about the period. This hard-facts volume about the roles played by Confederate women (including not a few eccentrics and dubious characters) in championing their cause deepens our understanding--whether our sympathies lie north or south of the Mason-Dixon line. You have to go straight to the Official Records to get information of this depth and quality. As for any academic criticism of Lowry--who was a career psychiatrist before devoting his life to this subject--it's pure jealousy. Lowry and his wife (who aids in his research) have done the tough, grinding archives-crunching that academics claim to respect but too-often shun in fact. This fine volume is the straightforward, unadorned truth about the American Civil War (think Joe Friday goes to Natchez). Very highly recommended for all serious students of the period, as well as for general readers who delight in seeing things from a fresh point of view.

I have eaten in all five of the restaurants (Bayona, Peristyle, Marisol, Herbsaint and Lilette) from which Carey has recipes in this book - and loved every meal. Many say (and I do not argue) these are the best restaurants in New Orleans. I bought the book based on a review I saw in the March issue of Restaurant Hospitality magazine - an industry trade magazine. Here is what got me: "There's plenty of culinary firepower in this group to be sure. But Carey's got some cooking chops of his own, plus an enviable attitude about why Creole food needed some contemporizing by his distinguished friends." And later: "All in all, it's quite a collection: And future cookbook authors take note: this book's all-star cast approach is one worth exploring on other topics."

It is a great concept and I am happy to have recipes all in one place from the best chefs in New Orleans.

I am so pleased to have finally found a Creole cook book that was written by a professional chef for serious amateurs or other professional chefs. Chef Carey's recipes are new and refreshing while still keeping in touch with classic Creole dishes. This book gave me a greater understanding of cooking Creole cuisine by using classic techniques that he emphasizes in each recipe. While reading and looking through the book I felt like I was in the kitchens of the French quarter restaurants that he highlights in the book. This is because of one of the unique features of the book, lagniappes, which are tidbits of information for each recipe. These lagniappes are great because they gave me a greater understanding of the recipe itself. I think that these are so important because many people, including myself don't know all that much of Creole cuisine.

This is a great book on Creole cooking. Carey's recipes are straightforward, and his directions are clear and easy to follow. The recipes he includes from the five New Orleans chefs and restaurants that he selected to be in the book with him are innovative approaches to Creole cuisine. I do a lot of oriental cooking, and I like the way he has chosen to include aspects of that cuisine. This isn't a book for the complete novice, but a moderately experienced cook will find a wealth of interesting dishes and historical information about this unique American style of cooking, all presented with a great sense of humor. This is an excellent addition to any cook's library.

Crescent City Collection is the latest cookbook by the Junior League of New Orleans. It contains some recipes for dishes fundamentally identified with New Orleans, but it also reflects the trend in restaurants and kitchens throughout New Orleans to experiment with new tastes and combinations of flavors. The recipes for traditional dishes like red beans and rice all seem to have a twist that successfully compliments and expands upon what is tried and true. All the recipes I've tried and tasted have been excellent, notably the Crawfish Cheescake, the Curried Chicken Salad, the Madras Salad, and the Chicken Parmisan with Apricot Sauce.

In addition to the excellent recipes, Crescent City Collection is so gorgeous it is worthy of being displayed on a coffee table. The photographs are of historic New Orleans residences. In addition, throughout the cookbook are vignettes on subjects related to New Orleans and cooking. When I don't want to cook out of it, sometimes I just enjoy reading it.

Crescent City Collection: A Taste Of New Orleans is a classy cookbook featuring over 250 recipes donated by members of the Junior League of New Orleans. Color photographs wonderfully enliven and showcase these elegant dishes with glimpses into beautiful and grandiose homes, and informative sidebars offer well-to-do cooking tips. Dishes such as Bayou Bean Salad; Turkey and Red Wine Lasagna; and Lemon Rice Pilaf fill the pages of this elegantly sumptuous and highly commended culinary guide.

This cookbook is beautiful to look at and the recipes are so easy, even for a novice. The Barefoot Boursin is a big hit at parties and doubles as an ingredient for Sinful Spinach. Also, the Dixie Beer Bread is very easy, I used it last year for Christmas gifts.

An excellent guide to what to do when the spirit moves, the time allows and the the journey means as much as the destination. A well-written, delightful read. ~Candace

If you are visiting New Orleans for a week and want to see where the locals visit on their day trips - this is the book. The author has done a great job mapping out fun trips for anyone with a car. If you have just moved into the New Orleans area - get this book. The author really covered a lot of territory; and it is fun reading. I am on my 3rd copy - I buy the book, "lend" it out, and then have to buy another one, etc.

Discover the real Louisiana history, culture and more
James Gaffney's Side Trips from New Orleans opens the door to great same-day adventures from the Crescent City. New Orleans is far more than the French Quarter and this neat book gives reason to visit the city for four or five days so to discover the bayou country, the culture, people and history an easy drive from the city. To me, this book is a 'must' when considering a visit to the Big Easy, and a fine reason to stay longer to discover far more.
Leonard J. Hansen, Journalist, Travel Writer and Author

mr. lerner does an excellent job of reporting exactly what happened to the diamond subdivision of norco, louisiana. he interviews many residents of diamond and neighboring norco and gives invaluable perspective to the struggles of both: one, a community smushed between two toxic-spewing behemoths and the other, a largely white, largely shell-employed suburb trying to "protect" their company and town. basically, the white residents are being paid to suffer the health and environmental consequences of living next to chemical and petrochemical refineries, whereas the black community, diamond, was not only suffering the brunt of the chemical emissions but not even hired by shell--i think the rate was 3% in diamond. the history of this particular part of louisiana was fascinating and well researched. the racial divides in this part of louisiana are historically intense (as they were in southeastern texas, where i grew up); the environmental racism perpetuated by shell is obvious and appalling. that it took as much time as it did for shell to relocate this community, then to do it in stages that decimated generations of family ties, is proof of their utter lack of concern for the human cost of their operations. i tried to feel a little good for shell in the giving credit where credit is due part of the book, but i still am appalled by their utter lack of concern for the health of the community, and when they did care it was only because they were threatened with bad publicity. the suggestions made by the author at the end of the book for change were excellent, and i loved margie richard's statement to the chemical companies that they should be doing this cleaner, cheaper and healthier. theirs was not a total victory, but a big one nonetheless. i look forward to any new books written by mr. lerner and i am really looking forward to seeing what happens to the current and former residents of diamond, who i hope bring forth a massive suit against shell for the damage done to their health.

This is an exceptional book. Hard hitting, informative, life affirming and full of the pulls and pushes of the real challenges people face. That said, I could not help but think what a great movie this would make. I could see this book. The images are so vivid. The stories so real. The wins so bittersweet. Mr. Lerner is a gifted writer with a warm heart and brillant mind. Thank you for writing this story. Hopefully it will inspire other real life stories.

"Diamond" by Steve Lerner is a compelling account of a community's struggle for environmental justice. This highly-readable work skillfully examines the subject of toxics pollution and the petrochemical industry's tendency to disproportionately harm people of color. In particular, the book is noteworthy for the care and compassion with which Mr. Lerner has profiled and documented the remarkable individuals who successfully led a grassroots campaign for justice in Diamond, Louisiana. In so doing, the author has alerted us to the potential for the environmental and racial justice movements to collaborate and work for change.

The first section recounts the unique history of Diamond. The tight-knit African-American community had endured centuries of slavery and segregation only to find itself on a collision course with Big Oil due to Diamond's location near the Gulf of Mexico. Over many years, the massive amounts of pollution released by Shell's refineries and chemical plants located adjacent to Diamond had caused ill health among the local population and spurred the citizens into organized action.

The second section discusses Shell and its relations with its neighbors. Through numerous interviews and visits to Diamond and the adjacent community of Norco, Mr. Lerner uncovered a startling difference in how the two ethnically stratified towns perceived reality. The mostly white residents of Norco, many of whom were employed by Shell, seemed unwilling to acknowledge the ill effects of the pollution and openly questioned the motivations of the black residents of Diamond, most of whom did not benefit economically from the plant and consequently did not shrink from vocalizing their discontent. In my view, the author's mature treatment of this particular aspect of the story provides insight into the deep-rooted racial divide in America and helps us understand how we might heal the relationship.

The third and fourth sections document the increasing tension as hard evidence of toxic releases exposed Shell's non-compliance with EPA regulations and elevated the level of distrust in the community. Greenpeace and other organizations joined with the local residents in highlighting the injustice and brought increased media scrutiny on the situation.

The fifth section shows how victory was achieved through the linking of the struggle in Diamond with the well-known case of the Ogoni people and their victimization by Shell's operations in Nigeria. The threat of negative publicity prior to a prominent international conference proved to be decisive, moving Shell management to strike a deal with Diamond residents.

In the final section, Mr. Lerner discusses the lessons learned. The author recommends buffer zones around plants, better monitoring of air and the phase-out of toxic chemicals.

In the Conclusion, Mr. Lerner credits Shell with doing the right thing but discusses the human costs of relocating the residents, a strategy that took people out of harm's way but divided neighbors who had lived near one another for generations. But in winning this David-versus-Goliath struggle, the author praises Diamond resident Margie Richards for her faith, intelligence and perseverance in leading the struggle to fruition. Ms. Richards is compared with Rosa Parks as a role model and an inspiration to all who are struggling for environmental justice.

I highly recommend this pathbreaking and important book to everyone.

A wonderful stroll through rural Lousiana of pre WWII as seen through the eyes of a witty, yet respectful youth.Being the youngest child by quite a bit allows Robert the privilege of observing his mostly adult world little noticed, and he doesn't mind pointing out to us a few of the humorous inconsistencies prevalent in the Southern Baptist community. Despite the ever present financial hardships of the depression and the aforementioned foibles, Robert learns the value of pride in his work and compassion for others that help him move into the wider world that will become his adult home. Highly recommended.

What a pleasure to read! Robert's recollections of 'simpler times' are vivid and engaging. I can easily visualize the old home place, though I've never seen it. An easy and pleasant read that takes you back in time and away from the hectic life and everyday pressures we all face. Thanks for a great bit of history and perspective of life in the deep South, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What was it like to grow up in the Great Depression, to experience childhood according to the rhythms of farm life in a north Louisiana community where friends, family, school, and church defined the dimensions of daily life? History buffs and those interested in the landscape of the old south will find much to enjoy in Robert Aycock's memoir, Essays of Remembrance, which follows the author from his boyhood on the farm to his college days at LSU in the boisterous aftermath of the Huey Long era. The book's vivid and detailed account of wartime experiences in the Army Medical Corps offers a fascinating glimpse of the World War II homefront at a time when care for sick and injured soldiers predated the discovery of the sulfonamides and antibiotics. Aycock writes of special friendships formed, and the haunting reminder of friends and the thousands of others who did not survive the great conflict.

As Hurricane Katrina roared into the city, Richard Campanella remembers in "Geographies of New Orleans," he tried to convince himself that his decision to ride the storm out in his 9th Ward home "was not an emotional one, made with a clenched fist and a fanatical dedication to place, but rather a rational one based on data and reason."

He lived, after all, in a sturdy, old, raised house, seven feet above sea level, and by staying he could be present "to minimize structural damage, to mitigate, to respond to conditions before they developed into crises, to take corrective action to protect important papers and possessions, and afterwards, to guard against looters." But when his street suddenly filled with two feet of water, he knew he had made a "big, big mistake." He and his wife were now living "literally in the Gulf of Mexico."

Although the water receded before it became life-threatening, Campanella later recognized that his "ill-advised decision" not to evacuate had never really been as rational as he'd first thought. Instead, as "the big one" approached, he simply could not bring himself to leave. He wanted to be here "to bear witness to the intricate fabrics of this cherished city, at the moment of their terrible shredding." And, after reading "Geographies of New Orleans," it is easy to empathize with his decision.

"Geographies of New Orleans: Urban Fabrics Before the Storm" is a big, striking book, filled with photographs, maps, timelines and beautifully written essays on the city's culture, environment and history. Campanella, a geographer at the Tulane Center for Bioenvironmental Research, has made understanding the nuances of New Orleans neighborhoods his life's work. "Geographies of New Orleans" is clearly a labor of love, but it is also a book stunning in its analytical precision. While Campanella knows and appreciates the lore of New Orleans, he bases all of his conclusions about the city's past and present on hard-won data, and it is, indeed, difficult to imagine just how much painstaking research went into this book.

Take, for example, his chapter on the Irish Channel, one of New Orleans' most-storied neighborhoods. Anyone who has attended the St. Patrick's Day block party at Parasol's Irish Channel Bar knows the legends. The Channel, so the story goes, was once filled with Irish immigrants who worked grueling shifts on the docks and then went to corner watering holes at night to drink, fight and sing Irish songs long into the evening. It is a rich and colorful history, and one based, in part, on truth. But, as Campanella notes, there is substantial disagreement as to whether Parasol's is in the historical Irish Channel -- or even whether the Channel of lore ever existed at all.

Some historians and old-timers say the "one and only" Irish Channel was on Adele Street, near where the Wal-Mart stands today. Others claim that Tchoupitoulas Street was the "main avenue of the Irish Channel." And while many maintain that the boundaries of the Channel were Josephine Street, Magazine Street, Louisiana Avenue and the river (the neighborhood that includes Parasol's), the 1938 WPA guide to New Orleans placed the Channel in today's Warehouse District. Father Earl Niehaus, the most famous chronicler of the Irish in New Orleans, rejected the idea that the city ever had a segregated Irish neighborhood. Instead, he suggested that people simply liked the "picturesque, though mysterious" phrase "Irish Channel," and "a myth was born."
Campanella brings a geographer's meticulousness to this debate. Rather than rely on legend, he spent countless hours mining data from primary sources in an effort to determine if there ever was a specific, predominantly Irish neighborhood known as the Irish Channel. His systematic search through old newspapers revealed that the term Irish Channel first appeared in the late 19th century but that the exact location of the neighborhood was rarely defined.

Census data from the 19th century proved to be of little help because census takers often failed to record house numbers or streets for the houses they visited. So Campanella created his own method for determining whether there was ever a neighborhood Irish enough to fit the legend of the Irish Channel. Matching addresses found in 19th century city directories with a list culled from the burial records of St. Patrick's Cemetery No. 1 of unmistakable Irish surnames -- such as Callahan, Flynn, Kelly and those starting with Fitz-, Mc-, O' -- Campanella mapped the old neighborhoods block by block.

What he found was that there was never an intensely clustered, exclusively Irish neighborhood in New Orleans. Although Irish immigrants did settle in particular districts such as the "back of town" where housing was cheap, they invariably lived side by side with Germans, Italians, African-Americans, and "a multitude of other ancestries." Assessing his research as a whole, Campanella concludes that the Irish Channel was once, most likely, a specific street -- Adele Street -- whose nickname came to be applied to a number of neighborhoods where Irish families lived. It is a cautious conclusion, one unlikely to end the long-standing debates, but in reaching it Campanella creates the most detailed account we have of where Irish immigrants to New Orleans settled and why they chose to settle where they did.

The Irish Channel is just one of many New Orleans neighborhoods Campanella explores in "Geographies of New Orleans." In other chapters he turns his expertise to the French Quarter, Uptown, the 9th Ward, Lakeview and eastern New Orleans, and it is fascinating to view the city through his eyes. In old, seemingly unremarkable buildings, Campanella sees the settlement patterns and streetscapes created by Sicilian and German immigrants, former slaves and free persons of color, Orthodox Greeks and Jews, black and white Creoles. In newer buildings he sees the history of desegregation, man's fateful efforts to conquer the environment, and the haphazard campaign to make New Orleans a "New South" city. He makes the architecture and topography of Gentilly and Mid-City as compelling as the famous neighborhoods frequented by tourists. And oft-ignored thoroughfares such as Elysian Fields Avenue become as interesting and worthy of preservation as St. Charles Avenue or Royal Street. "As a microcosm and barometer of two centuries of urban growth," Campanella argues convincingly, "Elysian Fields Avenue stands alone."

Because Campanella wrote almost all of "Geographies of New Orleans" before Katrina, it is also heartbreaking to read. Every page is a reminder of just how much has been lost. Given the amount of destruction the storm wrought, some may even wonder whether we should be spending so much time worrying about the city's past when there are so many questions about its future. Are long debates about the location of the Irish Channel -- and the meaning of the word Creole, and the dividing line between Uptown and downtown -- a luxury we can really afford? Perhaps New Orleanians have always been too focused on the minutia of the past rather than the problems of the present.

"Geographies of New Orleans" is a powerful refutation to such arguments. It is a dazzling book, unparalleled in its scope, precision, clarity and detail, that makes clear that what still survives of the "intricate urban fabrics woven here over the past three hundred years" is exactly what makes New Orleans worth saving.
. . . . . . .
Michael A. Ross is associate professor of history at Loyola University.

Of all the volumes of print that have been dedicated to New Orleans in the last few years, this book stands out as a masterpiece.

As the discipline of geography is many things so is this book and it chronicles many aspects of this city. To understand the importance of New Orleans it is essential to understand its history, which Campanella explores with loving detail. Perhaps the most intruiging part of the book is the ethnic histories of a city which one hundred years ago was arguably the most multi-ethnic in America.

As a transplant to New Orleans I came to learn much about the neighborhoods and history through conversations with old-timers. Campanella's findings confirm everything that I had learned and much, much more. Even today, the destinies of individual neighborhoods and areas of the city can be explained largely through the histories illustrated in this book.

If I have one criticism it is that many of the illustrations are too small, however it must have been difficult to pack so much information into one book.

Finally, Campanella's often quirky photographs are pleasant aesthetic lagniappe.

Perhaps the most eerie thing about reading Richard Campanella's new book, Geographies of New Orleans: Urban Fabrics Before the Storm is coming across sentences like this, written before Katrina: "The general trajectory of the region's physical geography is one of an eroding coastline, rising sea level, subsiding soils, and increasing vulnerability to hurricane-induced gulf surges." Campanella, a geographer at Tulane University, has made a literary career of analyzing New Orleans with scientific exactitude, and given his expertise in matters of alluvial deposits and soil subsidence, such prescient assertions are hardly surprising. What is a bit surprising about Geographies of New Orleans is how touchingly human it is. Campanella's work has none of the detached coldness one might expect from his analytical, scientific approach; instead he provides a vivid portrait of the city's organic development over the course of its 300-year history, one that should be required reading for anyone who has ever fallen under its spell.
Covering ground that will be familiar to readers of his previous book, Time and Place in New Orleans, Campanella begins with a look at the site of New Orleans in geological time. This first part, "Physical Geographies," is perhaps the most technical, but it provides an important basis for the historical analysis that follows. In part II, "Urban Geographies," Campanella analyzes how the physical characteristics of New Orleans have come to influence its urban form, from street patterns to land values and ethnic distributions.
The section dealing with the French Quarter, coming early in the second part, is where Geographies of New Orleans veers into the delightfully unexpected. It is here that we find Campanella's scientific methods of analysis applied to the architectural development of a neighborhood. The results are particularly illuminating, especially from the perspective of architectural preservation. Campanella has surveyed every single building in the Quarter by construction date, architectural style and building type, and he presents the results of his labor in a series of fascinating maps. Here we see that the storehouses prevalent in the more commercial parts of the quarter near the river and Canal Street correspond almost perfectly to modern levels of pedestrian traffic, that Creole architectural styles are more prevalent in the back of the Quarter, and that construction of townhouses declined sharply as the Quarter became more working-class after the Civil War. There is even an in-depth analysis of cast-iron galleries in the Quarter, with a map showing the density of their distribution in splotchy shades of green.
This type of analysis is replicated throughout. Elysian Fields Avenue is treated as a historical cross section of the city and is analyzed through its entire history, providing an architectural narrative of New Orleans' expansion from the river into the backswamp and to the edge of the lake. Here too, Campanella has the approach of a scientist. A page showing Elysian Fields Avenue with blocks color-coded by decade of oldest construction next to a topographic map of the same area looks more like a page from a chemistry textbook than a work of architectural history, but that is precisely what makes Campanella's work so provocative and fascinating.
Campanella opens his section on "Ethnic Geographies" with a brief statistical analysis illustrating the fact that New Orleans was, between 1820 and 1850, the most diverse city in the country. The more important question for Campanella, however, is why New Orleans was able to attract newcomers from all over the world in such numbers, and it is an issue that he carries forward into his analysis of each ethnicity, examining how and why each minority group was drawn to the city. Using the deep geographical perspective gained from the first parts of the book, Campanella is able to illustrate with convincing meticulousness why minorities settled where they did and how they were integrated into the urban fabric of New Orleans.
Campanella's chapter on the Irish is presented as a historical puzzle: "where was the Irish Channel?" By looking at distributions of Irish-born New Orleanians from 1840 to 1940 and delving into historical accounts, Campanella is able to provide a map showing various overlapping and conflicting theories of where this elusive neighborhood was actually located, and how its perceived location varied over time. This approach provides fascinating insights into the architectural character of the city throughout its history and in every neighborhood.
Geographies of New Orleans was, of course, researched and written before Katrina washed over and forever disrupted the city that had developed over the centuries. Campanella points out ruefully that his work is now of questionable relevance to the city that has survived and that it stands only as a monument to what was lost. There are short epilogues to each chapter pointing out the effects of the storm, but for the most part, Katrina is restricted to a final chapter in which Campanella weaves together an emotional account of staying in his Bywater home throughout the storm and a cool, detached narrative in which Campanella the geographer begins to take stock of the storm and its impact on his city. One can only hope that he will continue this process and present us with a comprehensive portrait of the new city to complement this impressive and fascinating volume, rendered poignantly out of date by a single storm last August.

Although I knew Ken Wells was a great writer after thoroughly enjoying his novels, this book was a completely different experience. It blew me away--although not literally, as happened to some of the people interviewed for this true account of hurricane Katrina in the parishes where the hurricane hit before New Orleans. The story was gripping, moving, and informative. Wells provides not only the riveting first person accounts of riding out the storm and the slow, subsequent recovery, but much useful background information about the culture of the area, as well as meteorological and political information about contributing causes of the disaster. I truly couldn't stop reading.

Ken Wells can write. Let me repeat this fact. Ken Wells can write. If you like the grittiness of Rick Bragg or the majesty of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, you will like this book.

I am a reader, presumably readers of these reviews share this avocation. My greatest joy is what I call being "stopped" while reading a book. By this I mean reading a line so beautiful or thoughtful that I am actually stopped. I am forced to put down the book and let the words pour over me. Again and again Mr. Wells' prose stopped me.

Good Pirates is the story of courageous men and women fighting not only Hurricane Katrina, but for a way of life and a piece of America that most of their fellow countrymen do not even know exists. Wells, born and bred very near these bayous, knows these folks and their land in his soul --- and it shows.

The courage of good pirates like Ricky Robin and the drama of their fight against Hurricane Katrina and what is called modern progress is inspiring. The site of the battleground, essentially the same land where the Battle of New Orleans was fought in 1812, is the swampy end of America where Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico occupy the same space. The land is described by Mr. Wells so beautifully that it is as breathtaking as the book's narrative of the struggle of man versus nature. The following excerpt is an example:

"Uplanders might find the greater landscape monotonous, the way a driver across Kansas might finally declare the endless canvas of golden wheat fields monochromatic. But bayou folk never tire of it., for they divine, in observations steeped in time, how these landscapes shift with the light and the tides and the seasons; how routinely they give up their wonders and their mysteries. Round the right bend in the summer twilight on the road to Delacroix Island and you might catch a bull alligator nosing out to feed, carving a V-shaped ripple on still waters painted by a dying sun. Or you can watch pelicans clowning above schools of cavorting porpoises not a half mile down from Ricky Robin's house, where the MR-GO meets sleepy Bayou La Loutre. Or you might drive the back road to Yscloskey in the fall and be startled by the sudden appearance of a marauding school of redfish in a placid lagoon that looks like it's been there for ten thousand years."

Mr. Wells has been a journalist for over thirty years, including stints at the Miami Herald and the Wall Street Journal. He has lived in Miami, San Francisco and London and now lives and works in the Manhattan area and works for a Conde Naste publication. However, this book proves that you can not take the bayou out of the boy.

Mr. Wells told Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air that the recognition that his life growing up on Bayou Black in Louisiana was markedly different than his fellow reporters came while working in his Wall Street Journal office. He realized that because of his bayou roots, he was probably the only person in the room that had ever skinned a possum. This epiphany led him to write his Faulkneresque Catahoula Bayou trilogy of life in south Louisiana

This saga of The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous is compelling; but the real joy is experiencing the writing of Ken Wells.

This is a great book by a great writer, telling a most compelling and inspiring story of real people and a forgotten land.

I've rarely read as gripping, horrifying, and inspiring a book as Ken Wells' story of what happened when The Storm hit the low-lying bayou parishes of St. Bernard and Plaquemines. As a reporter for the "Wall Street Journal," Wells, himself a Louisiana native, saw the devastation in the two parishes immediately after Katrina. His The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous is an oral history of sorts of what happened to them, a story that got "forgotten" by a nation focused on New Orleans proper, and how the folks in the parish have fared since.

St Bernard and Plaquemines are shrimping parishes, and Wells' story focuses on the Robin clan, a shrimping family that's lived and worked in the area for over 200 years. Ricky Robin, captain of a 70 ton trawler called the "Lil Rick"--a ship built by hand--sails up the Violet Canal hoping to weather out the hurricane. But surges whipped up by the 140+ mph winds get him in trouble almost at once. In one of the book's most harrowing passages, Ricky remembers seeing a 20 foot skiff blowing through the air and then skidding across the roiling waves like a thrown stone.

In the three days following the worst of the storm, Ricky gives shelter on the "Lil Rick" to hundreds of homeless survivors, sometimes hammering out dixieland tunes on his trumpet to keep up their spirits. Disasters can bring out the worst in frightened and desperate people. But it brought out the very best in Ricky Robin.

Although Robin is the star of the book, Wells also introduces us to others who weathered the story-- such as Ricky's cousin Ronald Robin. Ronald, a veteran hurricane survivor, also tried to weather the storm in Violet Canal. But like so many others, he was stunned by Katrina's ferocity and swiftness. "Damn," he remembers exclaiming, "that SOB is coming up fast!"

Wells stayed in touch with the St. Bernard and Plaquemines survivors, and the second half of the book tells the story of how they've coped since the disaster. It's not been easy. The parishes are still pretty much devastated, and inhabitants are bitter--they call Katrina the "federal storm," convinced that the government could've prevented the greater part of the destruction had the levees been more carefully maintained. Ricky, for all his outward easy-going nature, suffers from flashbacks.

But at the end of the day, the story that Wells tells is one of astounding courage, human fellowship, and old-fashioned pluck. As Wells himself asserts, the story of the "good pirates" is "a narrative of the human spirit, a story about a decidedly blue-collar, ruggedly independent people whose decisions to face down Katrina lay in deep cultural anchors. It is a story of a people who--when they realize no one is coming to save them--rise up to save themselves and their neighbors in the face of raw peril and a disaster of unimaginable proportions."

Oh yeah: Wells is one heckuva writer too. Readers will be captivated by his style. Six stars.