Pointe Coupee History to be Launched

Margaret Media, Inc. announced the publication of A History of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana by Brian J. Costello, which is now out at local bookstores in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas and on their Web site at www.margaretmedia.com. This is an expanded edition of Costello's 1999 self-published book of the same title with more than 200 vintage photos. It is titled the Murray G. LeBeau Memorial Edition for the late Pointe Coupee historian and includes his 100-page oral history of the area. The book retails at $25. The book will be launched from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at the Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St. For information, call (504) 895-2266.

Photo cutline: Donald W. Davis, left, author of Washed Away? The Invisible Peoples of Louisiana's Wetlands, with publisher Carl Brasseaux at the LSU Center for Natural Resource Economics and Policy meeting in New Orleans.

Donald W. Davis's new book couldn't be more timely, although discussing Louisiana's vanishing coastline was news before the BP oil spill. Still, Washed Away? The Invisible Peoples of Louisiana's Wetlands (University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press) hits bookstores shelves just when we need it most.

Davis spent more than 40 years as a professor at Nicholls State University and at LSU, involved in coastal research and administering a Louisiana Sea Grant project to develop an oral history of the Louisiana wetlands. For more than 40 years he's been compiling research, stories, journals, photographs, maps and surveys for his book, a massive compilation that showcases the people and cultures that make up our coast and surrounding wetlands.

I met Davis signing copies of his massive tome at the LSU Center for Natural Resource Economics and Policy meeting in New Orleans. It was clear his life's passion fills the 578 pages of Washed Away?, adding that it took him close to eight years to write the book.

Washed Away? looks at the many topographically aspects of Louisiana's coastline, from the cheniers to the deltaic plain, and offers a peak into the many cultures that make up this "forgotten human landscape." Peoples represented here include the Native Americans, Acadians, English, Canary Islanders (Islenos), Portugese, Poles, Creoles, Vietnamese and many more.

On top of this exhaustive encyclopedia is the fact that our coastline and coastal economy is changing due to hurricanes and the recent oil spill. How these peoples and culture will survive is hard to guess, hence the question mark at the end of Davis's title.

David M. Burley, an assistant professor of sociology at Southeastern, also understands the attachment of Louisiana residents to their coast. In his book Losing Ground: Identity and Land Loss in Coastal Louisiana (University Press of Mississippi) Burley presents this connection through interviews of residents before the 2005 hurricanes, then revisits his subjects after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Both books strive to use people as the voice of coastal land loss, to give a human face to a rapidly occurring problem.

"What is left out of this milieu are the views of the region's residents," Burley writes in Losing Ground. "Residents' voices are often overpowered and get lost under the weight of the economic, political, and scientific discourse. And, of course, their voices are part of this larger mix, shaping and shaped by an ongoing history."

David Valdes Greenwood strolls through small-town Louisiana to celebrate festival queen pageantry, following several women as they compete, represent their communities and become close friends with one another, in The Rhinestone Sisterhood: A Journey Through Small-Town America One Tiara at a Time. "A festival queen is not a beauty pageant winner but a civic representative," writes Greenwood. "She will spend the year of her term selling her town and its festival to strangers all over the state, and if she fails, no one will care how lovely she looked along the way. This is why festival queens, unlike traditional beauty queens, come in all shapes and sizes." Greenwood focused on Louisiana for one good reason, the state hosts more than 130 festivals every year. He introduces readers to several contestants -- Chelsea, Lauren, Brandy and Kristen, four "sisters of the sash" -- and follows them through a year in the life of a festival queen. For more information on The Rhinestone Sisterhood, visit www.rhinestonesisterhood.com.

Frenchy Brouillette took his brother's Harley Davidson and hightailed it out of Marksville when he was 17. His destination? New Orleans, of course. Brouillette spent 50 years working with the city's Mafia and he reveals all in his memoir, Mr. New Orleans: The Life of a Big Easy Underworld Legend, written with Matthew Randazzo V, an expert on Louisiana's underworld history. Brouillette has been called "The Keith Richards of the American Mafia" and you'll guess why reading the first pages of this tell-all book, which include interviews by other Mafia figures and a chilling in-depth explanation to the Mob's involvement in the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy. Randazzo also penned the international bestseller Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and The Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry.

New Orleans musician Harold Battiste Jr. has published a memoir accented by personal letters and journals through the Historic New Orleans Collection. Titled Unfinished Blues, the book is part of the Collection's new Louisiana Musicians Biography Series focusing on documenting the city's musical heritage. Battiste has written the book with co-author Karen Celestan. Visit www.hnoc.org for more information.

The University of Alabama Press has released Alabama's Civil Rights Trail: An Illustrated Guide to the Cradle of Freedom by Frye Gaillard, a companion book to Gaillard's award-winning tome that won the Lillian Smith award for best Southern nonfiction. This new release acts as a guide to the state's numerous Civil Rights sites and monuments, from the slave auctions to George Wallace's stand against segregation on the steps of the University of Alabama. Gaillard looks at Alabama as "ground zero" of the Civil Rights movement, a state that moved from the "cradle of the Confederacy" to a moment "where democracy expanded," he said at a Montgomery symposium in early February to kick off the book.

"We have a lot to celebrate in Alabama," Gaillard told the audience that ranged in age from high school students to those who participated in the movement. "We have a lot of heroes to thank."

The book features many of the highlights of the Civil Rights era, such as the march from Selma to Montgomery in support of black voting rights and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. But it also contains information tourists will find fascinating when traveling throughout Alabama, such as Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron's boyhood home, Tuskegee Institute founded by Booker T. Washington, the once impoverished quilters of Gee's Bend now famous through Oprah and the infamous trial of the Scottsboro Boys that drew the nation's ire in the 1930s. More than anything the book seeks to embrace this sometimes violent history that resulted in positive change to show the world what can be accomplished through faith, perseverance and non-violent resistance.

"Our biggest story in Alabama is the Civil Right movement," explained Dan Waterman, University of Alabama Press editor-in-chief. "We noticed that people come to Alabama from all over the world because it's the story of freedom and how to achieve it. If there is one place in the world that demonstrates that (the fight for democracy), it's Alabama."

"Some people are embarrassed by those years," Gaillard explained. "Some people in the country look down on Alabama because of the harsh resistance to justice. I see it as a heroic story."

Weird Louisiana

Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman came up with a fun idea, document all that was weird about New Jersey and condense the photos, anecdotes and strange facts into a pamphlet. The result evolved into a magazine, then a book, which then branched out into a concept. Next came Weird U.S., a compilation of strange legends and crazy tales nationwide. I'm sure you can guess where this is heading next. "When asked to think of a 'weird' state, for most people some likely candidates will spring to mind first: New Jersey (of course), California (naturally), and another that is usually near the top of most people's lists -- Louisiana," the editors write in the introduction of Weird Louisiana: Your Travel Guide to Louisiana's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Sterling). "Just saying the name of the state is enough to conjure up all sorts of strangeness in one's imagination." Well, for most of us, strangeness might refer to our Aunt Nunu , or why some people put tomatoes in their gumbo -- or not. But for these guys, Weird Louisiana looks at a house sawed in two after an inheritance dispute, the disappearance of Lake Peigneur after a drilling mishap in an underground salt dome, how Bunkie got its name and the day it rained peaches in Shreveport. There's all of our crazy celebrations, Mardi Gras being one, our endless ghost stories, religious oddities and roadside folk art. If you're wondering if New Orleans gets the spotlight here, think again. Author Roger Manly grew up in Shreveport and dedicates much of the book to north Louisiana. And if you're also thinking that you've heard it all, prepare to be surprised. The book is full of great weird stories accented by photographs and illustrations that will keep you reading -- and laughing -- for hours. Kinda makes you wonder how they manage to keep it to 263 pages.

C.C. "Curley" Duson looked out on to the southwestern prairie known as Faquetaigue, at the end of a 20-mile railroad spur, and saw progress. He and his brothers had founded Crowley, Mamou and other southwestern Louisiana towns but this new venture was set to beat all. Thousands arrived the day of the lot auction and Eunice came into being in 1894. Arcadia Publishing creates snapshots of American history in a variety of book series and this month has published an Images of America book on Eunice, filled with old photos of the people, schools, churches and businesses who made up the prairie town. Eunice, by Alma Brunson Reed and Van Reed, incorporates early photographs of Tom and George Bevan and other old snapshots to showcase how the town grew from its 19th century inception to one of the Cajun cultural and musical hubs today. The book includes chapters on early businesses, agriculture, education, religion and the pioneers who populated the area. Included among Eunice's notable citizens are many who served in the military. Arcadia has also produced a Postcard History Series book on Greenwood, Miss., and an Images of America book on Biloxi, Miss. They are available from area bookstores and by the publisher online atwww.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling (888) 313-2665.

Fall 2009 Releases

The band members of The Terms, comprised of five LSU students, were living their dream. Their music was hitting the airwaves, their album Small Town Computer Crash made the Billboard Charts in 2006 and they were about to perform on The Megan Mullally show on national TV. On Sept. 30, 2006, heading to Monroe for a gig, a car running a stop sign slammed into the band's Toyota 4Runner, changing everything. Three members were seriously injured as the Toyota hit a telephone poll, then bounced back into the intersection and flipped on its side. But it was bass player Brandon Young who nearly died when his head hit the telephone poll, causing a traumatic brain injury. The Terms's musical rise and their experiences along the way, plus the long road back in recovery, particularly for Young, make up Jacques Lasseigne's E-Mail Connections: Tragedy and Triumph of The Terms (PublishAmerica). Lasseigne is father of one of the band members, drummer Scott Lasseigne, and the book contains many of the emails sent to fans, friends and family members during the tragedy, hence the title. Above all, it's an inspiring story. "Brandon Young was the most seriously injured in the accident, but today is enrolled at LSU-S and is passing his college courses," Lasseigne wrote me -- naturally -- by email. "This past spring semester he was accepted into the LSU-S jazz band. Brandon absolutely loves music. That is a far cry from him lying in a coma." The band has come so far, they planned a reunion concert at the Red River Revel on Oct. 10 in Shreveport. "The band is performing for two reasons," Lasseigne explained. "One, to thank the many friends who have been so supportive throughout this whole ordeal, and two, to give Brandon a lasting memory of performing with his band mates (the accident erased his memories of his time in the band). It should be a very special evening on the Shreveport River Front."

Anne Butler, author of several books on Louisiana, offers "the definitive guide" to Louisiana Swamp Tours (Pelican). Featuring photography by Henry Cancienne, the book tackles the entire state, from below Houma to Caddo Lake. Butler examines things such as if alligators are fed or not, price ranges and the abilities of the guides. There's also a chapter on alligator farms.

Marcus P. Meleton Jr., who graduated from UL Lafayette, discovered that being nice wasn't getting him or other men like him anywhere. He wrote a fun book playing on that theme titled Nice Guys Don't Get Laid. Meleton has recently published the book's third edition, expanded to include more humorous information on how nice guys finish last.

Gene R. Dark of Lake Charles served in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps and he discusses how the experience transformed him from a carefree young man to a hardened soldier in The Brutality of War: A Memoir of Vietnam, by Pelican Publishing of New Orleans.

Trudier Harris examines a host of African-American authors and their preoccupation with the South and all it represented in The Scary Mason-Dixon Line: African American Writers and the South, published by LSU Press. Included is Louisiana author Ernest J. Gaines.

E'Deana Bosworth Elmer, whose family owned several towboat companies, took it on herself to record the history and status of Louisiana lighthouses in a self-published hardback, Lighthouses of Louisiana. The comprehensive book includes inland lighthouses such as Point Defer (Point Au Fer) in Atchafalaya Bay and the Tchefuncte River and those along the coast. She even includes lightships and the Hibernia Bank Building in New Orleans, whose light at the top helped guide ships up the Mississippi and the tower used to search for aircraft during World War II.

Tom "Tuffy" Fields of Farmerville wrote a biography of the late Harvey Fields, his grandfather and a Louisiana activist and law partner of Huey Long, titled I Called Him Grand Dad, currently available on www.BarnesandNoble.com and www.Amazon.com.

Robert Blossman, former director of Emergency Services at Chabert Hospital in Houma, has written Puzzles, Poems & Proper Nouns, a compilation of facts, quizzes, and trivia (Xlibris).

Until department stores lost footing to WalMarts and Targets and corporations took over what remained, Louisiana was home to many family-owned stores, some that became national treasures. Goudchaux's in Baton Rouge, and its later purchase of Maison Blanche, was one example. Both were favorites of locals, a required stop during Christmas, especially to see Mr. Bingle and the elaborate window displays, and its owners solid members of the community. What's most interesting is the story behind the stores. Hans Sternberg, son of the owners who bought the Goudchaux store in 1939, explains the history with LSU journalism scholar James E. Shelledy in We Were Merchants (LSU Press). Erich and Lea Sternberg fled Germany during the height of Nazi terror, taken their 18-month Hans and siblings to Baton Rouge. Their story, brought to vivid life in this book, examines both the horrors Jews experienced before the war and their tenacity to survive. In the early 1930s, when Erich Sternberg realized the harassment would increase and not turn back to their favor by "clear-thinking Germans," he smuggled out his savings in pieces, then left for America in 1936. He visited family in various places, hoping to renew his business as a storeowner of clothing -- their merchantile heritage goes back five generations to a shop in 18th century Germany. Eventually, Sternberg found Goudchaux's and slowly made enough money to bring his family to America, then purchase the business. Hans later entered the business, they purchased Maison Blanche and expanded, becoming the largest family-owned department store in America. The store they opened in Lafayette has a particularly funny account. When the computers went down a team of experts flew into New Orleans and headed west, only the techies enjoyed some of the city's libations before they set off. Traveling across the Atchafalaya they thought the surrounding trees were next to the bridge, stopped the car to relieve themselves and crossed over the guard rail, not realizing the drop. When one disappeared, the other one followed, leaving one bewildered computer guru in the car. A policeman happened by and they were rescued, unharmed. Of course, the days of Louisiana's department stores have ended, but We Were Merchants offers a fascinating glimpse into the rise of the Sternberg business, when customer service and friendly, attentive ownership meant all the world to its patrons. 

Charlie Hohorst Jr. grew up hunting ducks and doves in the abundant wetlands of Acadiana, one of the largest accumulations of migratory birds and waterfowl in the United States. And because of his love of outdoors photography, Hohorst would later develop a talent for shooting these birds, but this time on film. The Lafayette native first spent morning hours photographing the various birds of the Lake Martin Rookery near his home, but then moved into the art of capturing animals in motion. Now, Hohorst travels the world as a nature photographer, from Alaska to Africa. Closer to home Hohorst has assembled a brilliant collection of Louisiana wildlife in Wings of Paradise: Birds of the Louisiana Wetlands (LSU Press). And if gorgeous shots of colorful songbirds, teals in flight, the rare reddish egret with its shaggy plumes and birds of prey with victims in their claws and beaks weren't enough, Marcelle Bienvenu of St. Martinville offers various recipes in the back, such as "a wild gumbo" and roasted duck.  There's even a handy map in the front to point visitors to the great duck hunting and birdwatching areas of South Louisiana. Wings of Paradise is both a lovely coffee table book and a gorgeous guide to the magnificent birds that call Louisiana home. It's the perfect gift for the hunter in the family, but also a great homage to the wildlife that share our state.

Penny Meaux Edwards offers yoga instruction out of her home studio in Le Triomphe and her students have long been telling her it's time to create a CD for guided meditation. Edwards took the bite and produced Universal Flow, a lovely CD featuring the music of internationally acclaimed recording artist Steven Halpern and the gentle, soft voice of Edwards, under her pen name of pennimo (pronouce it out loud and you'll get it). She divides the recording into three tracks, a beginning and then guiding listeners into a meditative state, first in a healing energy, and then as "flowing with the universe."

"It is where I nurture my trueness as though led by an omnipotent eye," she writes in her promotional materials, where truths are revealed in her "own space of tranquility where time does not get in the way."

Believe me, time is the last thing you will contemplate listening to this lovely CD.

Edwards first studied yoga at the University of the Americas in Mexico and has participated in holistic wellness in places such as California's Calabasas Ashram, Germany's Baden-Baden and Machu Picchu, among many others. In Colorado she became friends with the late actor and environmentalist Dennis Weaver and his wife wrote a quote for the CD.

"It feels so good to have one of my dreams come true," Gerry Weaver writes. "I've always had this dream that Penny would make a meditation CD."

You can purchase the CD at Edwards's Web site, www.pennimo.com.

Brad Duplechien, the founder of Louisiana Spirits Paranormal Investigations, not only offers up great ghost stories in his self-published book, Paranormal Uncensored: A Raw Look at Louisiana Ghost Hunting (iUniverse), but explains how he got into the business and his travails along the way. Part spook fest, part tell-all, it's a wonderful look into the world of ghost hunting. Duplechien starts the book with his first paranormal experience in a notoriously creepy cemetery in central Louisiana called Fort Derussy, near the remains of the Civil War defense along the Red River. His description of the cemetery visits are enough to give ghost lovers a great thrill, but it's only a taste of what is to come. After Duplechien discovers ghost hunting from the popular TV show, he realizes he wants to learn the trade and begins by hooking up with other investigators via the Internet and having his own investigation fall into his lap. His first job (these are all volunteer) goes against Louisiana stereotypes, occurring on a piece of property with an abandoned home and two trailers -- no plantation here. What Duplechien discovers on this job gives him encouragement to continue even when politics, personalities and competition among paranormal groups flare up. While recounting the paranormal experiences of this household, for instance, he also describes the "sensitives" who tag along, two people Duplechien doesn't trust and who eventually work against the legitimacy of the group. The author doesn't hold anything back, exposing the nasty backbiting of paranormal groups trying to establish themselves in the wake of the popularity of ghost hunting, and he's not scared to name names. Although I found the whole story of establishing himself as a ghost hunter fascinating, I would have preferred a bit more ghost stories. Let's hope there's a sequel. Public sites that Duplechien visited include Oak Alley, the Joseph Jefferson Mansion, Marland's Bridge in Sunset and Deridder Jail.

Looking for some scary books to read about Louisiana? Here are a few to get you in the Halloween spirit:

Paranormal investigator Brad Duplechien recounts how he became a ghost hunter, including some horrifying experiences along the way, in Paranormal Uncensored: A Raw Look at Louisiana Ghost Hunting.

Forever Dixie: A Field Guide to Southern Cemeteries & Their Residents by Douglas Keister includes Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans.

Ghost Hunter's Guide to New Orleans by Jeff Dwyer takes a look at the many hauntings of the Crescent City and environs.

Louisiana Haunted Forts by Elaine Coleman is a comprehensive guide to the many military sites throughout the state.

For kids, Lafayette's Beverly Vidrine offers a Halloween Alphabet book that's also sweetly illustrated.

Summer 2009 Releases

Journalist and former Louisiana Senator Bill Keith investigates the murder of media and advertising persona Jim Leslie and discovers the corruption in the Shreveport police in The Commissioner: A True Story of Deceit, Dishonor, and Death, a Pelican book.

Thibodaux native Maria Hebert-Leiter pens Becoming Cajun, Becoming American: The Acadian in American Literature from Longfellow to James Lee Burke by LSU Press. "The study of Cajun literature is the study of the very movement from assimilation to differentiation that mimics the path Cajuns took from their Acadian identifications to an all-American, yet different, notion of self," she writes in the introduction.

Sam Wyly, who spent his early years in Louisiana, has published 1,000 Dollars & An Idea by Newmarket Press.

Patsy Dillard of Bastrop, a former model and deputy probation officer who now lives in California, has written Do You Really Want My Life?

James Stoner, a professor of political science at LSU, has published Common Law Liberty: Rethinking American Constitutionalism with the University Press of Kansas.

Two new books have been published that deal with the history of the German Coast, the parishes just upriver from New Orleans that were settled by German immigrants. 200 Years of River Parishes' History by Judy Creekmore (Times-Picayune) is a compilation of the Celebrating 200 Years columns Creekmore wrote for the River Parishes edition of the New Orleans newspaper. The book includes the importance of the River Parishes to the development of New Orleans, the influx of Acadian refugees after the exile from Canada and the unique culture, crops and traditions of this historic area. To purchase a signed copy, send $10 plus $3.75 postage and handling to: Judy Creekmore, 213 Bedford St., LaPlace, LA 70068.

The River Road Historical Society has produced Destrehan: The Man, The House, The Legacy, written by Eugene D. Cizek and John Lawrence with photographs by Richard Sexton and edited by Louise Hoffman. Jean Baptiste Destrehan arrived in Louisiana from France at the beginning of the colony and became treasurer. The plantation in the town of Destrehan, along the River Road, was built by a free man of color and was the home of his heirs. The book sells for $39.95 and is available at Octavia Books in New Orleans. 

Many people long to renovate their homes or change its interior design for one reason or another. Maybe they want to reduce clutter, get rid of worn things or just need a change of color. New Orleans-based interior designer Leah Richardson believes these are all good reasons, but before people change their physical spaces, they must also consider their spiritual interiors. In her book, Interior Wisdom: Designing Your Home and Heart for the Lord, with photography by Colleen Duffley, Richardson suggests thinking hard on what you want in your home and making sure that function is as equal a component as beauty. Bottom line, your home should become your sanctuary.

"I find most of my clients and friends want their homes to be a safe place in which the atmosphere is loving and peaceful, a place to rest and relax," Richardson writes. "They desire it to be a place that is a gift to each soul living within its boundaries."

Interior Wisdom looks at the prep work required, including removing draperies to let in the light, making an inventory of the room and cleaning up the mess. Richardson walks the reader through the design process, learning how to manage construction site challenges, filling the house with furniture and accessories and finally, enjoying the design. She includes many Bible passages in each chapter to help readers find peace and bring God into the process. Richardson prefers lots of natural light and neutral colors, so examples in the book tend to be on the conservative side with lots of whites and open windows. Color lovers will still enjoy her approach if bringing in a "whole-house/whole-life" point of view is what you seek. For more information on Richardson and her work, visitwww.leahrichardson.com.

The popularity of automobiles, the cheap price of gas, the interstate highway system and the two-week paid vacation started what we know of today as the great American family vacation. Not too long ago Americans were told to "see the USA in a Chevrolet" -- and they did. By the 1970s, when gas prices rose along with family budgets, which both discouraged driving and encouraged more elaborate vacations, the family road trip lost popularity. Susan Sessions Rugh, a 20th century tourism history expert, relives these golden days of motor courts, motels and travelogues in Family Vacation, a book filled with classic advertisements, photos, maps, postcards and more. She examines planning for the trip and purchasing the right car, seeing the country by road, Disney's early years and the lure of beaches such as Florida and Hawaii. There's also a fascinating section on African American travel and having to find suitable hotels during segregation. Tourists would research accommodations in specialty guides geared toward blacks to avoid confrontations. Still, Rugh explains, many had to sleep in their cars.

Arguably, graffiti is a form of urban art. And most people who prefer the world as their canvas, look for ways to express themselves in innovative ways. Martha Cooper, who has been documenting graffiti since the late 1970s, noticed the trend of artwork on stickers, either hand-drawn or stenciled. At first, street artists preferred stickers such as the "Hello My Name Is" kind, but recently the artwork has shifted to USPC Priority Mail labels. Cooper assembles a collection of her photographs of these postal labels-turned art in Going Postal: Mailing Label Street Art. Some are political, some bear messages. Others sport more artwork than lettering. And some manipulate the labels -- tearing, cutting -- to enhance the image. Going Postal is a fascinating look into not only the art of graffiti but the lure a small space of white provides for those yearning to be creative.

During a previous economic downturn, the federal government sought to get people back to work -- and that included writers. The Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration, established by Pres. Franklin Roosevelt during the Depression, created the American Guide Series, 400 volumes examining every state and the territories of Alaska and Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The series included the New Orleans City Guide of 1938, written primarily by Lyle Saxon, in addition to one on Louisiana and Gumbo Ya-Ya, a collection of Louisiana folklore. The guides have long been out of print although Gumbo Ya-Ya was reprinted by Pelican Publishing of New Orleans. Now, Garrett County Press has reissued the New Orleans City Guide with a new introduction by Lawrence N. Powell, a Tulane history professor with a specialty in Southern history. Included are original photographs, a fun collection of recipes, explanations of the city's economy, religion and education, among other subjects, and listings of places a tourist would wish to frequent. There's also a discourse of black spiritual churches and voodoo titled "Negro Cults" and a recounting of New Orleans history told from a Caucasian point of view during segregation. Yet Powell believes Saxon devoted much space to the African American heritage of New Orleans, elaborating on a distinct culture to aid the black traveler, unlike the Mississippi Guide that belittled them.

"For what stands out about the New Orleans Guide are not the traces of racial condescension, but the willingness of a Southern white man to devote serious attention to black subjects during the 1930s," Powell writes in the introduction. The New Orleans staff took seriously the charge to be of help to the 'Negro traveler' by delineating African American entertainment venues and institutions, and by taking note of black cultural and artistic contributions."

Amazingly accurate despite the years and Hurricane Katrina are the neighborhood tours. Readers can obtain a copy and tour the French Quarter, for instance, and Saxon will still be right on the money.

You would think a state with the rich culture and history of Louisiana would have numerous books written about its women. Or that the general public would be able to count the many famous women born of the Bayou State. Janet Allured, associate professor of history at McNeese, uses an example of how little Louisianans know about the women who helped shaped this state as co-editor of Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times (University of Georgia Press), a collection of essays on 17 women.  She cites the LSU women's study class of Emily Toth, who begins by asking her students to name famous Louisiana women. "The students almost always come up with the same three, all of whom are still alive: Anne Rice, Britney Spears, and either Kathleen Blanco or Mary Landrieu," Allured writes. Louisiana Women is an attempt to change that, providing biographies of influential women of all economical levels and ethnicity. Patricia Brady discusses Eliza Jane Nicholson, who inherited her husband's business, the New Orleans Picayune, and decided to run it for 20 years. Shannon Frystak shows how Oretha Castle Haley juggled fighting for civil rights in New Orleans while raising two children. Lee Kogan recounts Louisiana's most famous self-taught artist, Clementine Hunter. There are well-known names such as Marie Laveau and Kate Chopin next to lesser-known individuals such as Coushatta native Louisa Williams Robinson, her daughters and her granddaughters. And some, such as Dorothy Dix who penned a nationally syndicated column, Dorothy Dix Talks, who have fallen out of the public spotlight. Dix attracted more readers than any writer of her day for more than 50 years. Authors Kevin S. Fontenot and Ryan Andre Brasseaux visit Acadiana to showcase Cleoma Breaux Falcon, who helped commercialize Cajun music while pushing the boundaries of male-established society. Hopefully, when Toth asks the questions to her students again, the answers will include many of these incredible women.

James Leininger began having recurring nightmares a little after his second birthday. But what made these dreams different from other toddlers were the details of a plane on fire. His parents, Bruce and Andrea Leininger, began piecing the story together, listening to their son discuss details of fighter planes and war adult veterans may have trouble remembering, let alone a child.

"I would say, 'Baby, what were you dreaming about?' and he would say, 'Air plane crash on fire, little man can't get out'," Andrea explained on Good Morning America.

They began to realize that James might be the reincarnation of James M. Huston, a World War II fighter pilot who died at the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. The Leiningers recount this experience, and how they have come to accept their son as the reincarnated soul of Huston, in Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot. As guests on Good Morning America, they explained how when James told them his dreams in detail, Andrea asked him who had shot down his plane. She said he rolled his eyes and said, "Huh, the Japanese!" James knew a lot about warplanes, they added, including the name of the ship, the name of the man Huston flew with and where Huston crashed in Japan. When James spoke to Huston's family, he knew details of James Huston's life that were corroborated by his family.

"He (James Huston) came back because he wasn't finished with something," Bruce Leininger said on Good Morning America.

The family visited Japan and had a memorial service above the site where Huston's plane had crashed. "That seemed to be a cathartic moment for James," Andrea Leininger said on the show. Since that time, James Leininger no longer has the dreams. In fact, today, he doesn't even remember them. "After that, he was able to let it go and move on with his life," Andrea Leininger said. "And he really did stop remembering at that point."

The Leiningers are owners of Accelerated Performance Resources, a human resources consulting business. Bruce is also human resources director for Rotorcraft Leasing Company of Broussard and Andrea serves as ballet director for Dance Graphics in Lafayette. For more information on the book, visit www.soulsurvivor-book.com.

One would hardly recognize the name today, but until the beginning of the 20th century the hurricane horror story told again and again was of a small barrier island off the Louisiana coast named Isle Derniere, or Last Island. It was on this resort island where the elite of New Orleans and the sugar plantations visited to escape both the heat of summer and the peril of yellow fever. And on Aug. 10, 1856, a hurricane just shy of Category 5 status hit without warning and wiped the island clean. Oceanographer and leader of the USGS Storm Impact research group Abby Sallenger has researched this tragic event in Louisiana history and recounts the day-by-day occurrences of the deadly storm and the unsuspecting people in Island in a Storm: A Rising Sea, A Vanishing Coast, and A Nineteenth Century Disaster That Warns of a Warmer World (Public Affairs). Most of the book is told from the point of view of several survivors through written accounts published after the fact. There's Emma Mille, for instance, the daughter of a sugar plantation owner of the Plaquemine area, who travels to Isle Dernier with other family members and their slave, Thomas, who lives to give his own story. German descendant Michael Schlatre owned a house on the island and traveled to and from via his steam vessel, the Blue Hammock. The oceangoing steamship Nautilus heads from Galveston to New Orleans only to be caught in the tempest halfway and a ship arriving from France is unable to sail into the New Orleans harbor and must ride out the storm at the river's edge. All of these unfortunate souls must face the fury of the hurricane, some failing to survive. Of the ones who do, their stories become talked about accounts for decades. Sallenger pieces them all together in Island, providing us with a window into the tragedy as if we are standing on the beach feeling the sand sting our eyes and the waters rise up our bodies. In the aftermath, he shows us an island's devastation in both human terms (many residents were buried clutching children and pirates robbed the dead) and in environmental aspects. Not only is the village washed away completely but the island is cut in two and seriously eroded. Today, little is left of the resort barrier island and much of the surrounding wetlands have slipped beneath Gulf waters. There is much to learn from Sallenger's book, including the need for immediate disaster rescue, a travesty that happened in 1856 as it did in 2005. It's a riveting account of a horrible disaster, but the lessons of coastal leisurely living, a rising sea and the constant threat of monster storms lives on.

Now that green things are popping up all over, ever wonder what they are? Two new books can answer plenty of gardening questions. Ray Neyland, professor of biological science at McNeese, has compiled a comprehensive guide to wildflowers of the Lower Mississippi River Valley, Gulf and Atlantic coastal states in Wildflowers of the Coastal Plain (LSU Press). This handy field guide offers information and color photos on 535 species of herbaceous plants, vines and shrubs from Texas to Florida and upwards to southern Illinois. There's erythrina herbacea L, known in Acadiana as Mamou and otherwise as coral bean. Neyland offers a photo and explanation of its fruit, seeds, blooming schedule and more. And if you get confused by the scientific names and botanical references there are keys in the back, including drawings of leaf and flower structures and a glossary. If you're wondering about the larger plants growing in your backyard, try the Arbor Day Foundation's What Tree is That? with illustrator Karina Helm. Like the tree publications members receive once they join the Foundation, this guide gives readers a groundwork of identifying, planting and caring for a tree. The book contains information to 250 of the more common trees in North America, but it begins with the basics. In an easy-to-understand format, readers decipher what hardiness zones they live in and then go to the section that's either east or west of the Rocky Mountains. Using a handy code system with botanical illustrations of leaves, needles, nuts and pine cones, readers can discern which tree is located in their back yard. To order the book or learn more about the non-profit Arbor Day Foundation, visit arborday.org. 

Naturally Clean Home

With spring comes the desire to open the windows and do some deep cleaning. With all the talk about green these days, why not true out some non-toxic, natural ways to clean your home? Karen Siegel-Maier has come up with 150 "super-easy" ways to scrub down just about everything in The Naturally Clean Home. She explains how to produce herbal cleaners in minutes by mixing a spray bottle of vinegar and water with a few drops of herbal essential oils. It's inexpensive, natural and smells good too. You can buy the essential oils or grow and dry the herbs yourself. Other supplies to have on hand include borax, baking soda and castile soap, among others. Here's how it works: Certain herbs have cleansing properties, such as cinnamon being antiviral and hyssop antifungal and antibacterial. There's a valid reason why those old wives' tales about herbs were told. Have a problem with fleas? Baking soda mixed with sweet orange, citronella, mint and lemon oils will do the trick. For pests that plague plants, Siegel-Maier suggests a mixture of onion, garlic, cayenne, water and castile soap. "As a bonus, simply omit the soap from this formula, and you’ve got a great seasoning for a Cajun meal!" she writes. It's a small book with lots of possibilities and fun to test out her recipes. I can vouch for the cayenne mixture. It worked wonders destroying aphids. As for the seasoning, I'll stick with Tony Cachere's.

Lafayette's Rom Gomez, former legislator, newspaper owner and author of My Name Is Ron, and I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative, is tackling a new subject these days. Before his political career, Gomez covered UL (then Southwestern Louisiana Institute and later University of Southwestern Louisiana) as manager of KPEL radio, following basketball Coach Beryl Shipley as he integrated the team and led them to impressive victories. This action also caused resentment and retaliation from the Louisiana State Board of Education. In 1973, as the team went 12-0 and won the Southland Conference regular season championship for the second time, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eliminated the basketball program with a suspension, or "death penalty," for two years, based on a series of allegations. Gomez recounts these volatile days, along with Shipley, in Slam Dunked: The NCAA's Shameful Reaction to Athletic Integration in the Deep South (Wordclay). It took decades to put distance between that time and today, Gomez explained, for both he and Shipley. Bitterness remains over the NCAA decisions and the lack of support Shipley received during that time from USL, which, ironically, was the first all-white university in the South to accept undergraduate African-American students. But now the story must be told, Gomez said, and he explains it well in this book, filled with correspondence, newspaper articles, transcripts and other documentation, as well as Shipley's side of the story. "Admittedly, there is a lingering bitterness about what the coach believes to be a miscarriage of justice," Gomez writes in the introduction. "Some persons may take exception to the relating of some events in the manuscript, but it is all told based on solid research and corroborated memories." For those who remember the early days of integration, the first mixed-race basketball team and all that entailed, or who like Shipley wish to see the truth in print, should check out Gomez's book and decide for themselves what really happened.

I'm always clenching my teeth when outsiders write about South Louisiana, wondering for the umpteenth time if they will get it right. From the first page of Poor Man's Provence: Finding Myself in Cajun Louisiana by Rheta Grimsley Johnson, I knew I had nothing to worry about. Johnson spent three decades as a journalist, winning numerous awards and being a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and her expertise in capturing the essence of a place and the richness of character and culture is profound. The story begins with her covering a boar hunt for her Atlanta newspaper, an event that wasn't particular newsworthy. But along the way she and her husband stumbled into Henderson and fell in love with a houseboat named Green Queen and so begins a life-altering event that continues today. "We live to work," she writes. "In Cajun Country, people work to live. And live they do, gloriously and riotously. They don't only suck crawfish heads; they suck all there is to get out of this life. Could it be that simple? Was the secret to a happy life to live happily?" Johnson shares with readers her love for Cajun music and dancing and the singing of Helene Boudreaux and D.L. Menard, the state's high proportion of nicknames, great po-boys found at Bon Creole in New Iberia and how friends drop heaven and earth to help one another. "Time and again the characteristic Cajun generosity would reveal itself, bringing tears to my flinty eyes and restoring my faith in human nature." Poor Man's Provence is a rich examination of a colorful, cultural state. We know it, but it's nice to read that someone good with a pen thinks so too.

Sara Roahen moved to New Orleans when her husband was accepted into medical school. A former vegetarian from the Midwest with culinary experience, she obtained a job as restaurant critic for the city's alternative newspaper, Gambit Weekly, and sought to understand the food scene of the Big Easy, which wasn't so easy for a vegetarian from the Midwest. Her foray into foods with names like sno-balls and turducken led her to pen Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table (W.W. Norton, $24.95), which explains New Orleans foods for those who don't know a Sazerac from an alligator pear. Each chapter takes on new territory, from gumbo to the Vietnamese community, from crawfish to coffee and chicory, and some subject matters that may be new to those of us born here. "Sara Roahen's empathetic tales of time at table in New Orleans will break your heart and rile your stomach," writes John R. Edge, author of Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Companion to the South. "If you wish to understand why and how food matters in this papal city of American cookery, trust her palate, trust her pen."

Just when I've thought I've seen all of the classic photos of the Crescent City comes Historic Photos of New Orleans by Melissa Lee Smith (Turner Publishing, $39.95). Granted, there must be hundreds if not thousands of photos of the famous city, but one tends to see the same shots, if not subjects over and over again. Smith does include well-known landmarks such as Aubudon Park, Canal Street and the French Quarter, but her chosen photos tend to spotlight the underrepresented people and places not usually found in history books. For instance, she includes African-American residents outside their homes in Treme and explains not only the significance of the area (the country's oldest African-American neighborhood) but also how Treme changed with different influxes of immigrants. Rex is shown arriving on Mardi Gras but shots of children masking and minorities watching parades are also included. A photo of the French Market features a group of butchers from the Gascon region of southwestern France. Other impressive photos includes a long shot of the 1966 Mardi Gras crowd on Canal Street, historic buildings that have since seen the wrecking ball or been lost to fire, presidents who have visited the city, 9-year-old boys hawking newspapers, Tulane football players in 1905 who only played one game against LSU, the Higgins factory where boats used in the D-Day invasion were built and publicity shots for the then-new housing developments created by F.D.R.'s New Deal. Some of the more poignant include a mother being given assistance by the Red Cross during the flood of 1927 and an African-American man's resigned face sitting behind the "For Colored Patrons" sign on a city bus. Smith works for the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans and is currently completing her M.A. in history from UNO, and many of her photos have been obtained from the museum, Tulane University, the New Orleans Public Library and other local sources.

Sara Bongliorni of Baton Rouge noticed one Christmas that all the toys littering her livingroom had one thing in common: they were all made in China. So she decided to experiment with the prospect of living a year without anything made in the Asian country. The result was an entertaining and thought-providing book, A Year Without 'Made in China': One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy (Wiley, $24.95).

"We couldn't resist what China was selling," Bongliorni writes in the first chapter. "But on this dark afternoon, a creeping unease washes over me as I sit on the sofa and survey the gloomy wreckage of the holiday. It seems impossible to have missed it before, yet it isn't until now that I notice an irrefutable fact. China is taking over the place."

What's refreshing about Bongliorni's experiment is her lack of political motives. She's not making a statement about economics, trade deficits or the emergence of a global power over American consumerism. She merely shows how our shopping patterns have changed over the last few decades and how very few American items are manufactured anymore. The book also clearly proves that only Americans with middle class status or above can afford to be this picky. Cheap goods sold in American stores, mostly big box establishments like WalMart, are almost all made in China. She admits from day one that China corners the market on electronics, toys and shoes and finding these items made in other countries might be impossible, but Bongliorni discovers that so many other things, include a massive amount of components, are made in China. She hits a wall, for instance, when her printer runs out of ink and all the cartridges are made in China and repairing her broken blender requires a new Chinese blade. She does find repair shops for vacuum cleaners, a lamp created by one of the very few American existing lamp manufacturers and an Italian-made shoe for her 4-year-old son, after weeks of searching. In the end, though, she and her husband arrive back at Christmas and find their gift selection remarkable slim.

Bongliorni's Chinese boycott doesn't come without sneers and arguments from friends, family and shopkeepers and tension develops between she and her husband when the household is compromised. The result, however, is an intriguing book that makes its reader want to turn over every object she buys and discover if China is indeed taking over the American marketplace.

Our state is home to many unique American treasures, and architecture is one of them. Creole Houses; Traditional Homes of Old Louisiana (Abrams. $35) by John H. Lawrence, with photos by Steve Gross and Sue Daley, honors that blend of French and Spanish influences in our state's homes that were built to withstand the heat, humidity and hurricanes. The book offers a beautiful and well-written examination of Louisiana by James Conaway, author of The Big Easy, in its forward. Lawrence, director of museum programs for the Historic New Orleans Collection, provides the commentary. The book opens with an exploration of Creole architecture, its historical significance and origins and unique characteristics. Lawrence describes Creole homes as "modest cottages, grand town houses, raised cottages in rural locales, and narrow shotgun houses -- all share plans, materials and features meant to foster comfort and ventilation in a hot, humid climate: high ceilings, a lack of interior halls, shallow building depths, overhanging roofs, galleries, shutters, French doors and casement windows, and foundations set well above wet earth and potential floods." Furnishings are mentioned as well, with imported goods and family heirlooms of the 18th and 19th centuries standard items in Louisiana homes. The book showcases many of these period pieces as it examines the inside of the Creole homes. The book is split into regions of the state: New Orleans, River Road, Pointe Coupee, The Bayou Country and Natchitoches and Cane River. Lawrence does an excellent job of describing both the homes' history and the unique designs that earn them the title of "Creole." His commentary is well-flowing, easy to understand Louisiana history. And the photographs of Gross and Daily are absolutely stunning. Creole Houses is one of those rare coffee table books you will devour from start to finish.

Spring 2008 Titles

Dottie L. Hudson compiled 20 years of her father's diaries for a biography of Roland Q. Leavell titled He Still Stands Tall (Pelican). Leavell served as a minister, evangelist, author and president of the Baptist Bible Institute of New Orleans. His 1938 book, Helping Others to Become Christians, sold 17,000 copies in four months and he was unanimously elected the first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Bruce T. Murray, a journalist and former editor with the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register, as well as a reporter in Lafayette, has written Religious Liberty in America: The First Amendment in Historical and Contemporary Perspective, an analysis of the relationship between religion and politics in American public life.

In 1959, A.J. Liebling covered Louisiana politics for the New Yorker and ended up following Gov. Earl K. Long as he was committed to a mental hospital. Liebling then published The Earl of Louisiana (LSU Press) with a foreword by T. Harry Williams, who wrote the definitive book on Huey Long. LSU Press has just issued an updated edition of Liebling’s book with a new introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winner Jonathan Yardley.

Michael Anthony has released his latest novel, Poppa Too (AuthorHouse), a true story of his daughter’s abduction, and Ed Pickett of Rayville has published a collection of short stories about families and friends titled True Stories at the Deer Camp and In the Woods (Rosedog Books, $11).

Mountain Press Publishing has reissued the Roadside Geology of Louisiana by Darwin Spearing to accommodate the changing coastline since its first edition in 1995. Spearing discusses wetland loss, land subsidence and sediment building in the Atchafalaya and includes a brief explanation of the two hurricanes of 2005. It's interesting to note that at no time was Louisiana's geology constant. Also by Mountain Press is the Roadside History of Louisiana by Charles M. Robinson III, a book that covers the state and all the fun things to view along the drive. I'm always wondering why natives aren’t writing our travel books, but Texan Robinson does a good job with only a few spots that I took exception with.

Rand Dotson, senior acquisitions editor at LSU Press and an LSU history instructor, has written Roanoke, Virginia, 1882-1912: Magic City of the New South (Univesrity of Tennessee Press).

Elizabeth Dewey, environmental coordinator at Tulane, and Rodney Clark, a graduate of Southern University and a retired supervisor with the Department of the Interior of New Orleans, have edited Remember My Sacrifice: The Autobiography of Clinton Clark, Tenant Farm Organizer and Early Civil Rights Activists (LSU Press, $40).

Winter 2007 Titles

Gardening books:

Gardening columnist Ann Justice has just published Blooming Trees & Shrubs of the Coastal South: By Sequence of Bloom ($24.95). With gorgeous photographs and planting guides, the book examines 74 flowering trees and shrubs in the area that is sometimes identified as Hardiness Zones 8B through 9A. The book includes everything a gardening needs to provide color in a coastal garden.

Holiday books:

For adults, there’s David C. Barnette's Official Guide to Christmas in the South: Or, If You Can't Fry It, Spraypaint It Gold (HarperCollins, $14.95). Barnette hails from coastal Alabama and consistently points out that no place celebrates Christmas like Dixie.

Coffee table books:

One of the biggest holiday surprises is New Orleans' Favorite Shotguns by Mary Fitzpatrick and Alex Lemann and published by the New Orleans Preservation Resource Center ($20 for members, $25 for nonmembers). The petit rectangular book features 120 pages full of entertaining, heart-warming stories by 50 narrators, 130 photographs by 55 photographers and lots of shotgun history. Did you know, for instance, that New Orleans is home to 25,000 of these architectural types? And its origins is more intricate than people realize.

Terra Incognita: Photographs of America's Third Coast by Richard Sexton (Chronicle Books, $50) captures in brilliant black and white photos both the haunting beauty and the fragility of the Gulf Coast, from Florida to Louisiana bayous. New Orleans' Sexton dedicates this astonishing collection to the "ephemeral things in life, so defined because we are aware they will not last." A limited edition of Terra Incognita will be available through Sexton’s galleries and select booksellers and will include a linen-covered clamshell case and an original signed quad tone pigment print of the cover image for $400.

Along those same lines is Earth to Earth: Art Inspired by Nature's Design by photographer Martin Hill (Andrews McMeel, $24.95), although Hill's message is the cycle of life and regeneration, one he hopes to see continued despite man's assault on the earth. His photos capture circles in nature, both original and created, in gorgeous assemblages, enhanced by quotes from conservationalists.

Mr. Mardi Gras, Arthur Hardy, publisher of the annual Mardi Gras Guide, has created an illustrated history book titled Mardi Gras in New Orleans (Arthur Hardy Enterprises, $29.95). Not only does the book outline the history of Carnival in Louisiana, but provides endless photos of Carnival memorabilia. There's also a handy Q&A section for those who reside outside Louisiana, and a listing of krewes past and present for those who do.

Nonfiction:

Barry Jean Ancelet and Philip Gould combine their writing-photography talents to document three decades of Festivals Acadiens in One Generation at a Time: Biography of a Cajun and Creole Music Festival (Center for Louisiana Studies, $20). The annual festival began as a "Tribute to Cajun Music" in 1974, when organizers stressed over whether Lafayette's Blackham Coliseum would fill with spectators. The event, of course, was successful and the rest is history, with the music component of Festivals Acadiens becoming one of the most revered folk music events in America. The book offers Gould's always captivating photos and festival write-ups of every year the music played, making this the perfect gift to both lovers of Cajun and Creole music and the festival as well. One Generation also documents the event as not only preserving the music, but watching it grow. "A fundamental principle of the festival is that tradition is not a fixed product but an ongoing process -- culture constantly evolves," Ancelet writes. "To try to prevent this is not only unwise, but impossible."

Jennifer Anne Moses suffered culture shock when she moved to Baton Rouge. Being an East Coast Jew she found "mega-churches, giant white crosses looming over the interstate, and people who think the ACLU is a satanic cult" a bit alarming. But her memoir of the experience, Bagels and Grits: A Jew on the Bayou (University of Wisconsin Press, $26.95), delves more into her spiritual search for fulfillment in her own faith and her rich experience working with AIDS patients with a blind passion for Jesus. With sarcasm and humor Moses reaches for the divine and shares a remarkable journey in the process.

James Cobb of Lafayette was led into a wild life of drugs and crime with his father, spent time in jail and then penned his incredible story. The result is No One Knows the Son, self published by J&J Publishing House and available at Barnes & Noble and Albertson's. It's a gripping tale of a harrowing life, one that ends with redemption. Cobb now talks to prison youth in the hope of turning their lives around.

LSU history titles:

Now in paperback and revised is the tragic and notorious story of racial injustice in Alabama, when two young white women accused nine black teenagers of rape in 1931. Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South (LSU, $21.95) by Dan T. Carter offers extensive research, interviews of the survivors and examines the long legal battle and public outcry that ensued.

Other history books out now by the LSU Press include: In The Footsteps of Grant and Lee: The Wilderness Through Cold Harbor by Gordon S. Rhea with photos by Chris E. Heisey ($39.95), Fenians, Freedmen, and Southern Whites: Race and Nationality in the Era of Reconstruction by Mitchell Snay ($40), Remember My Sacrifice: The Autobiography of Clinton Clark, Tenant Farm Organizer and Early Civil Rights Activist, edited by Elizabeth Davey and Rodney Clark ($40), Troubled Waters: Steamboat Disasters, River Improvements, and American Public Policy, 1821–1860 by Paul F. Paskoff ($48), Rituals of Resistance: African Atlantic Religion in Kongo and the Lowcountry South in the Era of Slavery by Jason R. Young ($40), University Builder: Edgar Odell Lovett and the Founding of the Rice Institute by John B. Boles ($35), Dr. Alexander Hamilton and Provincial America: Expanding the Orbit of Scottish Culture by Elaine G. Breslaw ($55), and Texas Terror: The Slave Insurrection Panic of 1860 and the Secession of the Lower South by Donald E. Reynolds ($45).

Robin Roberts is a real success story. After spending her childhood in Pass Christian and attending Southeastern in Hammond on a sports scholarship, Roberts went into broadcasting, first for ESPN, then as co-anchor of Good Morning America. She credits seven rules for her success in life and they are part of her new book, From the Heart: Seven Rules to Live By (Hyperion, $19.95). The rules aren't groundbreaking; some of the seven include "focus on the solution, not the problem" and "venture outside your comfort zone." But her down-to-earth style of writing is refreshing. And although the rules may be things we've heard before, the stories Roberts offers to back them up are simple and heart-warming and reflect feelings and experiences readers can identify with. For instance, in "Dream big, but focus small," Roberts relates how she was awarded a scholarship to LSU and was thrilled to be attending the school until she took a trip to Baton Rouge and visited the mammoth college. Heartbroken and afraid to tell her friends and family she couldn't hack such a large school, she deterred off I-10 on the way back to Mississippi, stopping in Hammond and finding the perfect college. Roberts is also the sister of Sally-Ann Roberts, a New Orleans anchor, and there is lots of local stories in her small but powerful book. It's also an easy read, making it the perfect gift for someone graduating, needing a little confidence boost to set them off on the right foot.

Today Show real estate contributor Barbara Corcoran gives Louisiana a mention as a retirement destination in her latest book, Nextville: Amazing Places to Live the Rest of Your Life (Springboard Press). New Orleans is listed as one of the "best places to find your purpose" as an entrepreneur or business mentor working to help rebuild the city. "On top of that," Corcoran writes, "you'll be in one of the most stimulating places on earth." It's also interesting to note that New Orleans has 216 sunny days per year as opposed to Nova Scotia clocking in at 83. For those looking to leave the state once Social Security arrives, there are plenty of places to choose from, along with good explanations why.