Review of the book The Booklover\u27s Guide to New Orleans. 2nd Edition. Larson, Susan. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0-8071-5307-9

Faix, Allison

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The Southeastern LibrarianVolume 62 | Issue 1 Article 154-30-2015Book Review: The Booklover's Guide to NewOrleans, 2nd EditionAllison FaixCoastal Carolina UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/selnPart of the Library and Information Science CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in TheSoutheastern Librarian by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.Recommended CitationFaix, Allison (2015) "Book Review: The Booklover's Guide to New Orleans, 2nd Edition," The Southeastern Librarian: Vol. 62 : Iss. 1 ,Article 15.Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/seln/vol62/iss1/1538  The Southeastern Librarian  Bernard LaFayette’s explication of his nonviolent organizing tactics is both fascinating and illuminating.  Far from being a spontaneous action, the Alabama Voter Registration Campaign was a carefully planned operation that entailed significant risk of life and limb.  At the same time, it addressed a longstanding wrong during a time of national turmoil as the broader civil rights movement proceeded to break down racial barriers on many fronts at long last.  Although Bernard LaFayette saw himself more as a catalyst who preferred to mobilize the population at large than as a charismatic leader such as Martin Luther King, his wise and brave actions in Selma, Alabama, based on an unwavering foundation of nonviolent action, were absolutely crucial to securing the right to vote for all citizens.  The history of the civil rights movement may be history but it is very relevant to the present day.  On October 2, 2013 the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby County, Ala. v. Holder weakened enforcement of the preclearance provision required of states having a history of obstructing voter registration in Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and is a reminder that liberty requires vigilance.  LaFayette’s book should be required reading for anyone who takes the right to vote for granted.  LaFayette’s book is recommended reading for those interested in the history of the civil rights movement, the history of Alabama and the South more generally, and African American history.  Tim Dodge Auburn University     The Booklover’s Guide to New Orleans. 2nd edition. Larson, Susan.  Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 2013.  ISBN 978-0-8071-5307-9 pbk.  312 p.  $24.95  Originally published in 1999, this updated edition of a well-loved guide book offers much more than a directory of tourist destinations for the literarily inclined.  The book begins with a detailed historical overview divided into distinct time periods, which covers the writers, editors, publishers, booksellers, and other important figures who helped create and sustain the literary culture for which New Orleans has become famous.  Well-written and full of fascinating anecdotes throughout its pages, the updated introduction also includes an entirely new section covering the time period during and immediately following Hurricane Katrina, which details the history of how writers and publishers, both nationally and locally, responded to the disaster and the rebuilding that continues to this day.  The middle section of the book provides multiple directories to assist travelers planning to visit New Orleans, including a “Literary Address Book” describing essential landmarks and their significance, a “Literary Date Book” which provides a calendar of the many annual festivals and events the city offers, and a descriptive directory of New Orleans’ numerous independent, specialty, and antiquarian bookstores. This is followed by a section of “New Orleans Reading Lists” compiled by the author, which recommend New Orleans literature in many different categories, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s books, and books specifically dealing with Hurricane Katrina as well.  These lists may be just as useful to librarians who want to build their libraries’ Southern Literature collections as they will be to travelers who enjoy reading about places they are visiting.  The book concludes with a unique section where New Orleans authors offer their own lists of favorite things about the city.  Though it is easy for travel guides to become outdated and because of this, librarians may hesitate to purchase them for their collections, the historical and cultural focus of this book will make it a worthwhile read even after the functional directory of addresses, phone numbers, and web site addresses listed for each location changes or becomes obsolete.  It offers a snapshot of literary New Orleans which will continue to be of interest.   Allison Faix Coastal Carolina University   Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence in the Appalachian South.  Hutton, T.R.C.  Lexington, KY : University Press of Kentucky, 2013.  ISBN 978-0-8131-3646-2.  444 p. $50.   

Book Review: The Booklover\u27s Guide to New Orleans, 2nd Edition

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Book Review: The Booklover\u27s Guide to New Orleans, 2nd Edition

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