New Orleans has an impressive literary tradition, spawning countless top-notch writers and serving as the colorful setting for classic novels like The Moviegoer by Walker Percy and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, as well as Tennessee Williams' play A … As a professor of writing, I recently taught a course about representations of New Orleans, and it was incredible to see the different ways in which this city has been depicted through words and images—some of those texts made it to this list. He was very talented. For more than thirty years, The Historic New Orleans Collection has been publishing books about the city and the Gulf South as part of our mission to promote the study and preservation of our region’s history and culture. This book immediately got me into the spirit of New Orleans, because it has everything: interwoven stories, vastly diverse characters that all draw you in in their own way, a story that spans decades… and the kicker? Most important, Neufeld highlights a group of people who lived, loved, and survived in New Orleans, and uses the best elements of the graphic novel: unexpected perspectives of familiar and unfamiliar scenes, meticulous depictions of the places we stay at and visit, and a superb rendering of a city in peril and on the road to personal and civic redemption. As with Starr’s book, The ‘Baby Dolls’: Breaking the Race and Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Tradition weaves together a comprehensive and important thread of New Orleans history: in this case, the story of the first women’s groups to mask and perform during Mardi Gras. Jeremy frequently prefers to listen to ebooks rather than read them–for fellow ebook fans, Audible is a fantastic option. ... Infamous free women of color in 19th century New Orleans… It’s hilarious. I’m not a voracious reader like you, but it’s good to see that you’ve put together some really great information for those who are. Of all the New Orleans bookstores on this list, this is the only one we didn’t get to experience personally: Librairie Book Shop was closed the day we stopped by, but it sure looked lovely through the window! . A bit of a departure from the admittedly heavy books above, Interview with a Vampire is classic New Orleans: beginning in (a clearly fictionalized, as most of the characters are vampires) 18th century New Orleans, with bounces forward in time to the modern era, the city itself comes alive as the background of the exploits of blood-drinking and night-walking Louis, Lestat, and Claudia. I admit as much as I love books I do tend to forget to go find the libraries and bookstores when I’m in a new city and yet many of them have so much cool architecture. So, while some of these I have finished myself, others are still on my to-be-read list–but I don’t hesitate to recommend any of them for people wanting to get to know New Orleans. Definitely have a look at the website. In case I travel to New Orleans I will definitely visit some of them. The first book in the series, A Free Man of Color, showcases murder at the Mardi Gras as a notorious octoroon courtesan is strangled. It’s a fascinating book. Author Kim Marie Vaz documents the organization’s roots in the Storyville-era brothels and dance halls—it was in 1912 that a number of African American women came together with their own funds to dress and costume as “Baby Dolls”—and then shows us how this tradition spread throughout neighborhoods from Treme to Uptown, and how the Baby Doll tradition continues today. A pretty bookshop with puppies! If you haven’t read The Mysteries of New Orleans by Reizenstein, please do. Confederacy of Dunces is my favorite book. Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum. Take, for example, Map 16—“Bass Lines: Deep Sounds and Soils.” The map combines an illustration of the soils of New Orleans—Swamp (muck), Point bar deposits (sandy, drier clay), Natural Levees (silty clay), amongst others—and where train streetcar tracks are positioned. 4 Week Weight Loss Plan Jonathan C. Kaplan. According to the authors, because there “no two people live in quite the same city”. Colorful characters, peeks inside various subcultures, and time spent in the 1960’s, New Orleans style–that’s what Rheinhardt, the main character of Hall of Mirrors, finds waiting for him when he rolls up to the Big Easy. ), you may remember us spending a whole day on Instagram Stories going on a self-led walking tour of the best independent bookstores within walking distance of the French Quarter (and we found a lot of them!). For more information and updates about how New Orleans is addressing the Covid-19 outbreak – including restaurants that are currently open for takeout and delivery – please visit, The Joseph Carroll House in the Garden District. Hold it ‘Til it Hurts. In the DC Comics fictional universe, New Orleans has been given a neighboring city, St. Roch, Louisiana, serving as an occasional home to the original Hawkman and Hawkgirl. It is a nice museum and may be worth a side trip if you are ever in the area. Fiction Nonfiction Children’s Books Classics Cooking Historical Fiction History Humor Mystery & Suspense Politics Popular Science Romance Sci-Fi & Fantasy Teen & Young Adult Browse New Releases: … Though he moved away at a young age following his parents’ divorce, Truman Capote was born in New Orleans and later returned as an adult to work on his first novel, Is there any well-known city in the world that Ernest Hemingway. Piggott is located in the north east corner of Arkansas. More recent than most of the names on this list, Anne Rice and her large body of vampire-and-fantasy related fiction have both called New Orleans home. Books are the best souvenirs! Also, seems like its a literary haven with so many bookstores! The Spanish, the French, the Native Americans, the Caribbeans: it was a complex web of influences that led to the city of New Orleans as we know it today, and they are all still very visible in the makeup of the city–if you know where to look. I still can’t figure out if I like this Pulitzer Prize winner, and I finished it weeks ago. interwoven stories, vastly diverse characters that all draw you in in their own way, a story that spans decades… and the kicker? In chronicling the history of the Baby Dolls, Vaz’s book is another reminder of New Orleans’ vivid and inimitable culture. He expertly weaves pages of New Orleans history through his stories of personal discovery and debauchery. I’ve spent some time trying to hunt down this book – without success. It’s funny–Jeremy is a huge Hemingway fan, but I’ve never been able to get into his work. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending October 28, … Today, I want to share some of the literary aspects of New Orleans: from the best books about New Orleans to the best New Orleans bookstores to add to your itinerary, here’s how to release your inner bookworm in New Orleans! A professor of writing shares five nonfiction books about New Orleans to read right now. I’ve wanted to incorporate more book-based content on the blog for awhile, and I can’t imagine a better destination to start with than New Orleans: whether it’s in-depth cultural books about New Orleans or simply novels set in New Orleans, this is a city that loves its stories, its authors, and its bookstores. Many of her books are set in New Orleans, including her first and arguably most famous. The decor alone makes them worth visiting in our totally biased opinion. Find hidden gems and get insider information on NOLA’s best restaurants, bars, attractions, and events every week. I’m a big believer in preferring to see plays rather than read them, so this one is on the backburner for now–but Tennessee Williams’ famous play about Blanche DuBois remaking her life in New Orleans is definitely on my list. Set just a five-minute walk away from Faulkner House Books, Arcadian Books is the type of place where you feel like you just walked into the Weasley’s house: after all, nothing but magic could possibly be keeping that 15-foot tall stack of books from toppling over on top of you, right? I’m not familiar with the book personally, but if you type the description that you gave me into Google, the book comes right up on Amazon! Confederacy of Dunces is quite an interesting book! Nonfiction: news, interviews and reviews from NPR Books. It was interesting to learn that William Faulkner lived in New Orleans for less than a year yet natives claim him as one of their own. Haha, you’re so right Earnest Hemingway got drunk everywhere he went but he did leave us behind some amazing works of writing. Set in a home that William Faulkner once lived in, this is a bookstore that brings to mind elegance: the store is beautiful, the books are beautiful, the original Tennessee Williams writings on the wall are beautiful… and it’s haunted. . I often feel like my love of books doesn’t get enough attention on this blog. The Book Concierge is back with 380+ great reads, hand-picked by NPR staff and trusted critics. It has lots of information. A noted musician who was a clarinetist for the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble and who also restored the historic Lombard Plantation in the Ninth Ward, Starr also had various leadership roles in prestigious academic … Inventing New Orleans: Writings of Lafcadio Hearn (Paperback) Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) prowled the streets of New Orleans from 1877 to 1888 before moving on to a new life and global fame as a chronicler of Japan. New Orleans, complete with its deep wells of history and tradition, has inspired scribes of all genres, from novelists to playwrights to historians. There are a lot of reasons for this, I think: first, Katrina thrust New Orleans into the national spotlight, meaning those books were likely to win awards and press that meant they were easier to find when I started doing my research into the best books about New Orleans. He was known early on … Please see our, The Epic, Exciting 3 Days in New Orleans Itinerary, 55 Best Things to Do in Savannah, GA (+ Food Tips! The notion that New Orleans is one of the “most written about” cities in America is true, but it’s a testament to our enthralling cultural alcoves rather than a lack of originality on behalf of scores of writers. By Sadie Trombetta. Sarah M. Broom’s evocative, addictive memoir, The Yellow House, is more than the story of a girl growing up, or of her sprawling African American family, or even of the eponymous shotgun house where they all lived.It’s more than the story of her native New Orleans in the years before and after Katrina. I’d recommend starting your New Orleans reading list with this book! Enter your email address for updates on all the best things happening in New Orleans. 19 books — 17 voters. He recommends the five books that best represent the history and culture of the city (pre- and post-Katrina). That is such a huge list and I would definitely love to visit New Orleans to follow in the footsteps of many famous authors. Find him on Instagram, @cjgarland12. “New Orleans Un-Masqued” by S. Frederick Starr. New Orleans Reading List: The Best Books About New Orleans, Nerdy New Orleans Bookstores to Add to Your Itinerary, Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans, Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square, Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table, What to Pack for Colombia: Ultimate Colombia Packing List, 10 Things We’ve Learned About Love As A Full-Time Travel Couple, Magical Valladolid, Mexico: Things to Do + Travel Guide, 25 of the Best National Parks in the USA (Beautiful + Diverse! These baby dolls were sex workers–specifically black sex workers–who participated in Mardi Gras by dressing up and acting out in one of the only ways they could in a time in which their choices were extremely limited. you must register for the launch party to "zoom" with us, so come on and hang. Fans can follow his movements to his former homes, as well as favorite places to stay and play, throughout the city. By the time 1803 had wrapped up, Napoleon had sold the territory of New France, including New Orleans, to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. A 2011 National Book Award winner, Salvage the Bones is nothing if not utterly brutal: set in the 12 days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, the story is told from the perspective of children living in absolutely abject poverty, without decent parents to care for them. Frederick Starr, author of New Orleans Un-Masqued, has a wide array of interests that find their way into his book. We sure try! <3, You guys are quite the cool nerds! Long before there was Katrina, there was the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927–another example of water reshaping New Orleans. 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