Two
new books visit the spooky legends that rise from Louisiana’s wetlands, “The
Ghost Tree” by musician and songwriter Yvette Landry and “The Legend of Ghost
Dog Island” by Rita Monette.
Landry’s
tale about a ghost tree at Catahoula Swamp that devours children “is the kind
of story that Cajun parents used to tell their kids to prevent them from
venturing alone into potentially dangerous places, like deep woods and swamps,”
writes author Greg Guirard in the foreword. Indeed, this story will keep your
kids in place.
The
narrator is a young girl recalling her great grandfather’s tale about the
swamp, the ghost tree and the disappearance of his younger brothers. The older
brothers had encouraged him to explore the swamps one day, despite their
parents’ warning, and to cut down the haunted tree. They venture too far and
nighttime falls, just as they find the legendary tree. Only one returns.
The
book is illustrated by Cullen Bernard, a visual artist from Lafayette, and is
available online and locally at Barnes & Noble Lafayette. It’s a fun scary
tale, but not for little tykes. Save this one for older children.
Nicole
Landry is a 10-year-old girl uprooted from Pierre Part to near Morgan City in
Monette’s debut middle grade novel. Her father works in the swamps so besides
leaving her best friend behind, the sleepy bayous look the same. Or so she
thinks, until her father tells a tale around the howling heard from nearby
Ghost Dog Island.
“Papa
loved telling legends about those swamps…and what might be living out there,”
Nicole relates in the book. “I was pretty sure most were just old Cajun stories
with no truth to ’em at all. But they sure could give you the willies.”
The
book is illustrated by Monette and includes a Cajun glossary for those who
don’t understand the Cajun French expressions. For information on Monette’s
ebook, visit http://musapublishing.com; for the book trailer, visit http://youtu.be/iB51g_CnuNE.
New releases
Journalist
Sarah Carr has published a portrait of school reform in New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina, but told through the eyes of a family, a teacher, and a
principal in “Hope Against Hope: Three Schools, One City and the Struggle to
Educate America’s Children.” Because the book is told through people involved in
the Recovery School District, it brings a real person’s perspective. David
Simon, creator of “The Wire” and “Tremé,” said this of the book: “It’s work
like this that makes journalism truly matter, that makes clear that reportage
is not merely about fact and argument and theory, but about human lives in the
balance.”
Margaret
Media has published a memoir by John H. Stibbs, the 25-year Dean of Students at
Tulane University. “A Quarter Century of Student Life at Tulane: A Dean's
Narrative History, 1949-1975” examines the university during “times of trouble,”
the 1960s and 1970s, and offers his observations at some of Tulane’s most
complex and controversial moments, including student sit-ins, anti-war rallies,
integration and gay rights. The memoir was discovered in 2010 by Ph.D.
candidate John Edgar Browning who edited the book and added photos, news
clippings, documents and an index.
Chicago
novelist Gen LaGreca sets her historical novel, “A Dream of Daring,” in
Louisiana. The book follows Tom Edmunton, the science-minded son of a planter, who
designs a prototype tractor to replace the slave system. Tensions between Tom
and the planters mount, and his invention is stolen. “Then a shocking murder
sets into motion inextricably linked events and revelations that will change
life as they know it…,” writes Booklist.
Terry
Prejean, a longtime educator from Mamou was called “opinionated” by his family
so he decided to write a book voicing his ideas. His result is “ ‘We’ve Lost
It!’: What Happened to Common Sense & Decency?” which deals with
government, politics, education, race relations and family values, among many
others. The book is peppered with quotes from the Bible and famous people and
footnotes articles and studies. It may be one man’s opinion, but it’s well
documented and provides good food for thought.
George
Day, a 16-year-old writer from Youngsville, has written a book titled “Keeping
Your Eye on the Future.” “In it I depict the challenges that I had due to a
stroke in utero (mild form of cerebral palsy) and how I overcame those
challenges with the help of God and long-term thinking,” he wrote us. The book is
available on Amazon and Createspace and sold at the City Club at River Ranch,
Crossroads Catholic Bookstore and Stacy Marie's orthodontic practice in
Lafayette.
Summer Reading
Program
“Underground”
is the theme of the State Library of Louisiana’s 2013 Summer Reading Program
with the children’s slogan being “Dig into Reading,” the teen slogan “Beneath
the Surface” and the adult slogan “Groundbreaking Reads.”
The
Summer Reading Program offers a variety of activities to draw families into
libraries such as art projects, creative writing, sports and gaming. The
Summer Reading Program is part of the Collaborative Summer Library Programs, a
national cooperative to encourage reading throughout the summer. Those
registered with the State Library’s Talking Books and Braille Library may also
participate. For more information on the Summer Reading Program and other State
Library programs, visit www.state.lib.la.us.
Book events
“Hollywood
on the Bayou,” an exhibit of Louisiana film memorabilia and history, is now on
display in the library at Nicholls State in Thibodaux and will run through June
21. The exhibit is based on Ed and Susan Poole’s book, “Louisiana Film History:
A Comprehensive Overview Beginning 1896.”
The
Southern Gardenia Artists will host an Art Show competition at Barnes &
Noble from April 1-27. The show is open to the public and judging will
take place April 22-25 by local artist Tony Bernard. The Awards Ceremony
will be held at 10 a.m. April 27 at Barnes & Noble.
An
oral history presentation by Juanita Decuir and a literary reading by Genaro Kỳ
Lý Smith, followed by an open mic begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at Casa Azul in
Grand Coteau. DeCuir will discuss her mother’s work as a seamstress, creating
elegant wedding gowns and other clothes for friends and family in the
community. Smith’s works have been published in many journals including “Gumbo:
An Anthology of African American Writing,” the “Asian American Literary Review”
and the “Xavier Review.” He has won numerous prizes including first place
in the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Fellowship competition. He currently
teaches literature, composition and creative writing at Louisiana Tech. For
more information contact Patrice at (337) 662-1032 or festivalwords@gmail.com.
Cheré Coen is the author
of “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of
“Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” She
teaches writing at UL-Lafayette’s Continuing Education. Write her at
chere@louisianabooknews.com.
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