The Last Days of Louisiana Red [Hardcover]

Ishmael Reed (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1974

"The Last Days of Louisiana Red blends paradox, hyperbole, understatement and signifyin' so expertly you can almost hear a droll black voice telling the tales as you read it."—The New Republic

When Papa LaBas (private eye, noonday HooDoo, and hero of Reed's Mumbo Jumbo) comes to Berkeley, California, to investigate the mysterious death of Ed Yellings, owner of the Solid Gumbo Works, he finds himself fighting the rising tide of violence propagated by Louisiana Red and those militant opportunists, the Moochers.

A HooDoo detective story and a comprehensive satire on the explosive politics of the '60s, The Last Days of Louisiana Red exposes the hypocrisy of contemporary American culture and race politics.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this duo from 1974 and 1969, respectively, Reed takes on two great American genresDthe private detective story and the Western. A satiric look at 1960s politics, Louisiana Red follows private eye Papa LaBas as he investigates the murder of the owner of a gumbo joint. Yellow Back is more of a parody of a Western than a true white hat/black hat shoot-'em-up; it is presented in an unusual style with characters such as the outlaw the Loop Garoo Kid and nympho mail-order bride Mustache Sal.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

Reed can hardly be accused of eye rolling and cakewalking for his supper. His angers and resentments are sheathed in intelligence, learning, scatological wit and showmanship. One thinks of Redd Foxx ...more before he was Sanfordized . . . Reed's approach to the novel is not unlike a Dixieland band's approach to music: a native American diversity that adds up to a unified style—authentic and endlessly fresh. (Time )

Funky, hip, and cool . . . The language is re-cycled garbage that sometimes, amazingly, becomes poetry and almost always is authentic, alive. (Choice )

This is a very alive novel of living folklore; sometimes Reed's prose feels like walking through a field teeming with wild game which jumps out from under your feet. (Village Voice )

This novel disguised as a verbal comic strip is brilliant and funny. (Library Journal )

Reed at his bravura best in the use of language and parody. (Publishers Weekly )

A tangle of allusions, an allegorical puzzle that keeps the mind on its toes . . . Mr. Reed exercises in jokes and wisecracks, scholarship and satire. All of which makes for a frenetic form of vaudeville show. (The New York Times )

Ishmael Reed has a shrewd eye, a mean ear, a nasty tongue . . . He attacks self-serving hypocrisy wherever he finds it . . . We may be horrified or amused—or both. But we are too fascinated to go away. (The New York Times Book Review ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 179 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (September 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394491882
• ISBN-13: 978-0394491882
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,738,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soon to be republished - hooray!, May 13, 2000

By 

"thisnicknameisnottaken" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Days of Louisiana Red (Paperback)

A weird, dreamlikle book, almost impossible to describe - makes Gravity's Rainbow look like Biggles, in terms of complexity and non-linearity. It basically deals with the exploits of PaPa LaBas, voodoo detective, and his attempts to find and destroy Louisiana Red - an insidious force that causes anger and pain. But really, as far as literary descriptions go, this is about as comprehensive as "Finnegan's Wake is about this guy who's having a dream." The book's more like a kaleidoscope of American (specifically black) culture, leaving nothing out.

The quality of the writing can't be denied, and it's so full of brilliant images and ideas that it'll leave your head buzzing.