Customer Reviews

Louisiana (America the Beautiful, Second)

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Louisiana may well be the most exotic of the continental United States, mainly on the strength of the French Quarter in New Orleans and the Creole culture. I can remember being in New Orleans one November watching a political ad on the television where one candidate was pointing out his opponent was a convicted felon and I was wondering how on Earth a convicted felon could run for public office and then I remembered I was in Louisiana, home of the "Kingfish" and other rather unique politicians. Martin Hintz's look at "Louisiana" for the America the Beautiful, Second Series, covers these aspects of the Pelican state and more.

Chapter One, "Hello to Louisiana," describes the state as "old and new, raucous and reflective," and a place that has plenty of everything. The next three chapters detail the history of Louisiana, beginning with Chapter Two, "Louisiana Is Born." Here young readers find out about the Mound Builders who originally settled the South and then the arrival of the European explorers. This chapter also covers the Louisiana Purchase and how the territory eventually became the 18th state in 1812. Chapter Three, "Louisiana Faces Challenges," begins with the Battle of New Orleans, covers the Civil War, and ends with the aftermath of Reconstruction. Chapter Four, "History's Later Chapters," covers more than the 20th century, but the emphasis is on the unique politics of the state, where both Huey P. Long and David Duke were key figures.

The interesting geography of the state is covered by Hintz in Chapter Five, "Louisiana's Low-Lying Land." Much of the state was once covered by the Gulf of Mexico and what exists today is related to that history. Chapter Six, "Louisiana's Ethereal Cities," looks at the special flavors of each section of the state, from Cajun Country to the Big Easy. "Politics in the Pelican State" is covered in Chapter Seven, which explains the parish system and covers all of the state symbols, including both state songs ("You Are My Sunshine" and "Give Me Louisiana") and the state musical instrument (Diatonic accordion).

The economy of Louisiana is the subject of Chapter Eight, "Business is Business," where the Port of New Orleans features the world's longest continuous cargo complex but the state also produces lots of hot sauce, strawberries, and alligators (not that you would combine those for eating purposes: the recipe in the book is for red beans and rice). Chapter Nine, "Louisiana: A People Place," covers the diverse traditions in the state represented by the Creoles, Acadians, African-Americans, Germans and Swiss, Italians, Spanish and Hispanics, Asians, and Irish. Chapter Ten, "Culture Everywhere," is where Hintz gets to talk about Jazz and Blues music, Mardi Gras, "A Streetcar Named Desire," and the Superdome.

The back of the book includes a detailed Timeline contrasting U.S. and Louisiana state history and pages of Fast Facts. There is also a list of books, organizations, and Internet sites where young readers can go To Find Out More. The book is replete with full-color photographs and maps. My favorite parts have become the sidebars, where we get to find out about famous people, from "Beast" Butler to Rap Star Master P, places, like New Iberia and the Old State Capitol, and things, such as the Mississippi Steamboats and the state's salt domes. Young students will find a lot of information about each state in each volume of this series, and with over 50 states and territories, teachers can assign every student in their class a different state to research.