Why New Orleans Matters" by Tom Piazza
I find myself trying to explain this all the time. Although, I typically want to answer, "Duh!", this author has a better answer. Tom Piazza has authored some wonderful pieces on jazz, food, and New Orleans, but this book is all of the above plus politics.
The voice that his plea takes on, reminds me of... a wife, perhaps from the French revolution, pleading an irrational King not to through her lover into the guillotine, because she loves him and needs him, and can't imagine her life without him. It's like, "sure, he stole a loaf of bread.... but he was hungry, and I love him!"
Piazza has effectively captured and translated the constant Post-Katrina buzz that is deafening in New Orleans. His words are so familiar, because I have spoken many of them myself, or heard them in conversation. The concepts in this book are not revolutionary if you already love New Orleans, they are just validating. Which, I might add is something many of us need these days after over exposure to crappy media and N.O. bashing from politicians. (By the way, did anyone hear what Bill O’Reily said about poverty in New Orleans? It was brutal)
I don’t know how well it would translate to non-lovers of my city. Somebody get it and tell me. It’s ok, we know who you are and love you anyway!
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4 comments:
I forgot to mention that somewhere in the first 30 pages Piazza mentions how his stay at the LONG PREY guest house helped him fall in love with N.O..
Sean and I almost died of laughter! Good job Dennis!
I try my best not to listen to anything that Bill O'Reilly says except to be aware of what the enemy is planning. Sounds like a wonderful book. Perhaps I will pick it up for my dad and his wife for Xmas. (She is originally from the NO area and still has family around there.)
Out of curiosity dagny, who are you? hello.
Sorry this is an alias I use. I actually started reading the blog because Jaquita has a link to it in her Tribe profile. I just like to blog anonymously.
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