Read Your Way Around the World is a series that explores the world through books.
New Orleans is a tourist destination frequented both for its local dishes (gumbo, jambalaya, among others) and the spectacle that is Mardi Gras — where you might run into drunk college students on spring break, but you could also drop by Grammy Award-winning artist Jon Batiste. By some counts, it’s one of America’s most festive cities, with a party or two happening almost every week.
Behind all the festivities, however, lies a rich and dark history. The city is an eclectic mix of Caribbean, French, Spanish and Native American cultures, and depending on the neighborhood you encounter, you can feel a sense of disorientation. Historically, slaves from other states were sometimes sent to New Orleans as punishment, but the city also served as a base for many Haitians seeking a new life after their country’s independence in 1804.
New Orleans literature is an important addition to your experience of the city. These books are both a compass to guide you through its many diverse influences and a celebration of the free spirit that has made the city a haven for itinerant artists, writers and travelers looking for a fresh perspective.
What should I read before packing?
“Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood», by Fatima Shaik, provides a fascinating look at the city from the era of slavery to the Jazz Age. Using key documents her father salvaged from a garbage hauler’s truck, Shaik crafts a nonfiction narrative that is both enlightening and compulsively readable.
“New Orleans Griot: The Tom Dent Reader”, a collection of Dent’s writings edited by Kalamu ya Salaam, covers the life of an important literary figure. These pieces provide an insider’s view of the city’s legendary Mardi Gras Indians, as well as Mississippi’s Free Southern Theater during the Black Arts movement. In many ways, modern New Orleans writers are descendants of Dent and his cohort.
Consider also a Pulitzer Prize-winning cult classic: John F. Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederation of Dunces”. It’s somewhat of a riff on Don Quixote and captures the cheeky whimsy that helps the natives live in a city that lies beneath the surface of the sea and is constantly threatened with destruction by the forces of nature.
What books or authors should I bring with me?
“Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas», by Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker, is a collection of essays that touch on nearly every neighborhood in the city. Published in 2013, several years after the devastating damage caused during Hurricane Katrina and the government’s response, these snapshots will help orient the reader as they travel from place to place. One essay, for example, traces the connection between the city’s vibrant band culture and how these young members become professional musicians.
Be sure to read Sarah M. Broom’s memoir, “The Yellow House», the 2019 National Book Award winner for nonfiction. This book deftly weaves a family’s story with the development of a neighborhood called New Orleans East, depicting life outside the tourist areas where many working-class locals live. It’s about the dreams we have and how those dreams do and don’t come true.
If I don’t have time for day trips, what books could take me farther?
Double-header Ernest J. Gaines’ classics, “Bloodline” and “A lesson before you die.” Both books focus on the Black farming community in Pointe Coupée Parish, La., where he grew up. His ability to compellingly render this community otherwise ignored by history is one of the many reasons he won fellowships from the MacArthur Foundation and the Guggenheim Foundation, among other honors.
Before Hurricane Katrina, there was another natural disaster that redefined New Orleans: the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. John M. Barry’s “Rising Tide” examines, in compelling prose, the effects of the flood on the people living in rural Louisiana who were not protected by levees. The book is a story of government mismanagement and neglect that foreshadows the arrival of Katrina many decades later.
What books can lead me behind closed doors?
Jarvis DeBerry was an opinion columnist for the Times-Picayune and NOLA.com for 21 years. His excellent collection of essays, “I Feel to Believe: Collected Columns,“ it covers nearly every topic that mattered to the life of the city between 1998 and 2019. Fearless in DeBerry’s explorations of race, policing, education, politics, and the quirkiness of New Orleans, this book is a must read.
“1 Dead in the Attic: After Katrina,” by Chris Rose, is often called the definitive book on city life during Katrina. With gallows humor and a keen eye, Rose gives the ultimate local perspective. For many residents who lost loved ones or property and felt abandoned by the government, this book offered catharsis.
Also, Mona Lisa Saloy has a wonderful book of poetry called “Black Creole Chronicles” which captures so much of the language and rhythm of the natives who have been heavily influenced by both African American and Francophile culture. It preserves the sounds of 20th century New Orleans like no other.
Which author is everyone talking about in town?
Karisma Price’s first poetry collection, “I’m always so serious», has made New Orleans pulsate with the deftness of her vision and her attention to detail that shows the city in a fresh way. Also, Jami Attenberg, who moved to the city about a decade ago, has become a central and supportive figure in the local literary community. He has released not one but two books this year:1,000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round” and the next “A reason to see you again.” The first is a craft book centered around Attenberg’s popular writing program. The latter, a novel, follows a troubled mother and her two daughters over four decades.
Which literary landmarks and bookstores should I visit?
Baldwin & Co. a short walk from Jackson Square – the epicenter of New Orleans for centuries – has become a community hub in its three years. Locally owned classic bookstores like the Community Book Center and Octavia Books, which just completed an extensive renovation, are great places to learn about the city’s literary history. Also, some of the New Orleans streetcar lines are still in operation and worth a ride – especially for fans of the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire.” While the Desire Line no longer exists, the other lines offer great views of the city at a leisurely pace.
What else should I think?
New Orleans has beautiful parks and public spaces. Take a stroll through Crescent Park, which has great views of the downtown skyline and places to sit and read. Audubon Riverview Park, known to locals as “The Fly,” and Audubon Park are great places to curl up with a book of your choice.
A trip to New Orleans must also include benets at Cafe Du Monde. For a classic New Orleans lunch, visit Neyow’s, Parkway Bakery or Commander’s Palace, and O’Delice or Sucré for dessert. Walk through the French Quarter, take a ride on the St. Charles and visit the New Orleans Museum of Art. When you’re ready for dinner, consider Dooky Chase, Morrow’s or Herbsaint before spending the night at Maple Leaf Bar or Blue Nile while listening to live music. And remember: Tip artists — it’s good etiquette.
Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s New Orleans Reading List
-
“Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood”, Fatima Shaikh
-
“New Orleans Griot: The Tom Dent Reader”, Tom Dent, edited by Kalamu ya Salaam
-
“A Confederation of Dunces”, John Kennedy Toole
-
“Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas», Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker
-
“The Yellow House” Sarah M. Scoopa
-
“Bloodline” and “A Lesson Before You Die” Ernest J. Gaines
-
“Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America” John M. Barry
-
“I Feel to Believe: Collected Columns,” Jarvis DeBerry
-
“1 Dead in the Attic: After Katrina,” Chris Rose
-
“Black Creole Chronicles”, Mona Lisa Saloi
-
“I’m always so serious” Karisma Price
-
“1,000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round” and “A reason to see you again” Jami Attenberg
-
“A Streetcar Named Desire”, Tennessee Williams
Maurice Carlos Ruffin, who grew up in New Orleans, is the author of “The American Daughters” and “The Ones Who Don’t Say That You Love You.”
