These 10 essential Louisiana books make great reads -- and last-minute Christmas gifts

Keith Magill, The Courier
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for anyone who loves Louisiana?

Try one of these books, among those I consider essential for understanding who we are as Louisiana residents and what makes our state and community tick.

If you act quickly, two-day shipping or a purchase from a local bookstore will land the gift under your favorite tree by Christmas.

1. “Huey Long,” by T. Harry Williams. The definitive history lesson on the Kingfish, the populist governor and U.S. senator who ran the state like a dictator and made a strong run at the presidency.

2. “A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from their American Homeland,” by John Mack Faragher. A thick book well worth the read for anyone who wants to understand his or her Cajun roots. You'll recognize the family names, and you'll learn that your Acadian ancestors were building levees in Nova Scotia long before they arrived in Louisiana.

3. “The Earl of Louisiana” by A.J. Liebling. One of the most entertaining books about one of Louisiana’s most entertaining politicians, this one, focusing on Gov. Earl Long, couples fantastic prose with wonderful storytelling.

4 and 5. Ernest Gaines' “A Lesson Before Dying” and “A Gathering of Old Men.”

"A Lesson Before Dying," by Ernest Gaines.
"A Lesson Before Dying," by Ernest Gaines.

Gaines, who died in 2019 at age 86, was born to a family a sharecroppers in Pointe Coupee Parish and become on of the state's most prolific and respected storytellers. His most famous work was probably "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," a novel that became the basis of a 1974 TV movie starring Cicely Tyson. That book, along with the two suggested here, offer gripping and personal looks into the oppression of Blacks in the South through slavery, and the fight for civil rights.

6. “Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast,” by Mike Tidwell.

"Bayou Farewell," a 2003 book by author Mike Tidwell, explores Louisiana's coastal land loss and what it means to the people and culture in Terrebonne, Lafourche and other communities threatened by an encroaching Gulf of Mexico.
"Bayou Farewell," a 2003 book by author Mike Tidwell, explores Louisiana's coastal land loss and what it means to the people and culture in Terrebonne, Lafourche and other communities threatened by an encroaching Gulf of Mexico.

Those of us who have watched and studied the loss of Terrebonne and Lafourche’s coastal wetlands know the story well, but Tidwell ties it all together in a way few writers have done. Former Gov. Mike Foster, a St. Mary Parish native who died earlier this year, used to tout this book as an essential read, and it helped inspire him and other lawmakers to expand Louisiana's efforts to save its coast from becoming the next Atlantis. Originally published in 2003, it is essential to understanding the multiple threats -- erosion, sinking land, hurricanes, rising seas -- communities like ours will face as long for as long as we live here.

7. “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America” by John Barry.

"Rising Tide," by John M. Barry
"Rising Tide," by John M. Barry

An epic story that would make a great TV miniseries, this book offers lots of lessons for those working to save Louisiana’s coastal wetlands today.

8. “Confederacy of Dunces,” by John Kennedy Toole, is one of my favorite works of fiction. It centers on eccentric slob Ignatius J. Reilly and his adventures in and around New Orleans, his beloved hometown -- and mine. Toole manages to capture the character and local dialect of one of the world's most unique cities in a way that avoids the gimmickry that spoils so many lesser novels.

9. "Mafia Kingfish," by John H. Davis. Sure, it's another who-killed-JFK conspiracy story, but it's an engrossing one. It makes the case that New Orleans mafia don Carlos Marcello was the mastermind behind President John F. Kennedy's assassination. But the book will enthrall local readers, as it explores plenty of Marcello's influence and operations across south Louisiana, including some references to Terrebonne and Lafourche.

10. "Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana," by Leo Honeycutt.

"Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana," by Leo Honeycutt.
"Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana," by Leo Honeycutt.

This is the authorized and definitive biography of the controversial four-term governor who probably had the single-greatest influence on Louisiana and the way it operates politically than anyone in the past 50 years.

-- Keith Magill, executive editor of The Courier and Daily Comet, is always looking for good books by Louisiana authors or about the state. Email your suggestions to keith.magill@houmatoday.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Courier: These 10 essential Louisiana books make great reads -- and last-minute Christmas gifts