Robert TallantBesprekingen

Gumbo Ya-Ya: A Collection of Louisiana Folk Tales by Lyle Saxon, Robert Tallant (1945), 1st edition, hardcover (no jacket), 581 pages.

I was able to find this rare first edition (1945) for my Louisiana book collection for $50 on eBay from the Catholic Charities of NE Kansas in Overland, KS. All proceeds went to charity.

A very unique read! The extended title is a little deceiving. This was mostly centered around Creole folklore and many religious superstitions in, specifically, New Orleans in early 1940’s. But, there were many odd stories presented by way of real life interviews with a few elders of the city of New Orleans describing their memories of certain events that actually took place and some photos included to go along with the stories. Not all of the stories in this book are folklore; some are actually true. You can also Google some of the other people he writes about and actually find old photos of them online. These stories you may never hear or read about anywhere else. It seems they were gathered just in time, as some of the interviewees were in their 80’s and 90’s in the early 1940’s when these interviews were taking place. They would have been born between about 1850 and 1860 and would have seen a lot of changes over their lifetime. If you are Creole, or have Creole blood, you will find this book extremely interesting. Who knows, you might even find your ancestor’s name mentioned. I looked forward to each chapter because it was a completely different story on something that happened in New Orleans. Some stories were very intriguing, while others, I yawned my way through.

It was a fun and campy read. Previous books on the topics indicate that you should take it with a rather large grain of salt, but I enjoyed it none the less. Interesting to find out it was a works-progress book, same as some stuff that Zora Neale Hurston did.

How can this be the first review of this richly deserving book? Written by the many contributors to the WPA, this book is just dense with fascinating stories. The illustrators are both very good and the photos are amazing. If there is a better history of this culture, I would like to know what it is.

history of voodoo in US, more spells than religion

While “The Pirate Lafitte” is highly entertaining, to repeat myself from a review of a book on the same topic (Dee Brown’s “Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans”), calling Tallant’s book "non-fiction" is like calling the blockbuster film "Titanic" a "documentary." The author acknowledges his consultation of many sources, naming but one title and five additional authors. Much dialogue is assumed to be imaginative, though placed in quotation marks, but the author sometimes asserts its authenticity. “This letter was a very real one,” Tallant states on page 18, “[it] still exists in a library in New Orleans.” On page 107, he discusses another letter and boasts “those were Lafitte’s own words.” However, sorely lacking is any level of scholarship and citation that is essential today. Which library in New Orleans?

I found one story related within to be particularly interesting because of its mundane nature and my ability to compare it to the same story in Dee Brown’s aforementioned book. Both books retell a story of Jackson drinking coffee with his men. Dee Brown writes:

"The fragrant odor of coffee filled the damp air. 'That smells like better coffee than we get at headquarters,' Jackson said gruffly. Dominique You arose slowly, pushing his cap back, the glow of coals lighting his grinning face. 'Did you smuggle it, Captain Dominique?' Jackson asked...'Maybe so, General, maybe so.' The former pirate filled a steaming cup and offered it to Old Hickory" (page 114).

In Robert Tallant's relation of the story, he tells us:

"'That smells good,' said the General. 'It is better coffee than we get. Where did it come from? Did you smuggle it in?'...Dominique You shrugged, grinned up at Jackson. 'That may be,' he said. He turned to the Baratarian beside him. 'Fill up a cup for the General,' he told him" (page 147).

There were some quirky aspects to this book that perhaps showed its age, being published in 1951. The “USS Enterprise” is misspelled as “Enterprize” on page 182. I giggled over the use of the outdated “Britisher” in a few places, such as page 136. I had to recall how old this work is when I got to page 88 and read “at that time it took a long while for news to arrive from other parts of the country. We must remember this was long before the telegraph or any of the other means by which we can now know almost immediately what is going on all over the world.” Awe, cher. How cute. While highly entertaining, these details, along with the absence of references, an index, or a glossary, make this book a poor choice for use in today’s classrooms.

Regardless of its accuracy, I actually really enjoyed this book. While the author's credentials seemed a little fuzzy--I had to google him, as there is no "about the author" in the text--I discovered that Robert Tallant was a local New Orleans writer. Also, although there no formal bibliography, as might be found in any modern nonfiction text, the author acknowledges that "many sources were consulted during the preparation of this book," (Tallant, n.p.) continuing to provide a list of "writers whose works [he] consulted," as well as pointing out Lyle Saxon's Lafitte the Pirate, specifically. Since the book was published in 1951 and was intended for children, I do not know how much of this lack of a bibliography is a sign of the book's time and audience and how much reflects poor scholarship. Likewise, there are no formal parenthetical citations throughout the text, but the author does reference his sources on a few occasions.

As for the distinction between fact and opinion, if the reader is to assume that everything in the text is factual, then I would be a little wary. There are some instances when Tallant explicitly says that certain things are true, citing usually a letter still in existence in a museum or some other kind of artifact that could still be seen in 1951. Other aspects of the story, such as how many men were lost on each side, seem dubious, but I with a minimal amount of research on my part, it seems that Tallant was not too far off. I would want to ask a historian or consult something a little more reputable than wikipedia before making any final judgement, but I was surprised that at least in his numbers, I was mistaken in thinking Tallant ridiculous.

In the mix of facts vs. opinions, generalizations, and sensationalism, I think the Tallant is most profusely guilty probably of the final count, as he romanticizes and glorifies a man who by all accounts was a murdering pirate, smuggler, and slave trader. In his retelling, Tallant makes Lafitte out to be a hero, not a monster. Generalizations about what was acceptable in 1814 and America in 1951 pepper the text as Tallant tries to rationalize and decriminalize Lafitte's actions. With all that being said, much of the text regarding the Battle of New Orleans itself sounded very convincing, and I enjoyed reading about stories I had previously heard on field trips and in school, such as the women of New Orleans quickly making uniforms for the American soldiers who came to help fight, as well as the fact that a mixture of Native American, French, Spanish, Free Black, and U.S. soldiers fought. Other things were new to me, such as the brevity of the battle on the 8th, and history of Jean Lafitte as a whole.

Although I was initially critical in reading this text for accuracy, after reading other books this week with the same standards in mind, I revisited my earlier harsh opinion. Not only was The Pirate Lafitte a fun read, but I honestly feel now that I know a little more on the subject than I did before. Whether or not all of that information is completely historically accurate, I am not so certain, but at least for next year, when I visit the Chalmette Battlefield in January, I will do so as a slightly more informed and inquisitive guest than in previous years.½

There are as many ways to learn a city as there are people interested in learning it. Surely there's no substitute for learning a place than being there. But if circumstances conspire to prevent being there, the next best thing is reading about it, and a great way to learn about a grand old city is to steep yourself in a fascinating collection exploring some of the most (in)famous murders ever to darken its stormy history. Robert Tallant's "Ready to Hang" is just such a collection. Each of the seven well-written stories in this book reveals no less about how New Orleans has evolved from past to present than it does about the victims and victimizers it chronicles. Perhaps the most widely known of the sinister killers in Tallant's book is the person (or persons?) known as the Axman, whose enduring macabre allure lead to his recent resurrection in a pivotal role on the hit television series "American Horror Story: Coven." Notwithstanding the Axman's considerable legend in the annals of unsolved serial murder, not even his gruesome story outshines the other half-dozen true tales in this book. Did you know the Mafia first sharpened its American hooks in New Orleans? You will, and you'll learn why the practice of "decorating the lamp posts" did much to drive the Mafia out of New Orleans into friendlier digs in New York. Tallant's skill with words and phrases, combined with his meticulous research and attention to detail, makes "Ready to Hang" an absorbing and worthwhile read that is nothing less than a bloodstained love letter to the city where he lived his entire life.

OK, yes, it's written by an "outsider" to the world of voodoo and terribly outdated, but it's a very interesting introduction to the New Orleans scene, with an especially interesting section on Marie Laveau and her daughter Marie Laveau II. The best parts are the interviews with the "current day" (the book was written in the 1940s) practitioners. Oh, and I got my copy from a prominent display at the New Orleans Voodoo Museum - which, trust me, is staffed by true believers. Worth a read.½

Enjoyed the characters in this book. Reminded me of a Thorne Smith kind of story with odd people & situations but just not as good as Smith.

Though this book is loaded with inaccuracies about the religion of Vodou, it is a good reference source to have is used correctly. Many of the stereotypes highlighted in this very old book are still common misconceptions today. Many modern practioners keep a copy of this book on their shelves to show outsiders and new God Children alike, the consternation this religion still receives. Forewarned is forearmed.

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1815

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Fiction, Childrens, Landmark Books, Historical Fiction