South Louisiana, as readers know, has a famous and longstanding literary history. Selecting just seven books to sum up such a diverse and culturally rich part of the world feels like something of a fool's errand, but we gave it a shot anyway. While there are plenty more out there, try these landmark publications as a starting point.
"Huey Long" by T. Harry Williams
Huey Long profoundly shaped Louisiana in ways that are still being felt to this day. Even now, almost 90 years after his death, his presence is still so strong that one current gubernatorial candidate has made running against his policies a campaign hallmark.
Williams' book won both the National Book Award and the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. It's a behemoth, coming in at more than 900 pages, but there's hardly a dull moment as it follows Long's rise from obscurity into a politician of immense, and often frightening, power.
Chef Paul Prudhomme reigns as King of the Krewe of the Vieux Carre during Carnival 1988.
"The Yellow House" by Sarah M. Broom
Another National Book Award winner, "The Yellow House" is Broom's unvarnished portrait of life in one of the less idyllic parts of New Orleans. Culminating in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, you won't find whimsical, romanticized tales of French Quarter magic here; instead, it's a very real, gritty and sometimes tender look at one family's trials and tribulations across generations.
"Bayou Farewell" by Mike Tidwell
Published before the plight of Louisiana's coastal regions was widely known, 'Bayou Farewell' tells the story of south Louisiana's rapidly disappearing wetlands and the people who call them home. Beautifully written, it also manages to make a complex issue eminently understandable. It's just marked its 20th anniversary, too, so now's as good a time as any to give it a read.
"It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium" by John Ed Bradley
Heartfelt and lyrical, former LSU player Bradley's memoir is much more than an account of what it's like to play for the Tigers (though it does a terrific job of that, too). Instead, it's a look at the passion and pull of football in the South and, perhaps most affectingly, a search for meaning when one's time in the spotlight is over.
John Kennedy Toole won a Pulitzer Prize for 'A Confederacy of Dunces,' which was published posthumously.
"A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Famously left unpublished during its author's lifetime, "A Confederacy of Dunces" first became a cult favorite and then a mainstream hit, its popularity earning it the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1981. The story of bumbling, pompous Ignatius J. Reilly and his misadventures has a host of memorable characters and New Orleans cultural touchstones. After reading, try looking at a Lucky Dog stand the same way.
"A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines
"A Lesson Before Dying," which proved to be Gaines' biggest hit, centers around the relationship between a falsely accused young Black man on death row and a local teacher who befriends him during his time in need. Set in rural Louisiana in the 1940s, it's a poignant tale that made waves upon its 1993 publication.
"Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen" by Paul Prudhomme
Given the region's proud culinary tradition, it would be remiss not to include a cookbook from one of the region's uber-talented chefs. There are plenty to choose from — Leah Chase, John Folse, Alzina Toups, Emeril Lagasse, to scratch the surface — but it was Paul Prudhomme who helped popularize Cajun cuisine on a national scale. Even today, you're likely to find "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen" tucked away in bookshelves across south Louisiana.