If you enjoy reading about Louisiana history- this book is great. The stories lead you through a Louisiana that you might never know if you didn't read this book.

When I was a child, a trip to the local library always meant a romp through the "Local Interest" section. I have always been enamored of the area that I grew up in. From hearing the stories of "loup garous" (werewolves) in the swamp to the tales of Jean Lafitte's pirate bands running amok in the swamps from my grandparents and great-grandparents, I came to appreciate the rich and diverse cultural history of the area. Gumbo Ya-Ya was always the book that fascinated me the most. The copy in our local Carnegie library was a first printing, replete with photos and art enough that you could simply look at the pictures and appreciate it (which is actually what I did the first few times). Once I started reading, however, the stories that unfolded before me only made my fascination and appreciation go thru the roof. To be able to walk the streets of New Orleans with my many friends not from the area and enlighten them on the various landmarks and stories is a delight in itself. Although I now reside in Mobile, Al, a trip to the city of my birth always brings a childish gleem to my eye. I love nothing more than to pass on the historical facts and fictions (or are they?) of what I consider to be the most unique city in the US (and I've been to MANY). Even if you've never been to New Orleans, this book makes for entertaining and fascinating reading.

Originally published as part of the WPA's Louisiana Writer's Program, this charming book of Louisiana Folk Tales was a favorite book in my home while growing up. (So much so, that as a young adult I searched high and low for a copy to call my own. Imagine my delight to find that Amazon Books carries it!)

While some in this age of "political correctness" might blanch at the phonetic rendering of the words of African-Americans in some of the stories; it should be remembered that this book attempts to replicate the actual speech patterns of the individuals interviewed. These same renderings are not generic and gives one the feel of actually being there, on a sultry Louisiana night, "rocking on the porch, ice-tea and fan in hand", being regaled by the stories of the "old-timers".

In this delightful book you will find everything from "Cajun colloquialisms" to "The Mysterious Axeman's (sic) Jazz".
Or re-visit the songs of the street criers and capture the feel of a long ago "Dixieland funeral".
Explore the legend of Marie Laveau as well as the story of the saintly "Mother Shannon". Looking for ghost tales? or maybe the words to some old-time "Spirituals"? Then search no more! This book lives and breathes and I promise you, you will not forget it!
This review is dedicated to the late Col. Thomas Frith Bienvenu, at who's knee I learned to love the rich tapestry which is Louisiana!

I'm pleased to find this book has been reprinted. I have found it to be most interesting and helpful to coincide with dates and history of Louisiana and compare those to my own geneology at the time my ancestors lived there. Mr. Saxon's love for this historical and diversed state and its people is very evident.

Good read for someone like me who is a native. Interesting, and even if you don't live here, it will make you want to visit!

Having been raised in the north, I had very little idea or interest in the history of New Orleans. Upon visiting this wonderous city for a business trip years ago, I was fasinated and intriquied by the dreamlike quality this city exists in. A strange mixture of past and present, of mixed cultures and traditions and the feeling that ghosts are at every corner. I found Lyle Saxon's book at our local library by accident, the version published in 1928. The first chapter had me glued to a book for the first time in years. Reading about his own adventures in New Orleans, abet generations before my time, brought a familiar sense that has stayed with me since that first visit. it may be difficult to read this book and visualize if you haven't been, and if you have been, it's like remembering a beautiful dream or a part of your childhood you had forgotten. Visit the city and then buy this book.

When my mother-in-law was growing up in the 20's and 30's in Shreveport, LA, this book was considered the most authentic story of slavery and customs of the area. The other book by Lyle Saxon she remembers is "Old Lousiana." I'm ordering both for her.

Saxon provides an decent overview of the life of Jean Lafitte (somtimes spelled Laffite) that is suitable for siting as a secondary resource of information. Although not a scholarly work in itself, the book should provide a most suitable platform or "guide book" from which more in-depth study can be done. While the author's own research is solid enough, the writing is not hampered by an academic, stiff style and his recounting of this fascinating figue carries merit for the recreational reading of amature history enthusiasts. Of the adult level, book length literature in print on the subject, this work could easily be considered as the cornersone of study for anyone interested in Jean Lafitte.

Being a member of the specific society on which this book was written, I feel that I have the ability to write a review on such an incorrect piece of literature. The author of this book portrayed the people of the Creole Cane River community as uncultured and shallow persons. The basic plot of the story is focused on a Young Creole woman who seems to only wish to be "white". The author completely ignores the historical correctness of the time and his peice is therefore crucified upon the charge of bias and ignorance on his own part.