My New Orleans: Ballads to the Big Easy by Her Sons, Daughters, and Lovers

The New Orleans of legend might be gone, but it's not forgotten, as evidenced by this reverential anthology of poems and essays by current and former Big Easy residents and a number of artist-types who have visited and departed, but remain infatuated. James, co-founder of the New Orleans-based Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society, keeps the selections brief but beguiling: There are tributes to food, of course, ""the very best food, ingenious dishes created from a poor people's basics: beans, rice, okra, fish, crabs, oysters, shrimp, peppers, garlic, onions, file..."" Ella Brennan, owner of Commander's Palace, writes of the education she received in that venerable New Orleans institution. Paul Prudhomme of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen recalls his experiences in the restaurant business and the influences the city has had on him: ""It nudges you to be what you need to be."" Wynton Marsalis, Charmaine Neville and writer Christopher Rice pay homage to the city's rich music history and libertine philosophy. But barely heralded here are the darker things for which New Orleans is famous: corruption, voodoo and violence. By addressing these aspects, James might have given depth to this sentimental work, a charming but incomplete look at a beloved American city.