Post by Joanna on Jun 15, 2014 1:00:19 GMT -5
Book Review: The Haunted History of New Orleans: Ghosts of the French Quarter by James Caskey
James Caskey loves history and is dedicated to separating legend from fact. In that respect New Orleans proved a challenge as he put together The Haunted History of New Orleans. Very often the documentation was hard to find and sources were in conflict. but he had no trouble finding his other love: ghosts and spirits. Even for a native of haunted Savannah, New Orleans had plenty of paranormal tales and documented activity to share. And, even beyond the facts and fiction and spirits of the city, Caskey fell in love with New Orleans itself: the food, the architecture, the people.
This book is as much a love story to New Orleans as it is a book about ghosts and ghost stories. It would make an excellent travel guide or book to read before taking a trip to the Big Easy
Caskey is a great storyteller and, as an experienced tour guide himself (in Savannah), he knows how to tell a story. New Orleans seems to have changed his perspective a little bit and increased his appreciation for the value of a widely-believed tale that has cultural significance, even if it can't be proven, or even if it can be mostly disproven. Either way, this book has some great ghost stories, a lot of really fascinating history expertly told, and a true tale of one author discovering a great love for a city that has been enchanting people for hundreds of years.
Sit back and enjoy encounters with voodoo queens, pirates, slave owners, gamblers, and rogues of every variety. Stroll the "cities of the dead" and relive the days of handsome Creole men wooing beautiful mulatto women and fighting duels over honor, and all the passion and fire that mirrored the summer heat of New Orleans. Comtemplate with Caskey how yellow fever and other threats that could cut life short added to the vibrancy of life and the likelihood of lingering spirits after death, and how alternative religious beliefs and a unique cultural mix intensified the atmosphere of the place .
This book is highly recommended both for Caskey's meticulous research and his style, as well as his ablitiy to delve into the true spirit of the city as well as that of its spirits.
Source: Rhetta Akamatsu, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 16, 2014.