Böcker av Tom Piazza

Every place has its history. But what is it about New Orleans that makes it more than just the sum of the events that have happened there? What is it about the spirit of the people who live there that could produce a music, a cuisine, an architecture, a total environment, the mere mention of which can bring a smile to the face of someone who has never even set foot there?What is the meaning of a place like that, and what is lost if it is lost?The winds of Hurricane Katrina, and the national disaster that followed, brought with them a moment of shared cultural awareness: Thousands were killed and many more displaced; promises were made, forgotten, and renewed; the city of New Orleans was engulfed by floodwaters of biblical proportionsall in a wrenching drama that captured international attention. Yet the passing of that moment has left too many questions.What will become of New Orleans in the months and years to come? What of its people, who fled the city on a rising tide of panic, trading all they knew and loved for a dim hope of shelter and rest? And, ultimately, what do those people and their city mean to America and the world?In Why New Orleans Matters, award-winning author and New Orleans resident Tom Piazza illuminates the storied culture and uncertain future of this great and most neglected of American cities. With wisdom and affection, he explores the hidden contours of familiar traditions like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, and evokes the sensory rapture of the city that gave us jazz music and Creole cooking. He writes, too, of the city's deep undercurrents of corruption, racism, and injustice, and of how its people endure and transcend those conditions. And, perhaps most important, he asks us all to consider the spirit of this place and all the things it has shared with the worldgrace and beauty, resilience and soul. "e;That spirit is in terrible jeopardy right now,"e; he writes. "e;If it dies, something precious and profound will go out of the world forever."e;Why New Orleans Matters is a gift from one of our most talented writers to the beloved and important city he calls homeand to a nation to whom that city's survival has been entrusted.

The author of City of Refuge returns with a startling and powerful novel of race, violence, and identity set on the eve of the Civil War.The year is 1855. Blackface minstrelsy is the most popular form of entertainment in a nation about to be torn apart by the battle over slavery. Henry Sims, a fugitive slave and a brilliant musician, has escaped to Philadelphia, where he earns money living by his wits and performing on the street. He is befriended by James Douglass, leader of a popular minstrel troupe struggling to compete with dozens of similar ensembles, who imagines that Henrys skill and magnetism might restore his troupes sagging fortunes.The problem is that black and white performers are not allowed to appear together onstage. Together, the two concoct a masquerade to protect Henrys identity, and Henry creates a sensation in his first appearances with the troupe. Yet even as their plan begins to reverse the troupes decline, a brutal slave hunter named Tull Burton has been employed by Henrys former master to track down the runaway and retrieve him, by any means necessary.Bursting with narrative tension and unforgettable characters, shot through with unexpected turns and insight, A Free State is a thrilling reimagining of the American story by a novelist at the height of his powers.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, award-winning novelist, cultural critic, and New Orleans resident Piazza began work on this impassioned book-length essay on the storied past, imperiled present, and uncertain future of this great and most neglected of American cities.

A Best Photo Book of 2012 by American Photo. A new look at the legendary folklorist and his work.