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A review by trogdor19
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
4.0
This is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary peek at the world that created the current reality of New Orleans, socially, historically, politically, architecturally, linguistically, etc.
At the beginning, it is a little tough to follow, because the author is swooping around through the world at large, looking at all the imperial powers and colonies that influenced New Orleans. Once he settles into NOLA itself, it is a little easier to follow, but it's all important, so hang in there! Especially in the chapters dealing with the history of music, this book can seem tangential and too detail-oriented. That's a big topic that probably warranted its own book, and it can be difficult to digest for non-specialists, even though it is SO VITAL to understanding New Orleans.
Overall, though, I found this book fascinating because the author shares my deep love of the unique city and people of New Orleans, and he shows it by chasing down the historical basis of a lot of the oddities that make that place different from anywhere else. Most of the writing is strong, clear and engaging, and it's worth sticking it out through the few places where it gets hard to follow because New Orleans is like no other place, so of course a history book about it will be totally unique as well and maybe a little quirky.
At the beginning, it is a little tough to follow, because the author is swooping around through the world at large, looking at all the imperial powers and colonies that influenced New Orleans. Once he settles into NOLA itself, it is a little easier to follow, but it's all important, so hang in there! Especially in the chapters dealing with the history of music, this book can seem tangential and too detail-oriented. That's a big topic that probably warranted its own book, and it can be difficult to digest for non-specialists, even though it is SO VITAL to understanding New Orleans.
Overall, though, I found this book fascinating because the author shares my deep love of the unique city and people of New Orleans, and he shows it by chasing down the historical basis of a lot of the oddities that make that place different from anywhere else. Most of the writing is strong, clear and engaging, and it's worth sticking it out through the few places where it gets hard to follow because New Orleans is like no other place, so of course a history book about it will be totally unique as well and maybe a little quirky.