I recommend the following books for the reader who wants to know New Orleans. I have listed several classics that provide a foundation for understanding the city's literary tradition. Over time, I will add brief summaries.
Inventing New Orleans by Lafacadio Hearn
The World that Made New Orleans by Ned Sublette
French Quarter Poems by Lee Meitzen Grue
Fabulous New Orleans by Lyle Saxon
New Orleans The Underground Guide by Michael Patrick Welch
By the Light of the Jukebox by Dean Paschal
Satchmo My Life In New Orleans by Louis Armstrong
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The MovieGoer by Walker Percy
All the Kings Men by Robert Penn Warren
