Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

by David Rutledge (Editor), Jason Berry (Contributor), Toni McGee Causey (Contributor)

This beautifully designed hardcover book starts with a line of cars leaving the city ahead of Hurricane Katrina and ends in a mad Mardi Gras romp. The book winds through the streets of New Orleans toward a deeper understanding of just what this great, wounded city means to the United States. Many of the essays in this collection were composed by writers trying to piece their lives together in the aftermath of the hurricane. Written in places like Baton Rouge, Houston, and Lafayette, these stories create a bridge back to the old New Orleans. And as the battle for this city rages on, this book becomes a razor-sharp weapon in the fight against corporate and governmental attempts to neuter a unique American city.

The structure of the book parallels a New Orleans jazz funeral, mournful on the approach and celebratory on the return. Woven throughout the book is a series of interviews with New Orleans residents from all walks of life-jazz pianists, grain traders, tour guides, and others who make up this city. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? takes intimate looks at old New Orleans staples such as Cajun food and Zydeco music as well as some unexpected views on race, economics and living in exile.

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? is the second book from Chin Music Press. Chin Music released Kuhaku & Other Accounts from Japan in the spring of 2005 and immediately established itself as a publisher focused on meticulous design and collaboration among artists and writers. As Bookslut.com notes: "From the looks of their first title, it is clear they are positioning themselves to be a presence the publishing world has never seen before . . . [Chin Music Press] is a company that is rewriting the rulebook and making a beautiful and interesting product in the process."

Reviews:

"What's your favorite Katrina book?" a friend asked me last week. And I really couldn't say. They're all different, each fulfilling a personal vision, each adding something to our common narrative. Sometimes my favorite book is a little anthology, "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?," a gorgeous little small-press title edited by University of New Orleans English professor David Rutledge."
- Susan Larson, Times-Picayune

"So lovely to look at, so pleasant to hold, with a bit of intrique or insight on every page."
- The Times-Picayune

"[The book] is a literary tempest that assaults the reader with detailed, unpredictable, and unique happenings that a superficial spring-breaker might otherwise miss."
- The Internationalist Magazine

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Travel, Short Stories, Cities

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2006

About the author

David Rutledge is a literature professor at the University of New Orleans and the co-editor of the currently sold-out post-Katrina anthology Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans (Chin Music Press, 2006). The book release party at the Saturn Bar in February of 2006 was the most remarkable evening in his 11 years in New Orleans.

In 2010, he edited a follow-up to "Do You Know" entitled Where We Know: New Orleans as Home. In a review, Library Journal said Rutledge "shows himself, in an introduction both touching and sincere, to understand fully the city and its struggles, to love New Orleans for what it is and what it can be, what it means both to those who decided to stay and those who left.""

His book on Vladimir Nabokov will be published in 2011 by McFarland Press.

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of stories that works to capture that undescribable "essence" of New Orleans. I was especially impressed by the editor's "alternative reading order" which is formatted around the various version of the song "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans". This alternative arrangement "spreads the pain and the laughs" [editor's words] and I would recommend it to anyone for whom Katrina stories hit close to home. The emotional nature of the sotries can be somewhat overwhelming otherwise.

[Bob Redmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of stories and essays was assembled in the months following Hurricane Katrina (2005) and retains the sense of horror, loss, and urgency from the aftermath of the storm. It also has a good bit of typical New Orleans humor (often of the gallows variety), lyricism, and joie de vivre.

Standout pieces are by David Rutledge (from the gritty side of the French Quarter the night of the storm and before), Bill Lavender (from a boat in Mid-City), Sarah K. Inman (from a trapeze), and Ray Shea (from under a parade float as a teenage boy scout). Colleen Mondor writes eloquently on music, and the classic street flyer "The New Orleans Manifesto" (C.W. Cannon) is re-printed here.

Another 9 or 10 pieces round out the book, at which point it must be noted that the book design and layout itself are also superb. We learn what a "lagniappe" is; there are collections of quotes, maps, woodcuts, epigrams, an alternative reading order, and subtle design jokes by designer Craig Mod scattered throughout. Editor David Rutledge and his brother Bruce (publisher for Chin Music Press) have created an indelible expression of the city, still vital despite -- or because of -- its survival from the broken levees.


*

Why I read this book: Working on a cultural exchange with artists from New Orleans, I have been researching writers from that city. This book was recommended to me several times, and when I saw it in a bookstore in NOLA (Octavia Books, check it out!) I picked it up. Got to love carrying a suitcase full of books and only a change of clothes.

[Ellen Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slim volume with essays from Ground Zero - dating from Mark Twain to current times of the Crescent City. Beautiful decay, violence, heart-breaking tales of history lost to us forever by the careless hand of the Bush Administration and brave hope. 19th century etchings show the French Market, the swamps and street corners throughout the city. To be read over and over and treasured.

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slim collection of essays about New Orleans put out less than three months after Hurricane Katrina. The first half is pretty solid: first person accounts about the Storm, including those who evacuated and those who stayed, as well as FEMA emails (including the infamous Michael Brown "shirtsleeves" email), Barbara Bush's interview in Houston, and Mayor Nagin's radio rant. The second half ("The Return") is enjoyable but less well organized. It includes some post-Katrina essays, mixed in with some older writings about New Orleans (Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, etc.), statistics about the city, and stories about pre-Katrina Mardi Gras. 3.5 stars.

[Jessica Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of essays that remind me how much I love New Orleans and how much I hate George W Bush for everything he did to the city

[NOLaBookish aka blue-collared mind · Rating 4 out of 5]

It sounds disingenuous, but honestly, seriously, this is not on my list because of my connection to it.

I wrote my essay in 2 hours because I found out about it at the very last possible moment to submit and with some skillful editing from Bruce, got it in among some writers I truly admire. Don't worry about telling me that you like my piece (really)-I wrote it as as a historical bookmark for food activism in post-levee break New Orleans, rather than as a living essay. It's okay, I write other things.

Here's whom you should get this book for:

C.W. Cannon's piece. (side note to the author: It's part of my permanent manifesto now, Charles; I quote it often, but interestingly, I often forget one of the four reasons and have to reread to remember it. Don't you wonder which one?)

Sarah K. Inman (wow) I think of this particular piece often as a reminder to take all of the bullshit away when I write.

Bill Lavender; who I admire as a writer/poet and as a person, along with his partner, professor writer Nancy. Glad to read about what happened in my neighborhood from these two pals who stayed.

Ray Shea's "inside" view (Yuck. Reminds me to let someone else catch the beads from the drunkest of MG riders.)

Toni McGee Causey's piece, which needs no explanations and should need no work to stay in print, no matter what CMP does with this book.

Craig Mod's gorgeous book design; the stars on the back are hallucinatory if you follow the instructions. (Speaking of instructions, both of their books have sly little things stuck in places to find, good luck...)

[Jenae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a must-have for any NOLA-centric bookshelf. The content is alternately funny, touching, heart-warming, and heart-wrenching; the tones vary from familiar to formal but all are beautifully voiced. The book itself is a gem - as they say in the movie business, it has very high production values. Every single printed word and line (from cover to cover, including the covers!) feels like it was deliberately put there by a human hand who was deeply invested in the final product. The enjoyment I derived on first reading was more than worth the money I paid, and I eagerly anticipate many future re-reads.

[Patricia Burroughs · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother lived in New Orleans as a girl, and with family still in the area, watched the events of Katrina with horror. When I gave her this book, she read it cover to cover and loved it. I also was moved by this beautiful, small work of art. I recommend it to anyone with a bit of New Orleans in your heart.

[Robert Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of essays, stories, broadcasts, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Covers the good, bad, and ugly of the hurricane and New Orleans in general. I found it quite fascinating, and understand that there are two more books following, which I hope to read.

[Beryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible and I couldn't put it down. The authors do an amazing job of inducting even the most unfamiliar with New Orleans into it's unique culture and rare way of life. And for those who are familiar, you will enjoy recognizing streets, eateries, and events that are constantly referenced. The book is both haunting and hopeful, discussing the disaster of Katrina but following up with the resilience and importance of the port city. The short essays make for quick and easy reading while providing multiple viewpoints into the life of an entire city; a city as complex as New Orleans, I would have thought this would have been impossible, but this book has come pretty close to perfect. The authors use beautiful and vivid imagery that made me feel like I was right there in NOLA the entire time I was reading. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

[Ben Milstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely book detailing the decay of New Orleans during and following the events of Hurricane Katrina. It’s a book about the rich culture that exists in New Orleans, and how it was changed from the disaster.


I quite enjoyed the hands on accounts of people who stayed in the city during the event. The stories were harrowing, and more disturbing than most horror I’ve read, I guess non-fiction does that. The book lost me the most during sections that seemingly had nothing to do with the hurricane or the culture of the city.

Enjoyable quick read, good book to get me back into the habit.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I wish I had read this in 2006 but I just recently learned about it. You will cry and you will laugh! The New Orleans culture really rings through. In the beginning there is an Alternative Reading Order and I would recommend reading it in that order.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect read for a plane home from a trip to New Orleans, even 12 years after Katrina.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

this collection of essays, recipes, stories, old sketches of new orleans, email correspondence, quotes from famous new orleanians, and a little lagniappe is overall good but some sections are definitely stronger than others. overall, "the dirge," which is specifically about katrina and her aftermath, is stronger than the following section, "the return." however, i think "the return" is important, because some of the stories capture the unique essence of new orleans, and it's important not to lose sight of this as we rebuild.

and the lagniappe, of course, is delicious.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book especially for those with an intimate association with N'awlins. Having been born and raised in New Orleans I found this book to be an excellent retrospective of what New Orleans used to be. Some of the stories transport me back to familiar watering holes and jazz clubs that you would hardly ever find a tourist in. While some essays focus reminiscence of a great city others force tears for a city that was and will never be.

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

[Richard McDonough]

Another nice little volume, paper over boards, by Chin Music. This is a collection of pieces one way or another loving and celebrating that fabled place. Disappointed nothing by Tisserand! Still, a love story that goes on and on with illustrations from the past. This is nearly finished and wonderful if you can find a copy.

[Maiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hard, beautiful, necessary read. I've never been to New Orleans and I have no family there, but I'm a jazz trumpet player and the music woven throughout this collection hits hard.

It's also just a gorgeously designed book.

(Disclaimer: I just started working for Chin Music's book store, but I promise this isn't advertising.)

[Rachellspencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to know what I love about New Orleans? this touches on every part of the culture and what people were thinking during and shortly after relocating. It was published right away so, it is amazing how much life has come back.

[Bethany Dirksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great short stories in this book. I felt that the first half was a little bit more interesting than the second. I personally liked the small nature of the book. Great for reading on public transportation!

[Miranda Heath · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been trying to read this book for more than a year now. Rather boring, this one. But it is a pleasant collection of stories related to Katrina and, obviously, New Orleans. Not bad, I suppose. But I wouldn't recomend it.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the short story format, it was easy to read and if I only had a few minutes, I could at least read one section. I also liked the variety of topics from different viewpoints, including Katrina, Mardi Gras, and traditions.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book for giving a feel of New Orleans and the sense of loss/desperation that occurred as a result of Katrina.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short essays on post-Katrina New Orleans. Would have finished much sooner but only read on my lunch break.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read to set the mood for my awesome trip to New Orleans. The selection of writings varies in tone and diversity. An easy read before bed!

[Kat]

I started reading this book but had to put it down because it was too much at the time.