New Orleans in the Forties

by Mary Lou Widmer

The decade of the 1940s was one of the most interesting decades in the twentieth century. Mrs. Widmer examines the Crescent City socially, politically, and architecturally, and includes a look at fads, sports, and other diversions that boomed during this fascinating period in history.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

I am a native of New Orleans, graduate of Loyola University,author of 12 published books, fiction & non-fiction, historian, former teacher, mother of two, grandmother of four.

Reviews

[Sean Chick]

This entry is a little more interesting than New Orleans in the Thirties given that Widmer was in college, but more importantly World War II was being fought. As such there are wonderful pictures and vignettes on life at the home front. A touching part discusses locals who fought in the war and their experiences. Also touching was her description of the New Orleans my father grew up in. It was smaller, more colloquial. People sat on porches and neighborhoods were tightly knit. The feeling is of a world lost, for better and worse. There is a balance in this view that I like. I despise the idea of the past as "the bad old days" or the "lost golden age."

Yet, I wanted more, so I cannot rate it too highly.

[Billy]

I've discovered something- I really enjoy reading about New Orleans. This city is so irregular in so many ways, it's constantly surprising. I enjoyed this book because although may look like a dry history, it's really a yarn. Reflecting on the people in the book, and how they lived their lives in and around the same places I'm living my life, a magical link was created between the page and the city. Recommended for people who like nostalgia.