****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This book is incredible! I read it over two days while deployed to dull brown areas far from the US. For those two days, I didn't feel like I was in a foreign country. My mind was immersed in the Cajun culture of Louisiana and I could almost taste the crawfish. Ian McNulty is a northerner who writes with joy and appreciation about his adopted homeland.Not necessarily a good travel guide for someone visiting the state, this book is best used by people in Louisiana who want a better appreciation of their area. He combed the countryside with one rule: 3 hours from his home in New Orleans. His review covers food, dancing, fishing, history, and sprinklings of ecology. A recurring theme throughout the book is the coastal erosion of the state, but his tone is not that of a hippie environmentalist. Instead, McNulty embraces the culture of the manly fishing, hunting, dancing, horse-riding, cooking, can-do Cajun man who is frustrated that all the wonder and goodness of the Louisiana landscape is disappearing.The book includes towns and specific venues in them with some supplementary info in the appendix, but it needs separate maps and a few websites to be most practical. As I read, I often found myself looking up places and events online or checking out the diversity of the waterways in Google Maps. The style is engaging and upbeat, and it's written for explorers. He does not set expectations too high with the pop culture sense of "wow! look at this glitzy thing!" but instead finds beauty and wonder in small cultural details and the Cajun propensity for having a good time. As a foodie, McNulty quickly learned to carry an ice chest whenever he explored to property take advantage of the possibilities and most of the tales of adventure prominently featured beer.Structurally, the index at the back is thorough and an unexpected surprise in writing that almost sounds like a memoir. The index and the bite-sized chapters make this a great reference for future use over many daytrips. This book is unbeatable in its enthusiasm and is a must-read for anyone appreciative of Cajun culture or looking to find new activities in southern Louisiana.
