Books make great gifts

The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous

By Ken Wells

Yale University Press, $25

Ken Wells, a Houma native and successful novelist, is first and foremost a highly skilled reporter, which is why his account of the devastation of St. Bernard by Hurricane Katrina is so chilling.

Wells’ ability to hear and accurately report the words of survivors like Ricky Robin (in older days, pronounced “roe-ban”) gives readers the feeling they were there. Although Robin survived the 140 -mile winds, he was not prepared for the huge surge of water that penetrated the levees and flooded the entire parish. His hand-built, 42-foot steel trawler provided the lifeline for hundreds of survivors plucked from the snake-infested waters.

This enthralling and frightening account of the worst storm ever in what the natives call “da parish” should be required reading for all who tempt nature.

Sometimes God Says No

By Ann Armstrong Peltier

Beaux Chenes Publications, $22

To see the beautiful children on the book’s cover, it’s hard to realize that none lived past the age of nine.

Four of Ann and Jimmy (Dr. James) Peltier’s children were afflicted with hydrocephalus, a disease for which few remedies existed in the 1950s. As they struggled to find help for their first child, Jim, Ann discovered she was pregnant and feared this baby might be similarly afflicted. However, the couple was assured that having two children with hydrocephalus was virtually impossible.

Wrong. Their next child, Benita Ann, and two others also were afflicted.

Despite distressing setbacks, the couple’s faith in God and each other never wavered and was rewarded with the birth of Jeanne, a perfectly healthy baby. The couple was further blessed with their adoption of two young Irish boys who grew up “Cajun” in Thibodaux.

Ann’s memoir is revealing, heartbreaking and quite inspiring. Keep tissues handy as you read it.

Cajun Mariners

By Woody Falgoux

Stockard James Publishers, $26.95

Shrimpers and oystermen along Bayou Lafourche in the late 1930s were taken by surprise by the arrival of a bunch of “Texians” offering big paydays for boats to supply their offshore rigs. Many succumbed to the temptation and the offshore boat business was born.

Falgoux, a Thibodaux attorney and novelist, chronicles the story of four of the men who took the fledging industry worldwide. In “Cajun Mariners,” he has preserved their history for us.

Falgoux’s penchant for preservation also extends to the restoration of an historic building – the former Cherry Shoe Shop on Canal Street in Thibodaux. He converted it into a warm and inviting bookstore where, unsurprisingly, this book still sells well.

“Cajun Mariners” is a perfect gift for locals and even “Texians” who want to know how the offshore boat business really began.

Call Me Coach

By Paul F. Dietzel

LSU Press, $34.95

Any LSU fan around in the 1950s when Coach Dietzel arrived on the campus will delight in the recollection of his 1958 revolutionary three team system: the White team, the Go team and the crowd favorite, Chinese Bandits, who went on to win the National Championship and won him Coach of the Year honors.

The next year on Halloween, when Ole Miss refused to treat, Billy Cannon delivered the trick.

Despite all the triumphs and excitement he brought to the school, some won’t remember he was head coach for only seven years. But, after reading the coach’s memoir, fans may finally be able to forgive him for leaving in 1961 to coach the Army Cadets, then the South Carolina Gamecocks and then, ironically, returning to LSU as athletic director. The many photos of his personal life and career will make this a welcome gift for any Tiger fan.

The Last Lecture

By Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow

Hyperion, $21.95

If you’ve watched Professor Pausch deliver the Carnegie Melon University “Last Lecture” (it’s still playing on You Tube), you’ll want it even more.

Pausch, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and with only months to live, devoted them to living to the fullest in the company of his family. He wrote the book, he says, for his three children – the eldest of whom is now only six – so they will know their dad and his love for them as well to teach them the lessons he would have, had he lived.

They, and all who read the book’s 60 very brief chapters, will learn from his extraordinary courage and determination. It’s a perfect gift for everyone on your list, young (especially) and old. And, be sure to include a copy for yourself.

The Snowball

By Alice Schroeder

Bantam, $35

This is a hard book to put down. In fact, it’s a hard book to pick up, nearly 1,000 pages all about one exceptional man: Warren Buffet, the richest man in the world.

To tell Buffet’s story, he personally selected Alice Schroeder, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley, and gave her unprecedented access to his life: family, friends, finances, fortune and foibles and the utterly simple way he lives. (He still lives in the modest house he’s lived in since 1958.)

This is not a “how to make money in stocks” manual, but Buffet does reveal his formula for living. He explains, “Life is like a Snowball. The important thing is finding wet snow and a really long hill.” Buffet’s life is about a lot more than money, and this extraordinary book is about achieving success and happiness. It includes many candid photos.