Way Down Yonder in Plaquemines

Rating:
Summary: special place, special book
Review: If you've made it this far, you probably have a bone to pick with Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. If you have any interest in reading about the history of Plaquemines, this is probably the most comprehensive anthology of writings on the area.

Plaquemines Parish is an amazing place, albeit a place not too many people have heard of, or would even think of buying a book about, much less visiting. However, people who do have an affection for the area can't seem to get enough of it, and I suppose I'm one of them.

Plaquemines was one of the first settled areas in America; where the Mississippi meets the Gulf of Mexico, south of New Orleans.
The area is rich in history, a great place to fish, and the perfect escape for those who like wide-open spaces and not too many people around. There's no place I've ever been that's quite like it; it's beautiful and quietly fascinating.

Janice Buras, a lifelong resident of the area, writes in a very simple, matter-of-fact style. She does not waste time with statistics, historical analyses, or flowery prose. She gets the facts down straight from the people who lived there, and comes up with some pretty stunning and evocative stories. In this book, the reader learns of families who made their living on the banks of the Mississippi, surviving hurricanes, disease, and an ever-changing landscape that grows and shrinks with the tides. You can read about how German U-boats cruised the various passes during World War II, sinking many ships making a run for the Gulf; now why isn't that in any history books in schools? You can read about various towns such as Port Eads, once a thriving resort area in the early 1900's, now only a few ruined houses with no permanent residents. Read about Pilottown; a must-stop for any foreign ship attempting to navigate the River; a town only accessible by boat. The list goes on. Ghost towns such as Oysterville, Burrwood, and the old Quarantine Station all left behind interesting stories, and they are all well-documented in this book.

Janice Buras obviously has great affection for Plaquemines Parish, and her writing teems with the good nature of the people who occupy a very special, and not too well known area of the United States; a place some people call the End of the Earth.
"Way Down Yonder In Plaquemines" is alot of things. Boring isn't one of them.