Cajuns and Their Acadian Ancestors: A Young Reader's History

by Shane K. Bernard

Overview

The full story of Louisiana's French-speaking Cajun people written in a format comprehensible to junior high and high school students; also an appealing read for adults seeking a concise, one-volume exploration of this fascinating group of people

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934110782
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	04/01/2008
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.02(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Shane K. Bernard is historian and curator of McIlhenny Company, producers of TABASCO® brand pepper sauce, and Avery Island, Inc. He is the author of Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues; The Cajuns: Americanization of a People; and TABASCO®: An Illustrated History.

Editorial Reviews

Experts disagree about the origins of the term "Acadian"; some link it to the Greek region of Arcadia, others to a Native American word meaning "a good place to set up camp." In any case, neither equivalent fits the experience of this ethnic group, many of whom expelled first from 17th-century France and then, even more violently, from 18th-century Nova Scotia. This illustrated primer introduces the history of Cajuns and their Acadian ancestors to young readers. Entertaining sidebars in the book describe Cajun contributions to Louisiana music, culture, cuisine, and, of course, Mardi Gras festivities.

Rarely has such a complex history been boiled down and told in such a clear and understandable way. . . . It's very well done and has single-page sidebars sprinkled through the book that examine topics like "Cajun French," "Cajun versus Creole," "Acadian Dike Building" and many more. The book is printed on an antique-style, sepia-toned paper and has black and white maps and illustrations to help tell the story. . . . This is a very nice history, not just for young folks, but for parents too.

The Advocate

[D]etails, briefly, important periods of Cajun history, interspersed with photos and topical (e.g. swamp pop, surnames, and Cajun vs. Creole) articles. . . . [P]acked with facts, short chapters and age-appropriate vocabulary keep the text within the reach of young readers.

New Orleans Magazine

Many hands have been wrung about how to get Louisiana's young people interested in the state's Acadian culture before it disappears altogether. Historian Shane K. Bernard has offered up a forthright solution: Keep it simple, couillon. . . . It is a brief but delightfully engaging account of who the Cajuns are and how they got that way, a narrative as informative as it is easy to navigate. . . . Bernard spices up the telling with rich, unfamiliar details about Acadian life in pre-deportation Nova Scotia and throughout the bayous and prairies of south Louisiana. . . . [He] effectively explores such touchstones as Cajun cooking, with its "holy trinity" of bell pepper, onion and celery; the widespread popularity of crawfish, which did not occur until the mid-20th century; Cajun music, from rural house dances to national festivals; and Cajun sports heroes, from New York Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry to New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert to jockeys, Eddie Delahoussaye, Kent Desormeaux and Calvin Borel, who have five Kentucky Derby wins among them. . . . Cajuns and Their Acadian Ancestors: A Young Reader's History fills an important gap on the Louisiana history bookshelf, and its value can be appreciated by the not-so-young as well.

New Orleans Times-Picayune