Product Description
The capstone of Ken Wells’s acclaimed Catahoula Bayou trilogy, Logan’s Storm tracks the epic journey of Logan LaBauve as he flees corrupt cops while trying to lead Chilly Cox—the teenager whose “crime” was rescuing Logan’s son, Meely, from a racist bully—to safety. But dodging two-footed predators deep in the Cajun backwaters turns out to be the easy part. As Logan, accompanied by a newfound love interest, heads to Florida to lie low, a killer hurricane springs from the Gulf—and lives are suddenly on the line. Wells writes with Twain’s flair for adventure and Welty’s sense of place, making Logan’s Storm a trip through the heart and soul of a singular American character. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Logan's Storm
Of the Wells triad, I enjoyed this story the most.I was so pleased to see the tender parts of Logan, and the descriptions and characterizations were complete and rang true.The storm was presented in mythic proportions, but anyone who has survived a hurricane will understand this as a very accurate representation.I have enjoyed a lot of Southern literature--though some was damned silly--but this was culturally accurate and the yarn was worth reading.

Ken Wells does it again.
"Logan's Storm," the last in the Wells' bayou trilogy delivers on a scale that its predecessor, "Meely LaBauve" doesn't. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the first novel about Logan's self-reliant little boy, but "Storm" and the piece before it, "Junior's Leg" are far more interesting. Perhaps I just prefer to read more adult literature.

Wells does a strange thing here. He tells the story of Meely LaBauve with the first book, leaving it open for a sequel. Then he jumps fifteen years into the future with the ongoing adventures of Meely's high school adversary, the reprehensible Junior Guidry. Now, we have an exemplary road movie starring Meely's rolling stone daddy, Logan, which takes place during the middle of the first book. Sound strange? Yeah, I thought so.

The book picks up right as Logan and his young "partner in crime," Chilly Cox have to leave an injured Meely by the side of the rode to deal with the police, while they escape into the night swamp. It's a precarious situation. They decided that Meely would probably get off easy, but Logan and his running mate would no doubt fry. The cops despise Logan anyway and Chilly is a giant black kid who dared to defend himself against the racist white cop, Junior's uncle. Logan tells us his side of the story and we understand, even if we didn't read "Meely," that they were framed.

That was tough to explain. Hope you got it all.

The first hundred pages or so, Logan is really, really an impressive swamprat. A natural hunter and trapper, Logan navigates swampland and fills us in on important nuances about the wildlife, why he does what he's is doing while cohabitating with them, and what he's going to do next. It's like a super-exciting episode of "Wild Discovery," and "Crocodile Hunter." Logan and Chilly spent most of the book crusing around in their canoe and trying to find something to eat.

They meet some interesting characters along the way, like Annie Ancelet, the only woman Logan has really taken to since his wife died years before. And Harris the cabbage salesman is a real hoot to read about and a good friend to our two boys.

Eventually, Logan and Chilly make it up to Mississippi and shack up with Chilly's black relatives. It's a nice existence for awhile, but Logan wants to see his son again before going down and taking a job in Florida. He takes off after a few months with Chilly's family and heads back to the bayou.

There is a scene in "Meely LaBauve" where Logan and his boy find each other for a short time and catch up a bit. It's a great scene, almost exactly played out in both novels, but from the title character's point of view. Very clever.

On his way to Florida, Logan looks up Annie one more time. She offers to take him to his new job when they get news of a terrible storm on the way. They get caught up in it and it almost never ends. Together, they face tornados, hurricanes and a small tsunami. Riveting reading that has its ups and downs in the last 100 pages. That's why it doesn't get five stars. That, and the strange opening that connects the first book. It can confuse some people.

If I were to cast this film, Billy Bob Thornton as Logan and Rob Brown as Chilly. Maybe Gina Gershon as Annie. Lucas Till from "Walk the Line" would be a great Meely.

Logan's Storm is a Whole lot of Fun!
I read Logan's Storm on a long plane ride last week and enjoyed it very much. This book continues where the other two of Ken Wells' Cajun books leave off, but it is the story of the dad this time, and his adventures.
For anyone who has never read anything by Ken Wells, I think you have a treat in store for you. My brother first discovered this writer about a year ago when he read Meely Labauve. He passed the book on to me; I loved it, gave it to my wife and she loved it too. We then bought and read the next one, Junior's Leg, a real hoot! Tons of fun, some serious laughs in Junior's Leg.
I'm a writer myself (Allergy-free Gardening, Safe Sex in the Garden, etc.) and I love to find new authors whose material is terrific. This is how I feel about Ken Wells and his writing. It is fresh, lively, different, touching, sometimes profound, never preachy, and completely colorful. I keep waiting to see his books make it to the bestseller lists....they deserve to be there, and I think it is just a matter of time. Too good to pass up. Check this book out!

feisty everyman serves as fitting capstone to Cajun trilogy
We have long enjoyed defining the American character through our literary heroes.We prefer rough-hewn men, resolute in their own vision of the world, often at odds stuffy conformity, comfortable with their reprobate attitude.Huck Finn exemplifies this allegiance to the rebellious, misunderstood, action-based hero.It matters little if this figure has stretched or broken the law; his illegal behavior usually results from altercations with ignorant, small-minded or prejudiced authority figures.Beneath an exterior of illiteracy or deceptively simple manners reside an elemental decency, a profound dignity and an abiding optimism about the human condition.

The perceptive author Ken Wells understands our perpetual hunger for these larger-than-life heroes, and his final installment of the Catahoula Bayou trilogy, "Logan's Storm," satisfies our appetite.Logan LaBauve, already erroneously pronounced dead as a result of avenging his son's abuse at the hands of a racist cop, confronts nature, faces down bad guys and even finds room in his broken heart to open himself up to the possibilities of love.Logan, through dialogue and action, reminds us of the best aspects of our quest to become genuinely self-made.His unceasing and unflinching confrontation with life's exigencies, messes and hopes serves as a cock-eyed model for even polished urbanites.This man lives large, loves life and doesn't hesitate to squeeze living for all that it's worth.

"Logan's Storm" is actually less a novel than it is three extended vignettes.Each vignette serves as a means through which Logan's character is tested, fortified and sublimely altered.What results is a bayou character who is a loyal friend, savvy con-artist, expert storyteller and redoubtable champion of little old ladies and stricken children in distress.This swamp superman throws out Cajun metaphors with the same grace he demonstrates when he teases a meal out of bayou critters.He knows exactly how much bilge he can safely swallow from adversaries and precisely when to strike back.Though Ken Wells moves his story with breathtaking confidence, he never forgets why the reader will rapidly turn each page.

Unfortunately, the last two vignettes don't carry the power and promise of the first.We first meet Logan during his sojourn in a dangerous swamp, on the lam from prejudiced officers who'd like nothing better than to lay their hands on not only Logan, but his son's African-American friend Chilly.The author paints a lush and absorbing physical and emotional protrait of two men struggling for survival under extreme circumstances.The second vignette borrows heavily from Mark Twain, in both style and content.Here Logan outwits a professorial villain, whose flowery elocution masks a pathetically craven heart.This melodramatic chestnut of outlaws outfoxing other outlaws is saved only by Wells' love of his characters, his engaging use of Cajun patois and his keen sense of irony.The final vignette, featuring an overpowering hurricane, blows itself out from predictablility.It is as if the author himself became exhuasted from the excesses of his own writing.

"Logan's Storm" is cause, however, for rejoicing.Its author, Ken Wells relishes spinning a good tale and is a marvelous scene setter.Logan LeBauve, podnah, will happily find his own niche in our national pantheon of authentic American heroes.

It's not Meely LaBauve, but it's good, good, good.
Logan's Storm is the third and final book in the Meely LaBauve trilogy. It is set in the time immediately after the original offering ended, and it opens with his hilarious and ne'er-do-well father , Logan, on the run (duh - to readers of the original, this will require no explanation) from the law with a black teenager. Love is in the offing when Logan meets up with Annie Ancelet, who has all sorts of ideas for evading the lawmen.
Logan's storm is an affectionate andendearing character study, full of humor and adventure. ... Read more

Product Description
Ken Wells’s highly acclaimed picaresque Catahoula Bayou novels introduced “one of the most compelling voices in fiction of the last decade” (Los Angeles Times). Now Wells is back, writing about his favorite subject–the exotic, beleaguered Louisiana wetlands–in a sharp, rollicking tale of corporate corruption and political shenanigans. The fight over one man’s tract of sacred marsh fronts a deeper story of our place in the environment and our obligations to it.

Justin Pitre’s marsh island, a legacy of his trapper grandfather, is a scenic rival to anything in the Everglades, and he has promised to protect it from all harm. But he hasn’t counted on oil bigwig Tom Huff’s plans to wreck his bayou paradise by ramming a pipeline through it. When cajolery doesn’t sway Justin to sign the land over, Huff turns to darker methods. But Justin and his spirited wife, Grace, prove to be formidable adversaries–and the game is on.

Into the fray comes the charismatic Cajun governor Joe T. Evangeline, who seems more interested in chasing skirts than saving Louisiana’s eroding coast. The Guv, though, is a man on the edge, upended by a midlife crisis and torn between a secret political obligation to Big Oil and the persuasive powers of Julie Galjour, a feisty environmentalist. Julie is clearly out to reform more than the Guv’s ecopolitics, but will his tragicomic Big Oil deals wreck both his career and his chances with the brash and beautiful activist?

As Justin and Grace battle to stop this Big Oil assault, the plot thickens–and the Guv becomes snared in the web. Featuring a gumbo of eccentrics and lowlifes, a kidnapping, a sexy snitch, a toxic-waste-dumping scheme, a boat chase, and a fishing trip gone horribly awry, Crawfish Mountain, spiced with Ken Wells’s keen eye for locale, showcases his adventurous storytelling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Must Read
Crawfish Mountain gives the reader an insight to a time not so long ago.As boy who grew up on Little Bayou Black who worked in the oilfield, Ken Wells story rings true.Oil king pins, threatened jobs, amoral boat operators, sheriffs operating out of both sides of the law, illegal chemical dumps were real.Wells masterfully tells the tale in such a way that it doesn't get the reader too riled up. Wells paints a vivid picture of what is at stake in South Louisiana.His legacy is that he has introduced the larger world to a unique culture and environment that is slowly vanishing as it washes away into the Gulf of Mexico.If we don't start fighting to save South Louisiana, Wells' ultimate legacy is that his writings will preserve a culture and place that vanished before our very eyes.

Great Book
The book was great. I would read any book by the Author Ken Wells.
The service was great.

A Marvelous Read
This is one of the best books I have read this year. The writing is splendid--descriptions vivid, characters very real. One test for my judgment of a book is whether or not I want to read and study it again. I'm on the second reading now.

A Wonderful Book about the Great Louisiana Wetlands
Ken Wells takes us into the bayou for a look at a culture rarely seen and too little appreciated, a culture at risk.He has done the nearly impossible: he's written an ecological novel that's beautifully researched and true, and at the same time is funny, heartwarming, and filled with characters you won't easily forget, from the Cajun governor to the venial oil magnate and his mysterious mistress. This is story telling at its best.

Louisiana Hayride
Too often a novel based on an author's pet peeves falls flat.That is not the case in this novel, which combines environmental issues, corporate greed and political shenanigans, with bribery, love affairs and blackmail thrown in.The story is told with the background of the Louisiana Wetlands and the power of the oil interests in the state in the forefront.

At the heart of the story is the degradation of the bayou ecosystem and the effects on the coastal areas, which led to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Justin Pitre's grandfather bought acres of pristine marshland, built a "shack" there, fished and trapped, living a happy life.He left it to Justin, asking him not to let any changes take place.When a greedy oil executive tries to cut a pipeline through it, all hell breaks loose.

The characters include a charismatic Governor (not quite a Huey Long), and true-to-life, loveable Cajuns, among others.The tale is well-told, although this reviewer found the wrap-up somewhat contrived.Nevertheless, it is a most enjoyable read, and, given the time, it probably would be well worth the effort to go back and read the previous Catahoula trilogy, which we missed.

Recommended.
... Read more

Product Description
Rascal may be the happiest beagle ever to live. He used to live on Voclain’s Farm, with its whole jambalaya of dogs, but now he lives with his very own boy, Meely. Together they explore the Louisiana bayou, bunny chasin’, coon and squirrel huntin’, and crawfishin’. But when Meely gets stuck on a rotting bridge deep in the bayou, it’s up to Rascal—with a little help from his old friends at the farm—to save his boy from danger.
In the spirit of Huckleberry Finn, Rascal is a classic coming-of-age story, but from a dog’s perspective. With unforgettable characters, heart-stopping action, and charming black-and-white line drawings that capture it all, this zesty gumbo of a book is one to savor long after it is finished.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

From the Center for Childrens Books...a nice review...
From Project Muse, the Bulletin for the Center for Childrens Books..."A cracking good animal story of classic pedigree--the vividness of the animal world, the high adventure,the interspecies social commerce recalls Kipling for a start." With "touches of humor and earthyrealism," Rascal brims with "characterizations of humans and animals that are sharp and distinct." Rascal is an "honorable and engaging hero," and Wells' narration"sings with the same lively Cajun-flavored spices as the dialogue." Though intended for middle schoolers, Rascal has good read-aloud potential for adults reading to younger children.

A Cajun Story
It's fitting that Cajun artist George Rodrigue did the wonderful cover art for this charming story of Rascal the beagle and all his friends in Cajun country! ... Read more

Product Description
This is a week-by-week collection of short pieces to be read by expectant mothers, taking them through their pregnancy and helping them consider the development of the child within them until its birth. Each entry comprises of a short prayer, a reflection on the growth and changes of the foetus, its mother's response, and an inspirational quote. Though its basis is undoubtedly Christian, this book aims to reassure and strengthen parents of all faiths as they prepare for the birth of their child and aims to increase in them a sense of wonder at the miracle of new life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Miracle of Life!
THIS IS A MUST FOR ALL CHRISTIAN MOM'S TO BE!!I found this book for myself at a thrift store before I was even pregnant! I was so excited about having this journal during pregnancy! Now this is the gift I always like to give friends when they first find out they are pregnant.

Amazing, unique book
My mom gave me this book recently to celebrate my pregnancy with her first grandchild. I love reading about my baby's development each week, and it's wonderful to have a weekly page to write my thoughts, feelings, or prayers. The pictures are breathtaking, and the scripture quotes and prayers are perfect. This book is even more special to us because Dr. Wells is the obstetrician who delivered me 25 years ago! :)

Love this book
This book was given to me as a gift when I was pregnant with my first child.It is a beautifully written book that will inspire any mother-to-be. The prayers and quotes in the book are wonderful meditationsfor expectant moms. The photos are amazing. They let you see in utero whatthe baby looks like during it's development at many different stages. Thejournal pages allow you to record your thoughts and feelings about yourpregnancy each week.This is a must have book for any expectant mom. Itmakes a great gift!

A loving, thoughtprovoking way to wait for your baby's birth
I throughly am appreciating this book as I wait for my child to be born. The photos are beautiful and help me visualize my child growing daily. Eachweek's fetal development is wonderfully described through combining theactual anatomical facts with an acknowledgment of God's hand in thisamazing process.The prayer each week touches my heart.This book helpsme slow down for just a moment to hear God's Spirit working to ready mylife for my child.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is at allamazed by this miracle of life: growing a baby within her womb. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (12)

They Knew It Was Coming
Katrina coverage focused on New Orleans, but the bayous south of the city may have been hit even harder, and the ways of life of the bayous even more affected. This is an account based on first-hand stories of the storm and its aftermath. The bayous are not only devastated by the storms, but their devastation makes New Orleans even more vulnerable. The combination of commercial channels and the levees, and other controls over the Mississippi River's flow and flooding, inexorably reduces the barrier that the bayous provide against hurricanes headed toward New Orleans. They knew it was coming, but decades of man-made bayou erosion have created a vulnerability that threatens both New Orleans and the bayou way of life to its south.

A Gripping Read. . .
I've read a good number books on the Katrina experience and all were very, very good. This, however, is as real as it gets, and a page-turner that tears at your heart. I can't recommend this one highly enough.

Beautifully Touching
*4-Year Anniversary*
I read this book after a recommendation in Southern Living magazine. Let me just say, it it heart-wrenching. It's funny. It's beautiful. It barely talks about New Orleans, and more about the still-hurting parish of St. Bernard. Katrina and Rita really did a number on Da Parish, and Ken Wells' account is detailed without being tedious, cynical, or snobby. Because it was written by a Louisianan, he naturally takes a more sympathetic standpoint as his heart is embedded in this place..and it's evident in his choice of words and the respect with which he writes.

This book talks very little about the hurricanes themselves (particularly Rita)--we all know the story of what happened by now. It talks more about the events surrounding a few families right before, during, and after the storm. He describes what these people saw, did, ate, and endured. He does not talk much about FEMA, The Army Corps, or the levees; and downright ignores Nagin, Bush, Kanye, Brangelina, or everything else that hit the mainstream media. It does not rehash everything we've already heard.

Although this review sounds like the book is a real downer, it is not. It is a beautiful, hopeful account of the perseverance of the people. It's more of a biography of the parish, and how hard working the people are. Mr. Wells portrays the shrimpers and fishermen as they are: self-determining, tough, good-natured, and generous. It made me proud to be a native of South Louisiana. I will never forget the name Ricky Robin for as long as I live, for I feel like he represents everything we're known for here.

Great Book
The book was great. The Author did a good job.
The Service was great.

What Katrina was like from a unique perspective
This is a fascinating book,beautifully written. It reads like a novel, but, it is horrifyingly real. As they say: I could not put it down. Larry Apple ... Read more

Product Description

On any given day, millions of Wall Street Journal readers put aside the serious business and economic news of the day to focus first on the paper's middle column (a.k.a. the A-hed), a virtual sound-bubble for light literary fare -- a short story, a tall tale, an old yarn, a series of vignettes, and other unexpected delights that seem to "float off the page." In this first-ever compendium of middle-column pieces, you'll find an eclectic selection of writings, from the outlandish to the oddly enlightening. Read about:

• one man's attempt to translate the Bible into Klingon
• sheep orthodontics, pet-freezing, and toad-smoking
• being hip in Cairo, modeling at auto shows, piano-throwing
• the fate of mail destined for the World Trade Center after 9/11
• the plight of oiled otters in Prince William Sound

...and much, much more. Edited by 20-year Journal veteran Ken Wells, and with a foreword by Liar's Poker author Michael Lewis, Floating Off the Page is the perfect elixir for fans of innovative prose in all its forms and function. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Nothing Heavy
For those who enjoy good journalistic writing, these stories are like eating a box of chocolates.Reading one or two a day can be a real treat.Reading a half dozen at a time may leave a saccharine aftertaste.

Editorial arrangement of the stories in topical groups is reasonable enough, but the editor plays coy with the date of composition, putting it at the end of the essay.It's as if the topics are so airy, it makes little difference whether they're true in the recent past or forty years ago. Enjoy the writing, chuckle over the odd characters profiled, don't take the book too seriously.

News Stories Of Lasting Quality and Value
Most daily journalism is written, edited and published under strict deadline pressure, and is as perishable as the newsprint it's printed on. But there are exceptions. Give a talented reporter freedom of time and subject matter, and sometimes the result can soar close to, if not actually achieve, the quality of literature. Some great examples of this are collected in "Floating Off the Page."

The Wall Street Journal is primarily known as a financial newspaper. But since 1941, the middle column of its front page has been devoted to a feature on just about any subject under the sun. What happened to the mail destined for the World Trade Center after 9/11? Why were people attempting to translate the Bible into Klingon--and why was there a dispute over how to do this? Why was a man trying to develop a non-flatulent bean? This is only a quick sampling of some of the stories to be found in this offbeat, entertaining, informative volume.

Some of these pieces are truly timeless, though most represent a snapshot of a past moment; all are worth another look. Keep it by your bedside or in your bathroom or carry it with you on your next trip. You'll find it a great one to browse and dip into again and again.--William C. Hall

Informative and Funny
Admittedly, I knew very little about the Middle Column of the Wall Street Journal before reading this book.Now, I might just have to get a subscription to WSJ!The stories unfold as if they are the creation of some short story writer.Would you ever think that getting a hole-in-one in golf could be a bad thing?Well, in Japan, it is....in a way.And if you think that Stephen King writes a lot of books, wait until you hear about the man who holds the world record.A lot of the stuff you will learn from this book is mainly to entertain friends, but it's just as entertaining as reading a novel.Plus, you will get a perspective of how people thought 25 years ago and just how right they were.The only thing preventing the book from getting 5 stars is that it might be a tad bit on the "long" side and the editor attempts to group the stories by content.Personally, I would have rather had it completely mixed up because one of the chapters is a bit "dry."All in all, a great read that will have you smiling quite a bit.

Interesting to read and useful as a gift
A few times a year we need a gift for someone whose tastes and interests are not well known to us. After perusing the many brief essays that make up this book, I know this will be a choice we'll use again and again.

First, the editor chose widely among dates available, resulting in a selection that includes not only material from the past decade, but studies that reach into the early sixties. It is intriguing to play a little game whilst reading each story: what decade is it? Sometimes you'll win; sometimes the answer will have you scratching your head for a while.

Second, the range of topics is virtually encyclopedic: from the academic ("The Art of the Perfectly Awful", a writing contest), to the esoteric ("The Bean of His Existence", about improving the quality of beans), to the banal ("Naked Assumptions", about nudist prudists), to the frankly bizarre ("Bear Hunting Is Hard on Wives"). There is much here you do not know about; there is probably plenty you have never heard of before.

Finally, some of the material is side-splittingly funny, some is thought provoking, and some is frankly poignant. This is far from being a one-note book; it invokes a full range of emotion whilst it ranges across time, geography, and subjects. This makes it a good gift for yourself or, for that matter, nearly anyone.

a good mix of stories
Some of them a extremely funny, a few quite serious.This book makes an excellent airplane read and shows off the wit of the WSJ's writers. ... Read more

Product Description
Fifteen years after he tormented fellow students at Catahoula Bayou School, Junior Guidry is broke, drunk, one-legged, and living in a wreck of a trailer on the edge of a snake-infested swamp. He's survived an oil-rig accident that would've killed most men but, with the help of a good lawyer, made him rich instead. But he's squandered his fortune on drink, blackjack, womanizing, and brawling, leaving a wake of wrecked cars and friendships, not to mention lost or stolen wooden legs. Then the mysterious Iris Mary Parfait enters his life. She's on the run from a tragic childhood and a bad, bad man. When news reaches Junior that a bar owner with Mob connections has posted a $100,000 bounty on Iris's head because she knows too much about him, Junior realizes he could regain his fortune—but at what cost?

Narrated in Junior's unvarnished voice, Junior's Leg takes the reader on a singular journey through the mind of a troubled man. It is at turns unsettling, ribald, sexy, and poignant—a bold stroke of storytelling that ultimately plumbs the possibilities of love and redemption, even for as unlikely a candidate as Junior.


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Junior's Leg
Great read, and I thought that the characters were well-developed.I enjoyed Junior's resurrection.

Yippee! Another book in the Meely LaBauve trilogy
Junior Guidry, the creepy bully from Meely LaBauve (2000), takes the lead in this book, which takes place 15 after ML ended. Now sporting a wooden leg, Junior is more despicable than ever, a drunk who finds himself taken on as 'a cause' by Iris Mary Parfait. Herself on the run from the law after she killed a dude in self-defense, she starts trying to get Junior to mend his ways. When he discovers he can get some cash by turning her in - but realizes he might be falling in love with her - things get mighty complicated.
Full of Cajun dialect, humor, honest, and most of all compassion, Junior's Leg is a worthy step-brother book to Meely LaBauve.

bawdy, engaging bayou reprobate reluctantly redeems himself
In his debut novel "Meely LaBauve,"Ken Wells established himself as an affectionate and wryly observant chronicler of life in bayou Louisiana.His sequel, "Junior's Leg" is nothing less than extraordinary.Capturing the essence of this distinctive culture through language and razor-sharp characterization, Wells not only creates a larger-than-life protagonist, but infuses his story with genuine compassion, grief and wisdom.His protagonist, a drunken, ill-educated, perpetually sexually aroused reprobate, Junior Guidry, grapples with issues of identity, purpose and love without even knowing it.Junior easily captures the heart of his audience; his rough-hewn sense of humor, his abject acceptance of all the crud life seems to throw at him, his utter shock at discovering his heart--all his perilous, skewed attempts at understanding his predicaments reveal a bayou everyman.

Mr. Wells is wise enough to allow Junior to tell his own story in his own words, and Wells gracefully incorporates the patois of the spoken word, the incredibly rich idioms of the bayou, and the sharp, spicy tang that a storyteller utilizes to make events into fable.On the surface, "Junior's Leg" is an incredibly funny story, but, just below, where the gators and snakes live, resides a serious commentary about dissolution, despair and despondency.It is one of the delightful paradoxes of the novel that its protagonist, so thoroughly stupid and self-destructive, discovers the ability to redefine himself in spite of (or perhaps because of) alcoholism, lack of education and prejudice.

In this sense, "Junior's Leg" joins hands with the greatest coming-of-age novels of our national experience.It doesn't matter that its protagonist has already reached, and long sense passed, the age of adulthood.The wreckage of Junior's life, movingly recounted in his own words, becomes the prelude to the pivotal event of the novel:his accidental encounter with an albino woman with a tattered, burdened past.The confluence of her virtue with his vinegar, her hope with his despair, her confidence with his fatalism result in a powerful, compelling story.

"Junior's Leg" affirms all that is noble about our American character.Its author, Ken Wells, writes with the best type of convictions:that common people may instruct us to great truths, that language can delight and elevate, that ironic humor and wry laughter may well be the best antidotes to sadness and loneliness.

Funny and raw!
Junior is a real (curse word) but I'll be darned if he isn't one of the funniest characters I've ever read. Written in Cajun drawal, Wells' book is a real feast. My only problem with it is, the ending seemed like it didn't know how it wanted to come together. Trying this, failing it - throwing that in, missing the mark - until finally, a culmination that just should have come earlier than it did. I understand that Junior appears in some other books written by Wells and I plan to check them out.

...
Junior is the meanest person in the Bayou.Foul mouthed with a foul attitude, life can just about get swallowed by the shark who ate his leg as far as Junior is concerned.Until Iris Mary breaks into his trailer.She thinks it is abandoned until she sees Junior crumpled up in a drunken slup.She cleans up Junior and the trailer, throws up all the bottles of liquor and makes gumbo.She is on the run from the law, and Junior is on the run from life.When the law catches up to them, you will not be able to put this book down.I stayed up all night to see how it would turn out and I was not disappointed.
This book mad me laugh out loud in certain places.And I found myself holding my breath in suspense in others.If you don't read this book you will be sorry because it is well worth the read. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: London : Griffith, Farran, Okeden ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
In TRAVELS WITH BARLEY: A Journey Through Beer Culture in America, Ken Wells takes readers on a witty, literate and informative adventure down America’s River of Beer—a $75 billion juggernaut coursing through the heart of American commerce and through the hearts, minds and passions of 84 million beer drinkers. The book takes us, literally, down the mighty Mississippi, from Minnesota to Louisiana, in a quest to find the mythical Perfect Beer Joint (a journey, Wells reminds his readers, that "a man on an expense account ought not to be too eager to finish").

Along the way, he takes us to The World’s Largest Six-Pack and to a DuBuque, Iowa, watering hole once owned by Al Capone. He examines the curiously controversial question of whether Elvis drank beer; explores the under-examined role of the Beer Goddess in contemporary beer retailing; tells how Budweiser won the Lager Wars; and bears witness to the birth of the Spontaneous Beer Joint on a New Orleans street corner. And there are entertaining diversions up quirky side-waters where readers will learn answers to questions such as: Do beer yeast rustlers really exist? Does Big Beer hate Little Beer? Was the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth Rock really just a beer play? And what exactly is the Extreme Beer Movement and can it succeed in its goal to make 50-proof brew?

Wells also brings serious reportage to an industry whose roots run to the bedrock of American history and whose grassroots political clout is such that its lobby groups are considered among Washington’s most powerful. But TRAVELS WITH BARLEY is, at its heart, a narrative reflecting America through the prism of a beer glass; a land in which the beer joint, to paraphrase Thoreau, "compares favorably with the church" as a place where people ordinary and extraordinary gather to find solace, friendship and camaraderie. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Not Done by a Master Crafter
The best thing about "Travels With Barley" is the title of the book.That's what got me to pick it up for $1 at a library sale -- well, that and the fact that I'm a home brewer.Ironically, the author spends a lot more time on yeast and hops than he does on barley, as, apparently, those other beer ingredients are where the real action takes place.

Anyway, the book has some interesting anecdotes and observations, but in general it's kind of tedious.It's like drinking one of the mass-market beers that author Ken Wells generally decries: better than nothing, but rarely fulfilling.

Wells is a highly successful journalist, but he seems to have an unresolved need to spend a lot of time in bars.He begins by recounting his first beer at about age 8, and then he recites all the reasons why drinking in beer joints gives him a sense of camaraderie with the world.Part of his book is a quest to find, or at least to define "the perfect beer joint."I guess it's no dumber than any other self-actualization goal.

Anyway, if you buy into Wells' way of thinking, then this book has inherent charm and interest.But if you think that looking for 20-minute friendships with bartenders and beerhounds is a depressing way of life, then you wonder about the relevance of the book to your life.And let's be clear that the book is intended to be relevant to your life; it's not just "fun" reading. Remember, it's written by an editor at the "Wall Street Journal," which even in its feature articles, is primed to deliver "actionable" information for business readers.

On the positive side, Wells gives a comprehensive look at the burgeoning craft beer movement, and he explains how it has changed American brewing for the better.He does an excellent job of explaining how craft brewers breathed life into lager and returned ales, porters, and stouts to prominence.And he offers a charming vision of life spent in beer joints, sipping a few brews and watching the world go by.(How he can do that while being an editor at The Journal, writing novels, and having a wife and two kids is, frankly, beyond my comprehension. I suspect he doesn't spend a lot of time with his family.)Ultimately, Wells has an optimistic vision of America in which mass-marketing and mass-production are being challenged by people who care about originality, uniqueness, and quirks.

However, the book is repetitive, tedious, and surprisingly immature in some ways.First, there's uninteresting data (often in italics) about the size of the beer market or sub-market.Second, there's ogling of young women.In almost every bar (and in a chapter detour to Hooters), the author finds an attractive bartender or waitress who fills him with a sense of joy; that's a Wall St. Journal reader's fantasy.Third, there's the sense of privilege that comes with being part of America's elite, as when the author notes repeatedly that he was on an expense account while researching the book -- i.e., "ha ha, I'm cooler than you because I get to do this for a living."In fact, he observes a couple of times that the barflies he'd met would ask him if they could be his assistant on his quest to find the perfect beer joint.

Yep, Ken Wells has got it all: the barflies want to be like him so that they can move up in the world, and the sophisticates want to be like him so that they can get closer to the "real" people of America.Ultimately, it's that smugness that disappointed me.

Two halves of one book.
The book was divided into alternating chapters. One half was the journal like entry of the author on his search. The other was the in depth explanation of other aspects of American beer. I really appreciated the information he shared that did not directly involve him; the history of Budweiser, the field reporting of hop harvesting, the homebrew meetings attended in Houston, the Extreme brewing. But when he went into the detailed description of his drive south along the grand ol' Miss, I felt it was time to skip ahead to the next chapter. And especially when he tried to detail his evenings out at bars drinking beer... I remember trying to document a night of alcohol the morning after when affected by a hangover, not very complete.

Not great
I agree with the other reviewers that have rated this book low (3 stars or less) - the supposed mission that the author was on is completely blown by his choice of territory to cover and his personal schedule. This is like reading about the authors vacation - driving from small town to small town and going out for a beer each day. Let me tell you, this gets repetitive very quickly.

The only thing I learned from this book are some towns to avoid if I am looking for a flavorful craft-brewed beer.

A must-read for all beer lovers throughout North America
TRAVELS WITH BARLEY - A JOURNEY THROUGH BEER CULTURE IN AMERICA chronicles an industry that has undergone explosive growth through the renaissance of US craft beer that began some thirty years ago.

A long-time career journalist originally hailing from Louisiana's Cajun Bayou, Ken Wells is a Wall Street Journal Pulitzer Prize finalist with a gift for weaving a masterpiece.His "River of Beer" explores beer cities along the Mississippi, from the heart of Minnesota to the delta of Louisiana. Along the way, he displays a tapestry of the finest hops and malts, accented with exuberance for the complexity that is the heart of the brewing world.

Wells satisfies the thirst of beer lovers - from the social drinker to the aficionado - with tales of gangsters, extreme beer brewers, power giants and designer ingredients - while subsequently searching for exemplary examples of the "perfect beer joint" in an industry that boasts of creative entrepreneurs and cordial camaraderie.

He breaks from the limits of the Mississippi to areas of the country molded by beer - Seattle, California, Delaware, Boston, and the hop farms of Idaho. As a self-proclaimed, incurable hophead, Wells explores the ultimate in triple zymurgy and designer beer, speaks with experts like Garrett Oliver and the relationship of beer to food, and explores the accomplishments of the contemporary capital of the brewing world, also known as "Brewvana." With Wells by our side, we peer into the shrouded world of California's beer-yeast rustlers. "Among the Yeast People, there is nothing simple or ordinary about beer yeast. It is beautiful, glorious, mysterious, magical, sexy, and, of course, to them, the single most important ingredient in beer," writes Wells.

This is a must-read for all beer lovers throughout North America.

Tasty!
Wells is the first person to attempt this kind of beer book and I think he succeeds wonderfully. Neophites can learn a lot about beer and the craft brew movement (not to mention a nicely delivered short history of beer in the world and America) and the beer savvy will like his chapters on Extreme Beer, yeast rustlers and a home brewing contest. Meanwhile, if you like travelogue there's lot of tasty stuff in there. The first chapter on a "beer spill" at a legendary Florida beach bar is funny and informative and Wells' trip down the Mississippi River in search of the perfect beer joint is a nice ride. Perusing the reviewer before me who declared the book "awful" I can't help but think: it's not that Wells can't write. It's that some reviewers can't read! ... Read more

Product Description
For thirty years the "Gilligan's Island" television show has reached generations through syndication making it one of history's highest-rated shows, and for thirty years Mary Ann has tempted us with her island delicacies.Now, Dawn Wells, the actress and real life Mary Ann, has come out with Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook. "This book is more than a collection of recipes. It's a trip back to the pop culture of the 1960s," says the Milwaukee Journal.

Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook is a compilation of recipes collected over the years by Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), several recipes contributed by her fellow cast members, as well as "an entertaining melange of trivia and inside stuff," says the Youngstown Vindicator. The recipes from Mary Ann's Cookbook will tantalize the most fickle castaway, "but the real treats are the memories and anecdotes Wells has stirred into the book's pages," says the Atlanta Constitution. So whether your looking for a tropical delight or just want to be delighted by past memories, check out Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Giligans IS Cook book
I just got the Giligans IS cook book. The very first day I got it my wife made Applecorn bread. It was delishis. ya It's spelled wrong but so what, It was a great hit in my home. The kids devoured it....well with my help too. There is alot of good stuff in there and very easy to follow recipies. Amazon gave me excellent service and pretty fast. They said 7-14 days it was here in 5. I give Amazon a star card!!!!!!!!!!!!
The great Chili has spoken. Have a great day everybody. :)

excellent
The book is in excellent shape.I purchased it for a fundraiser we are doing at work.
thanks

Ginger or Mary Ann?Mary Ann!! Definitely
This cookbook is super!Try the Double Vision Banana Pie!!It's fun and easy to make AND it's super delicious!!

Better than Betty Crocker!
Viewers, I know Betty Crocker Cookbook has been around for a very long time; long before I knew how to say Betty Crocker, but when I first discovered MaryAnn's Cookbook, I was living in Cali, and I had to order the Cookbook thru a major Bookstore. Upon reciept of the Cookbook, I started with the Meatloaf by the Professor...It is the best I've ever had; now don't get me wrong I do enjoy making meatloaf the ole fashion way, but that recipe will leave you coming back for more. So I relocated to the South, and left my Cookbook with a relative to use, unfortunately, I never got it back, so I contacted every Bookstore in this town, and everyone is sold out, or can't order the Cookbook. So, I saw on the Amazon.com that I could order the Cookbook, and I've always been reluctant about putting my CC number online, so I sent a MO in to the address listed on Amazon, and to no avail, my MO was lost in the shuffle, I went belistic, so I am now forced to put my CC online in order to get the Maryann Cookbook, and I will tell each and everyone out there, if you've tried the rest, then you MUST try Maryann Cookbook, it is the BEST. It's worth losing the money from the MO and having to go another route to get my Maryann Cookbook. God only knows, I wish I could have ordered the Cookbook from Maryann herself, then I know I would have long recieved my Cookbook by now. Again its worth it!!

Dawn Wells and MaryAnn Summers Together
Not only does this book have some great recipes, but Dawn has done a masterful job of both blending and separatingthe fictional characters of Mary Ann and the real- life Dawn Wells through the various anecdotes thatare sprinkled throughout the book.A must have for every Dawn Wells fan. ... Read more

Product Description
Pulitzer Prize finalist and former Wall Street Journal writer Ken Wells set out on America's mighty River of Beer (aka the Mississippi) in a quest for his own Oz: the mythical Perfect Beer Joint. Along the way he samples great beer with the Heartland's raconteurs, probes Elvis's beer-drinking habits, drops in on brewers and hopheads, tours the World's Largest Six-Pack and a bar once owned by Al Capone, and visits an Extreme Beer Maker whose dream is 50-proof brew. This is a vision of America that readers have never seen before- through the frosty prism of a beer glass. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The ENDURANCE racer Bible
Best example of the fantastic history of this form of racing...I wastoo young to attend most of these events but can get the sense of the history that was made by these incredible machines. ... Read more

Product Description
Fifteen-year-old Meely LaBauve is growing up on Catahoula Bayou and living by his wits. Not since Huck Finn rafted down the Mississippi has there been a coming-of-age story like this, told in such an utterly authentic unlettered American voice. From a charming encounter with first love in the Canciennes' corn patch to an adventurous paddle through wild and timeless places little explored, Ken Wells has cooked up a zesty gumbo of a book--rich, poignant, and often hilarious.

* An American Library AssociationYALSA best book of the year ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Coming-of-age novel reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn
Meely LaBauve is a fifteen-year-old Cajun boy living in the swamps of 1960s Louisiana. His mother long dead and his father often away hunting gators, Meely is left to his own devices to feed himself and go to school when he wishes. When a school bully, Junior Guidry, decides to teach Meely a lesson, it takes Meely, his pa and the friends he didn't know he had to outwit Junior and his crooked cop uncle, and triumph before the judge. This coming-of-age novel is reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn and has a fine ear for dialect and some laugh-out-loud moments. You will root for Meely.

Good book, but not appropriate for younger kids
This was an interesting read, but it is not appropriate for middle school children.English teachers beware, the dialogue is written in a very haphazard format. The book has some sexual themes that are discussed quite frequently. I was interested in using this book in the classroom because of its Louisiana setting.After reading it, I have decided that it is NOT age appropriate.

Meely LaBauve
I am a reader and keep a book journal with a simple rating system.I loved Meely LaBauve by Ken Wells and gave it my highest rating. I have also given it as a gift several times.

The story is told by a twelve year old boy in Louisiana.His voice is unique and strong.You don't want to miss this book.

Meely LaBauve
I wish it had been a longer book.Lots of room for Meely to develop, and the two subsequent novels indicate that develop he did, but we don't know how.

Fabulous Book!
This is the first in a series of three books and one of my favorite books ever.It is not to be missed! ... Read more

Product Description
Word count: 3066. ... Read more