Book Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this work describes the life of one of the most extraordinary figures in American political history.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Facts - Flawed Reasoning.......2007-03-31
I very much enjoyed reading T. Harry Williams' biography of Huey Long. The book seems to be extensively researched and benefits greatly from being written at a time when many of Long's cohorts and enemies were still alive and accessible. The reality is a person would have to be a bad writer indeed for a book about Long not to be, at the least, interesting. Long was unlike any character in the history of American politics and, had an assassin not brought him down in 1935, would probably be much more than just a footnote to American history. The book goes to great lengths to describe Long's conservative, status quo preserving enemies. It's an important point due to the fact that many, in recalling Long's exploits, have forgotten just how dangerous these folks were (Schlesinger comes to mind). Without these backward callous men (for the most part they were men), Huey Long would have likely been little more than an extremely shrewd Louisiana lawyer. But there outrageous indifference to anything other than their own prosperity laid the groundwork for Long's rise, and created a ready made constituency that is loyal (among those still living) to this day. William's book goes to great lengths to point out the legitimate achievements, against bitter resistance, of Long's machine - roads, bridges and education being top of the list. The acheivements were real and, only a few years before they occurred, had seemed utterly impossible. Long made them happen by force of will, uncanny political instincts and a willingness to do anything to achieve his goals - and it is here that Mr. Williams' book is profoundly flawed. Mr. Williams is an apologist for Long. Williams will recite some fascist (and there is really no other word that works) scheme of Long's - for example, having the state police arrest two men a few days prior to an election because he fears the men will talk to the press and make allegations that might hurt Long, ramrod (single-handedly) legislation of dubious constitutionality through the Lousiana legislature in record time (a few minutes in some accounts) when he has no legal authority to do so (he was a US Senator), ensure kickbacks are provided to his subordinates (and himself) in exchange for favor in the state government, appoint himself as counsel for the state in big cases and - of course - receive large fees for his representation, use the state police as his own personal security staff, via unconstitutional law, strip virtually all autonomy from local government and centralize it in Baton Rouge to ensure his machine controls all government-related jobs (county deputies, for example), deduct money from state employee's pay and use it for his political campaigns (keeping the "deducts" in cash in a lock box - supposedly containing, at the time of Long's death, a million dollars (that's 1935 dollars!) - only to tell his reader that, well, it looks bad but 'ol Huey was really just being politically astute and doing what had to be done in the harsh political environment of Louisiana. Williams' theme seems to be that whatever the Kingfish did of an underhanded nature was done because that was the only way to help the people. Although Williams does note that Huey was a power-seeker (in a gargantuan understatement), it doesn't seem to occur to Mr. Williams that power was, in fact, the passion that drove him. Helping the poor and the middle class, and improving Louisiana, were only a pretense to the power grab. Williams points out when Long was a young man, newly married, he laid out his vision to his wife. He would be elected to a lower state office, then become governor, then a US Senator, then the president. He did not lay out a plan to her about how he would build roads or educate the poor or bring Louisiana out of the nineteenth century. That would come later, when he realized that was his best avenue to power. While reading Mr. Williams' book this becomes overwhelmingly evident - to everyone but Mr. Williams.
Living large in Louisiana.......2006-04-29
Huey Long was one of the most fascinating characters in American history and T. Harry Williams tells his story better than anyone else. Long rose from absolutely abject poverty to become perhaps the most powerful political leader in Louisiana history and for a time, one of the most influential leaders in the US. This hick from the sticks went to the big city and made good.
The Kingfish was, of course, corrupt, but was genuinely populist. He fought for better education for the poor, the right to organize labor unions, and he pushed adult literacy, which mainly benefited African-Americans. His public works projects employed thousands and built hundreds of roads and bridges. He fought the entrenched and powerful interests in favor of the common man.
T. Harry Williams' work is simply the best on the man and the politician.
Post Katrina Huey Blues.......2005-10-12
My motive for reading this book was, admittedly, not very historical. Watching TV, reading the newspapers, I concluded that there was a major flood in 1927 which came down the Mississippi. Because the monied of New Orleans feared that the "better part of town" might be in danger, they arranged to dynamite the levees in such a way that would divert the waters into St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Certain eminent domain and financial arrangements were made (and later reneged on) and those who could and would be were evacuated. All the same, many died and many more would made homeless, for the potential benefit to the few. Then, or so I heard, the outrage of the masses in Louisiana at this miscarriage of power and justice by the rich led to the election of Huey P. Long (as champion of the "little guy") as Governor and launched a career.
Well, too bad. This book doesn't go down that road at all. The flood of 1927 is barely touched on. Yes, it happened, but there is no mention of the dynamited dams. Yes, Hoover came down and was in charge of federal relocation and recovery. And in the meantime, Huey was running about the same campaign he would run for the rest of his life: Down with the Rich! Up with the Poor! and All Hail Huey!
Williams' biography is incredibly well documented. You get the feeling that if you just tore out the bibliography, the notes, and the index, you would be forced to write the same book yourself, with one caveat: some parts of the book were written from the author's notes of interviews and private communications the author had with some of the principals who were still alive when it was written through the 1950s and 60s. The author has promised that all the notes have been archived and that while not of them can be released as yet, eventually, they all will be. Williams is quite vigorous not so much in defense of Long as in definition of the man and his vision. If you want to decide for yourself just what sort of man Huey Long was and where he might have been going, this biography is an excellent place to start.
Best Political Biography Written .......2005-07-06
It reads like a novel beginning with Huey's childhood through his assassination. The political skills that Huey Long learned throughout his life enabled him to achieve his level of success and T. Harry Williams clearly breaks down those skills so that others interested in politics can learn from one of the best. Although his policies and belief that the ends justify the means many times show Huey's questionable character, Huey Long was a skilled politician and a master at extending his influence and power.
Every politico or aspiring politician should read this book.
detailed but fairly uncritical.......2005-02-10
This lengthy tome is a fascinating read. Williams captures the Kingfish in all his colorful glory, from his early days as a salesman to his law career (championing, of course, underdogs), from his years on the Louisiana Railroad Commission through his governorship to his time in the U.S. Senate. Long was clearly a talented politician, and one gets the sense that he would have been a powerful figure in Louisiana even had the Depression not come. But Long was able to use the economic woes to increase his standing in the state, to flesh out a very progressive agenda, and to gain national prominence. There is at least mild reason to suspect that had he not been assassinated in September 1935, Long could have given FDR a run for his money in 1936. Williams overstates this case and understates the pure political savvy of Roosevelt, who played a nice game of "triangulation" by adopting some (though never all) of Long's positions and sapping some of his support. (Alan Brinkley demonstrates this brilliantly in his VOICES OF PROTEST.)
This points up one of the book's biggest (almost devasting) flaws: it is overly sympathetic to Long. Williams tells an amazing story, dropping just the right anecdote at just the right time, and he manages to explain the strange, arcane world of Louisiana politics. But too often, he refuses to cast a critical eye on the Kingfish. Sometimes, this takes the shape of the old ends justifying the means excuse: Huey might have resorted to undemocratic means, but it was mostly forgivable since he pursued noble causes that benefited the poor and downtrodden. Other times, Williams blames Long's opposition (which he paints as a bumbling bunch of conservative--though, of course, Democratic--fools) for Long's excesses: since his opponents usually put up weak resistance, if any at all, Long was justified in steamrolling over them. Until almost the very end, until the evidence becomes overwhelming, Williams refuses to criticize Long for his undemocratic methods. He makes the case that power corrupts, but Long became corrupt long before Williams admits he did.
Even so, this is the "classic" biography of Huey Long and very much worth a read for anyone interested in Long, Louisiana, or the Depression era.
Book Description
From the moment he took office as governor in 1928 to the day an assassin’s bullet cut him down in 1935, Huey Long wielded all but dictatorial control over the state of Louisiana. A man of shameless ambition and ruthless vindictiveness, Long orchestrated elections, hired and fired thousands at will, and deployed the state militia as his personal police force. And yet, paradoxically, as governor and later as senator, Long did more good for the state’s poor and uneducated than any politician before or since. Outrageous demagogue or charismatic visionary? In this powerful new biography, Richard D. White, Jr., brings Huey Long to life in all his blazing, controversial glory.
White taps invaluable new source material to present a fresh, vivid portrait of both the man and the Depression era that catapulted him to fame. From his boyhood in dirt-poor Winn Parish, Long knew he was destined for power–the problem was how to get it fast enough to satisfy his insatiable appetite. With cunning and crudity unheard of in Louisiana politics, Long crushed his opponents in the 1928 gubernatorial race, then immediately set about tightening his iron grip. The press attacked him viciously, the oil companies howled for his blood after he pushed through a controversial oil processing tax, but Long had the adulation of the people. In 1930, the Kingfish got himself elected senator, and then there was no stopping him.
White’s account of Long’s heyday unfolds with the mesmerizing intensity of a movie. Pegged by President Roosevelt as “one of the two most dangerous men in the country,” Long organized a radical movement to redistribute money through his Share Our Wealth Society–and his gospel of pensions for all, a shorter workweek, and free college spread like wildfire. The Louisiana poor already worshiped him for building thousands of miles of roads and funding schools, hospitals, and universities; his outrageous antics on the Senate floor gained him a growing national base. By 1935, despite a barrage of corruption investigations, Huey Long announced that he was running for president.
In the end, Long was a tragic hero–a power addict who squandered his genius and came close to destroying the very foundation of democratic rule. Kingfish is a balanced, lucid, and absolutely spellbinding portrait of the life and times of the most incendiary figure in the history of American politics.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
A very good bio of the Kingfish, but not as good as the Williams' masterpiece.......2007-07-23
Huey P. Long is my favorite political figure of all time. Since I read T. Harry Williams' masterful bio of Long, I've tried to read any and everything about Huey that I can get my hands on. When I saw "Kingfish," I scooped it right up. Admittedly, I may be biased because I think Williams' book is the best political biography ever written and may hold Long bios to a very high standard. In the end, after reading through this book pretty fast - it is less than 300 pages - I liked "Kingfish", and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about Huey but without the time to read Williams' large text. Further, whereas Williams' book is fairly pro-Long, this book is mostly anti-Huey. Nevertheless, it doesn't hold a candle to "Huey Long" by Williams. It isn't even close.
The book doesn't spend much attention on Huey's early years (he was born in 1893), and focuses on the period from his successful gubernatorial run in 1928, to his Senate election two years late, to his ascension as a national figure, to his assassination in 1935. In between, it provides delicious detailed stories and tidbits of many of Huey's often unbelievable exploits as he ruthlessly conquered every inch of Louisiana and came close to running for President and perhaps endangering FDR's re-election chances in 1936. Beyond that, the book perfectly captures the political and social mood in the Pelican State in Long's day: the sweltering heat, the unrest and bitter hatred Huey engendered in the elite and ruling classes and the equal love and hope he inspired in the long-ignored rural masses, and of course Long's larger than life persona and even bigger ambitions. I also loved the author's use of all of the classic insults Huey and his enemies hurled at each other that seem to appear on every page ("demagogic screech owl from the swamps of Louisiana").
"Kingfish" is a very good book and a quick and fun read for anyone interested in learning about Huey's life and exploits. However, if you want to read a great book, do yourself a favor and buy "Huey Long" by T. Harry Williams. Still, the two books could work well together - as "Kingfish" covers a few areas Williams' book does not - so it might be a good idea to check out "Kingfish" as an appetizer, and move on to "Huey Long" as the main course. You won't be disappointed.
Good book for what it is.......2007-04-18
This book concentrates on the breathtaking few years that Huey Long was in office. He was an amazing politician and this book makes for fast reading. I agree with the previous reviewer, however. There is little depth here and we never get to know the man. Find the Pulitzer prize winning bio written in 1969 for a thorough look at this complex man.
Interesting life, but a hard study for a biography.......2007-01-29
A biography of Huey Long is going to be dominated by one thing: his megalomaniacal desire for power. It makes for interesting reading in political tactics, but that's really all there was to his life. White is even-handed in his handling with his treatment of Long's excesses, but his prose is a little clunky and repetitive. The problem with a biography on Long (or perhaps just this biography on Long) is that there is little to texture the overally picture of a power-hungry man. There is no underlying complex character to understand. A recommended read for those seeking to understand the dangers of power to excess or people with a romantic attachment to the state of Louisiana or the 1930s.
Customer Reviews:
A well written and enjoyable read........2003-06-29
I read this book for a history class. It was my favorite read of the semester. The author has a good style that keeps your attention, but really that's not hard to do when detailing Mr. Long's life. His story could be a great novel - truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. Huey came very close to becoming President of the U.S. If he had (you will have to read why he did not) we would probably all be living in a very different America today. This book is a good commentary on human nature, too. In this country people think that we could never be controlled by a demagogue, like Germany was under Hitler, for instance. Long's story proves that indeed Americans CAN be duped - we are not special! Highly recommnened for student and lay person alike!
Book Description
An outrageous tale of fast cash, dirty politics, and extravagant greed in the Bayou State.
Louisiana is our most exotic state. It is religious and roguish, a place populated by Cajuns, Creoles, rednecks, and Bible-thumpers. It is a state that loves good food, good music, and good times. Laissez les bon temps rouler -- let the good times roll -- is the unofficial motto. Louisiana is also excessively corrupt.In the 1990s, it plunged headlong into legalized gambling, authorizing more games of chance than any other state. Leading the charge was Governor Edwin Edwards, who for years had flaunted his fondness for cold cash and high-stakes gambling, and who had used his razor-sharp mind and catlike reflexes to stay one step ahead of the law. Gambling, Edwin Edwards, and Louisiana's political culture would prove to be a combustible mix.
Bad Bet on the Bayou tells the story of what happened when the most corrupt industry came to our most corrupt state. It is a sweeping morality tale about commerce, politics, and what happens when the law catches up to the most basic human desires and frailties.
Customer Reviews:
real life more outlandish than fiction.......2003-07-20
If you were asked to make up a Grisham type tale about politics and corruption I do not think it would rival the true story this book takes you through.
A great book.......2002-11-24
"Vote for the crook. It's important." This was a bumper sticker seen around Louisiana at the time of the Edwards-Duke Election. It implores the electorate to vote for the three-time governor whose definition of an honest politician was one who stayed bought in order to beat the former Ku Klux Klan wizard.
Like this bumper sticker, the book is funny--the thievery was so inept and outrageous, yet sad because this stuff was really going on.
The author knows his stuff, and the subject area, Edwin Edwards and the rise of gambling in Louisiana is a great story. This book reads like a thriller.
Lacks focus.......2002-08-07
The author could not decide what his subject was: a) the corrupting effects of contemporary gambling in Louisiana; b) how gambling licenses were won there; or c) Edwards' corrupt activities. Although I enjoyed many of its anecdotes, the book is structurally flawed and does not hang together. It also suffers from annoyingly redundant quotes.
Bridges undoubtedly could have written excellent 50-100 pp. pieces on each of the three subjects above, or he could have shortened them into very readable magazine pieces. But he has failed to turn these related topics into a cohesive whole.
Where was "60 Minutes".......2002-03-18
This book is excellent because it is supported by hard evidence of Louisian-style corruption.. For example, the author reports that former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Eddie Jordan, had a videotape of Gov. Edwards delivering a $20,000 bribe to former U.S. Representative Cleo Fields (D LA). Over the objection of his staff, Jordan declined to prosecute Fields or Edwards because , in his opinion, the evidence was insufficient. The Clinton Justice Department did not overrule Jordan's decision. How much more evidence did Jordan need? The real reason that Jordan decl;ined prosecution is that Fields and U.S. Representative William Jefferson (D LA) were both members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Jefferson and Jordan worked together in the same law office. Jordan could not prosecute his enemy, Edwards. without prosecuting his friend, Fields. The bitter irony of Edwards' criminal activity is that the U.S. Court of Appeals will probably reverse his conviction on legitimate grounds. Both the prosecutors and the trial judge overreached by dismissing during jury deliberations the only juror who was voting for acquittal and by ministrepreting the RICO statute. In any event, the question remains: why did "60 Minutes", "20/20", and "Prime Time" fail to cover the Fields bribery case? Dan , Tom and Sam, "What's the answer?"
Whew! What a ride!.......2001-09-24
I got this book for my husband, as he's the non-fiction reader in our family. I was out of something to read, so I picked it up and could NOT put it down.
Bridges does a great job of putting a lot of convoluted information into readable form. Edwin Edwards and his Crazy Cajun Cronies didn't really do anything new...they just continued a long tradition of crooked Louisiana Politics!
I enjoyed almost all of this book...the only parts that made my eyes glaze over were the details regarding the financing. My mind just can't wrap around deals where the broker stands to make 27 MILLION dollars....and then one million a year after that!
If you ever wanted a peek into the world of slick politicians, oily gangsters and brash billionaires, this is your book. BAD BET ON THE BAYOU should be required reading for anyone who votes!
Enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
The Way It Was: Nonfiction, But Still A Fantasy........2006-09-23
This is the way Huey Long wanted to be remembered. During the Depression, he did make promises to the poor, hungry residents of the state of Louisiana to have food on their tables and money to buy necessities. After his election as Governor, he was the original crooked politician who reneged on his promises. With aspirations to the Presidency of the United States, he had the state capital torn down and replaced with a replica of the White House in Washington, D.C. Such bright hopes and dreaming of a person who wanted to be our first American King.
It would have been better to have a movie about the real Huey Long; instead, we have been presented two about the fictional Willie Stark as portrayed by Robert Penn Warren, in 1949 and in 2006:
Based on Robert Penn Warren's novel, it is peopled with colorful, rambunctious (must have had high testosterone), shady characters. Mainly it was two stories in one. Willie Stark was crass and prented he liked orange "pop" (I doubt they called it that in 1930 Louisiana, as it's a Northern term -- we called it "dope"), that his "little lady" wife didn't favor liquor. Neither do I. Sean Penn was the opposite of Broaderick Crawford who was the star of the 1949 movie of the same name; he made Willie out to be a vulgar, old man who could have been a "Holiness" preacher, and Huey was only 42 when he died. Instead, he turned to the devil and was a master of dirty politics with his retribution to the men who were using him, where he relished his liquor after winning the election and "moving on" to Sadie Burk, a coffee drinker, eventually a woman scorned.
Willie was more like Billy Sunday, orating at the county Fair, pretty big for the Depression years, where I expected to find Mark the hypnotist from Vegas. It looked like a Billy Graham rally. The less said about the Willie character (too much negative was shown as his love for burlesque and the New Orleans' "Carmen", then corrupted the society girl Ann, dressed in a "cherry" dress like mine in 1951 for Christine's funeral), it was draining to watch the political maneuverings and posturing.
Jack, played by Jude Law, tried to sound like New Orleans' native Harry Connick, Jr., looked like a Southern Adonis. Men in the 1920s and '30s would not be glamorous, though he did try to parody a good investigative reporter like a Jack I know, also a Jack of Clubs (from a deck of cards). He was used to destroy his own father, brother and sister with the help of an alcoholic mother. She looked as artificial as the gardenia on her outfit out in the swamps at the old mansion owned by the judge. The live oaks with the moss hanging were just plain spooky. Tony Hopkins made a good retired, refined judge and I imagined a thinner Charles Southcott with Tony's hair. Could be wrong.
We reap what we sow. Nothing will ever be the same again. Who needs love anyway? They were all frustrated men with "attitude." I can't leave out Bill Lyons, the little man who served as chauffeur, bodyguard, henchman for Willie. He was the most corrupt of all and, in the end, corruption caught up with them all when he killed his boss and Alan. Before things were set in concrete, we saw Alan as portrayed by Mark Ruffalo (a modern James Darren) who was set up to take the fall. He was effective as the intellectual failure.
The main character was overacted by Sean Penn who turned him into a raving, depraved lunatic begging to be killed. He was profane. The length and substance of this movie was draining and left one feeling empty. No Oscar for this one!
Let History Decide.......2003-10-15
This fascinating piece of work 'written' by Huey P. Long during the height of his reign was intended to promote his 'legend and legacy', toward the goal of becoming President of the United States in 1936. However, it is best understood from the perspective of modern times.
Huey P. Long has forever been portrayed as the personification of all that is evil in American Politics. American school children outside the State of Louisiana have been taught that Long, if left unchecked, would have destroyed American Democracy as we know it and replaced it with the most corrupt Dictatorship imaginable.
Indeed, History has given Long a 'bad rap'. 'Every Man a King' is Huey Long's side of the story. Calling himself the 'friend of the working man', Long's brief but turbulent rise through American politics is unmatched by anyone in the 20th century. He was the Establishment's worst nightmare- a true Populist who really 're-distributed the wealth'. He took on the task of taxing the rich oil companies and other business interests in Louisiana and used the money to build roads, schools, and hospitals. His accomplishments are indisputable, and the moneyed interests absolutely hated him. His own abrasive and sometimes buffoon-like personality only fueled the fire for his enemies. But make no mistake about it, Long was a brilliant man and an extremely savvy politician who posed a serious threat to the status quo.
Long has been dead nearly 70 years, yet his detractors still vehemently accuse him of 'robbing the people blind' during his reign. I say 'let history be the judge'. As late as the 1980's, most of the existing paved roads, schools, and hospitals in Louisiana were built during the Long administration.
After his election to the U.S. Senate, Long became a national figure and a serious contender for the 1936 Presidential nomination. His constituents were America's poor and working class, and his Socialist ideas hit a chord with many Americans during those depression-era times. There's no question that most of Roosevelt's 'New Deal' program was a (successful) attempt to 'steal Huey Long's thunder'.
Forget everything you've ever been taught about Huey Long and buy this book. There are two sides to every story, but history has only told us one side of the enigma that was Huey Long. This book will tell the other side. Read it and let history and your conscience decide whether Long was a sinner or a savior.
It was pretty good.......1999-09-12
This book is clearly a political move made by Huey Long when he was aiming for the presidency. I found it interesting to discover about his life, and how he tried to show that he was just like everybody else.
Book Description
From the moment he took office as governor in 1928 to the day an assassin’s bullet cut him down in 1935, Huey Long wielded all but dictatorial control over the state of Louisiana. A man of shameless ambition and ruthless vindictiveness, Long orchestrated elections, hired and fired thousands at will, and deployed the state militia as his personal police force. And yet, paradoxically, as governor and later as senator, Long did more good for the state’s poor and uneducated than any politician before or since. Outrageous demagogue or charismatic visionary? In this powerful new biography, Richard D. White, Jr., brings Huey Long to life in all his blazing, controversial glory.
White taps invaluable new source material to present a fresh, vivid portrait of both the man and the Depression era that catapulted him to fame. From his boyhood in dirt-poor Winn Parish, Long knew he was destined for power–the problem was how to get it fast enough to satisfy his insatiable appetite. With cunning and crudity unheard of in Louisiana politics, Long crushed his opponents in the 1928 gubernatorial race, then immediately set about tightening his iron grip. The press attacked him viciously, the oil companies howled for his blood after he pushed through a controversial oil processing tax, but Long had the adulation of the people. In 1930, the Kingfish got himself elected senator, and then there was no stopping him.
White’s account of Long’s heyday unfolds with the mesmerizing intensity of a movie. Pegged by President Roosevelt as “one of the two most dangerous men in the country,” Long organized a radical movement to redistribute money through his Share Our Wealth Society–and his gospel of pensions for all, a shorter workweek, and free college spread like wildfire. The Louisiana poor already worshiped him for building thousands of miles of roads and funding schools, hospitals, and universities; his outrageous antics on the Senate floor gained him a growing national base. By 1935, despite a barrage of corruption investigations, Huey Long announced that he was running for president.
In the end, Long was a tragic hero–a power addict who squandered his genius and came close to destroying the very foundation of democratic rule. Kingfish is a balanced, lucid, and absolutely spellbinding portrait of the life and times of the most incendiary figure in the history of American politics.
Customer Reviews:
Kingfish, The Reign of Huey P. Long.......2007-01-04
As a native of Louisiana, I was very anxious to read this book. The book was very, very "wordy". Finishing the book was difficult, because my interest was lost in what I considered to be too many unnecessary details. Readers of this book need to keep in mind, however, that this is a history book, not a novel.
HUEY COMES ALIVE!.......2006-08-05
White's book is not only the more readable biography of Huey, it is an excellent specimen of the biography genre.
Timely reconsideration of an important figure.......2006-07-24
Writing while the gap between rich and poor widens, and from Southern California, recently identified by researchers from Wayne State U. as the nation's most economically segregated region, I was naturally drawn to the new biography of one of the last politicians to show serious concern over the way wealth is distributed in the U.S. This is the abridged version of The Huey Long Story, less exhaustive than T. Harry Williams' bio but almost certainly more readable.
Huey was a politician the likes of which we'll probably not see again. He traveled widely throughout his state pressing the flesh and remembering names. He delivered on promises to build roads, hospitals, and schools; to provide free textbooks and make LSU a first-class institution; to challenge Standard Oil and other major economic interests in order to bring some dignity to impoverished people. For all that he was equally loved and reviled. Can anybody outside of Cuba or Venezuela imagine listening -- sometimes on a hot, humid afternoon -- to a politician speak for three hours? We nowadays give that kind of attention only to rock, sports and film stars, but Huey Long commanded it in the '20s & '30s.
As a U.S. Senator, Huey Long tried to take his Share Our Wealth program to a national level, rivaling FDR's New Deal. His jealousy of Roosevelt and his own presidential aspirations led him to obstruct the passage of some of the more progressive parts of the National Recovery Act, a strategy that worked against his own state's interests. With the understanding that desperate times cause people to put their faith in crooks who would exploit their fears, Roosevelt regarded Huey as a demagogue. Ultimately, Huey's sharp dealings and alienation of opponents led to his assassination.
In this bio we don't see much of what Huey said; we're told numerous times that he was mesmerizing. We get quotes that are cartoonish: "I never read a line of Marx or Henry George or any of them economists. It's all in the law of God." But LSU history professor Richard White has given a straightforward, albeit somewhat repetitious, measure of Huey P. Long.
The biggest pie eater of them all........2006-07-21
Huey Long often described his corrupt counterparts as pie eaters. Well, Huey and his cronies were the biggest pie eaters. What Huey wanted was total power, and he set out to get it by dominating Louisiana politcs. His rule precluded all others from even having a say so in the political process. Louisiana is even now a corrupt state as witnessed by Edwin Edwards rule or by the Katrina disaster.
This is a great read. I think the definitive read was William's book, but who wants to read 700 pages on a subject. This is a better summary history of a person who could have become a dictator. Fortunately, Roosevelt became President and Huey was cut down by a assassin's bullet (or maybe one of his bodyguard's stray bullets). The author does a nice job of detailing the short rise and fall of this demagogue. Huey did some good, but also did a lot of bad. This book portrays both characteristics. I wish the author would have portrayed the assassination in more detail. Otherwise a great book.
Good but not Great.......2006-07-03
Mr. White's book is a solid condensation of the saga of Huey Long, but as I read this book I couldn't shake the feeling that the book was often just a Cliff Notes version of T. Harry Williams' Pulitzer Prize winning opus. The details that White omits for brevity sake are what makes Williams' book great. Mr. White includes all the major information, but he omits the color that illuminates the players around Huey and by doing so diminishes Huey Long's strengths and weaknesses.
I was not impressed by Mr. White taking a shot at Mr. Williams in the booknotes section...unnecessary and tasteless.
Good but not great. Read this, then go read T. Harry Williams book.
Book Description
"Last of the Red Hot Poppas will make you laugh and it will make you think rather more deeply than will make you comfortable, and in these wildly disjointed times that means this novel is not only a richly enjoyable read but an essential one." -
Robert Olen Butler, author of the Pulitzer-Prize winning A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
"Right-wing flag enthusiasts, big oil power brokers, luckless inheritors of environmental degradation, professional gamblers, sexual profligates, ACLU lawyers, and political hit men-
Last of the Red Hot Poppas has all of these and more. Jason Berry, quintessential Louisiana insider and witty chronicler of what passes for morality in the halls of power, has concocted a tantalizing mix of comic misdemeanors and serious criminal activity." -
Valerie Martin, author of
Property
"Both wildly entertaining and deadly serious, Last of the Red Hot Poppas is a fabulous read - nobody understands Louisiana politics (and its larger-than-life characters) better than Jason Berry. I couldn't put this one down." -
Lee Smith, author of On Agate Hill and The Last Girls
"With the grittiness of Dashiell Hammett and the rhythms of James Ellroy, Jason Berry gives us Louisiana politics. Last of the Red Hot Poppas is a novel you won't be able to put down." -
Raymond D. Strother, Falling Up: How a Redneck Helped Invent Political Consulting
"Nobody understands Louisiana politics better than Jason Berry or writes so convincingly about its corruption, color, and complexity.
Last of the Red Hot Poppas had me laughing out loud and turning pages as fast as I could." -
Christine Wiltz, author of
The Last Madam: A Life in the New OrleansUnderworld
Last of the Red Hot Poppas is part ribald whodunit, part social satire, and part "spiritual comedy," as Berry calls it. It's a chaotic romp through the many levels of "Looziana," but above all, it is a novel about the struggle to maintain one's integrity in a mad world of politics and power.
More information at: The Last of the Red Hot Poppas homepage. (http://chinmusicpress.com)
Customer Reviews:
A tasty riff on Louisiana politics.......2006-10-25
You can smell the sweet rot of political corruption in Berry's novel like the stench of a bad oyster or a flooded New Orleans cemetery. This novel revolves around a dead man, but it couldn't be more alive if it got up and danced. Take a writer with a history of great political nonfiction and turn him loose on a novel and you have a gritty, spicy gumbo of a book, full of enough politics to satisfy a jonesing junkie along with all the suspense, sex, and colorful characters any lover of a good read could want. Underneath it all runs a dark current of moral and spiritual questioning that will leave you haunted.
Thank God! A Comedy from Katrina-land.......2006-09-21
In the wake of all the books about Katrina's devastation, this new novel about Louisiana is better than a breath of fresh air. It's pure oxygen. No, it's laughing gas. The dialogue of the state's spectacularly corrupt politicians is so perfect, I think the author is channelling them. And the depictions of the hard-hustling music promoters, the back-woods evangelists, and the poor folk victimized by the government's environmental racism make you feel like you've been zapped smack into the bayou state. Couldn't stop turning the pages or put the book down. A great, rollicking read.
Customer Reviews:
A needed corrective.......2001-04-19
I read and was mightily impressed by T. Harry Williams' 1970 Pulitzer-prize-winning Huey Long biography. but when I read it (July 5, 1970) I thought it was far too favorable to Huey. This book, fortuantely, corrects that and is far more chilling in illustrating the methods of Huey. We often wonder how the German people could have let Hitler attain power and even some wonder why he remained in power. Huey Long was not on the level of unmitigated evil that Hitler was, but in his disregard for the rule of law and the basic tenets of democratic government he was as frightening a phenomenom as has come across the American scene that I am aware of. And when one reflects how revered he is still in Louisiana--his statue is in Statutory Hall in Washington, anybody related to him got elected in Louisiana, etc.--it is apparent that his dictatorship was popular. Apparently most people thought his disregard for law and democratic behavior was ok because they felt they were better off because of it. In St. Bernard parish in 1932 Long's slate for state office received 3,152 votes. There were 2,194 registered voters in the parish. The opposition candidates received 0 votes. This kind of voter fraud makes Hitler's wins by 98%, etc., seem honest by comparison. This is a stunning book and should be read after reading Williams' book so that one gets the whole picture of a stunning situation in American history.
Sorry, Not as Good as T. Harry's Book.......1999-05-19
Although it's readable, it's not as good as T. Harry's classic
An impressive biography of the dictator of Louisiana........1999-01-06
A slightly flawed account of the life of the Louisiana despot because it rarely takes account of the true feeling of warmth that many of his electorate felt for him. Focusing mainly on his political manouvering and manipulation of the media and the electorate puts his few good deeds in the shade. However, the wealth of sources and quotes are impressive - my favourite by Long's younger brother, Earl, talking about O.K. Allen who was governor when Long assumed his senatorship: "If a leaf blew in through O.K.'s window and landed on his desk he'd sign it."
Book Description
In a region famous for its flamboyant politicians, Earl K. Long was one of the most flamboyant of them all. This first full-scale biography of the former Louisiana governor explores his controversial life-style and his strong family ties, his raw humor and his political savvy, his abuse of power and his accomplishments in the areas of civil rights and public services. Michael L. Kurtz and Morgan D. Peoples provide new information from recently declassified FBI files concerning Earl's ties with organized crime figures, give the first comprehensive account of his stays in mental institutions in 1959, and offer factual information about his notorious relationship with the stripper Blaze Star. Based on more than two decades of research in a variety of sources, this important biography fills a serious gap in the history of modern Louisiana politics.
Customer Reviews:
Earl Long.......2001-02-07
I think the book was good.
The factual counterpart to Liebling's "Earl of Louisiana.".......1998-04-01
While A.J. Liebling kept his focus mainly to the gubernatorial campaign of 1959, this biography covers the span of Earl Kemp Long's life. Anyone who enjoyed the Liebling book is encouraged to read this one; it may be a bit more interested in historical fact, but with a subject like Earl Long, it can't keep from being humorous.
The factual counterpart to Liebling's "Earl of Lousiana.".......1998-04-01
While A.J. Liebling kept his focus mainly to the gubernatorial campaign of 1959, this biography covers the span of Earl Kemp Long's life. Anyone who enjoyed the Liebling book is encouraged to read this one; it may be a bit more interested in historical fact, but with a subject like Earl Long, it can't keep from being humorous.
Average customer rating:
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War, Politics, And Reconstruction: Stormy Days in Louisiana (Southern Classics)
Henry Clay Warmoth
Manufacturer: University of South Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1570036438 |
Book Description
A memoir of the ambitious life and controversial political career of Louisiana governor Henry Clay Warmoth (1842-1931), War, Politics, and Reconstruction is a firsthand account of the political and social machinations of Civil War America and the war's aftermath in one of the most volatile states of the defeated Confederacy.
At the onset of the Civil War, Warmoth, an Illinois native, traded his district attorney appointment for a colonel's commission in the Union army. He was wounded at Vicksburg in May 1863 and, while on leave, was dishonorably discharged by General U. S. Grant for being absent without leave and for circulating reports of exaggerated Union losses. He fought the discharge and was restored to his rank by an executive order from President Abraham Lincoln.
Warmoth arrived in Louisiana in 1864 as part of the federal occupation forces. Upon leaving military service in 1865, he established himself in private legal practice in New Orleans. Taking full advantage of the chaotic times, Warmoth rapidly amassed fortune and influence, and soon emerged as a leader of the state's Republican Party and, in 1868, was elected governor. Amid an administration rife with scandal and corruption, the Louisiana Republican Party broke into warring factions. Warmoth survived an impeachment attempt in 1872, but a second attempt in 1873 culminated with his removal from office. This fall from Republican grace stemmed from his allegiance with white conservatives, remnants of the old guard, and staunch opponents of those Republicans who sought a wider role for African Americans in Louisiana's changing political landscape.
Though he never again held political office, Warmoth remained in his adopted Louisiana, enjoying the fruits of his investments in plantations and sugar refineries. In 1930, the year before his death, he published War, Politics, and Reconstruction, a vindication of his public life and a rebuttal of his reputation as an opportunistic carpetbagger of the highest order. Despite Warmoth's obvious self-serving biases, the volume offers unparalleled depth of personal insight into the inner workings of Reconstruction government in Louisiana in the words of one of its key architects.
A new introduction by John C. Rodrigue places Warmoth's memoir within the broader context of evolving perceptions and historiography of Reconstruction. Rodrigue also offers readers a more balanced portrait of Warmoth by providing supplemental information omitted or slighted by the author in his efforts to cast his actions in the most positive light.
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Every Man a King: The Autobiography of Huey P. Long
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