Reviews for Da Book!

Excellent reviews, so far, from Publisher's Weekly and the Boston Globe. Today we saw the one in the American Library Association's Booklist for February, Black History Month. The surprising part about this review is that it is highly recommended for YA and Teens! I have written about 14-year-old Friend and some others I've heard about loving this book, but still ... content is adult content, particularly the material relating to the inter-state trade and the related context.

As ALA's Booklist online is subscription only here is the review:

[ In the rush to analyze New Orleans after Katrina, this articulate and intensely researched history provides not only an impressive look at its subject but also should serve as a model for any future works on great American cities. As he tracks discovery by the French, colonization by the Spanish, and eventual possession by the Americans, Sublette reveals how each nation implanted its character on the Crescent City’s development. Most startling will be his discussion of the deep Cuban and Haitian connections and the cultural and economic effect these Caribbean islands have on present day society and industry. As the author of Cuba and Its Music (2007), Sublette gives the city’s musical legacy its due and investigates Congo Square with its tradition of late night celebrations rooted in distant African life, which provided a permanent link between the two continents. He finishes with an insightful discussion on the Mardi Gras Indians, significant groups who are keeping New Orleans’s history of slavery and hard-fought freedom alive. Cultural studies and history do not get much better than this, a must read for anyone who wonders why this city must be saved.

YA/C: Critical reading for teens researching the history of American slavery or the city of New Orleans. ]

So, then, Hooray. For these days, yanno, the publishing money is in the YA market, something that didn't exist outside schools and libraries, prior to the boomers having kids, and then, particularly post the first Potter volume explosion. These are also the reviews, as with the Publisher's Weekly one, amazon etc. put up on the book's page. They don't tend to do reviews from places like The Boston Globe, for instance, which had a terrific review of da book last week, I think it was. Supposedly the NY Times Book Review will be running one this month too.

Updated:

Another *****ed Review:

Associated Press.

I've never been aware of AP reviews before. It's probably the only time Vaquero's gonna be on the same page with Brittney Spears!