The Last Days of Louisiana Red

By Ishmael Reed

Book Overview

When Papa LaBas (private eye, noonday HooDoo, and hero of Reed s Mumbo Jumbo) comes to Berkeley, California, to investigate the mysterious death of Ed Yellings, owner of the Solid Gumbo Works, he finds himself fighting the rising tide of violence propagated by Louisiana Red and those militant opportunists, the Moochers. A HooDoo detective story and a comprehensive satire on the explosive politics of the 60s, The Last Days of Louisiana Red exposes the hypocrisy of contemporary American culture and race politics."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1564782360
• ISBN13: 9781564782366
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.4"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Soon to be republished - hooray!

A weird, dreamlikle book, almost impossible to describe - makes Gravity's Rainbow look like Biggles, in terms of complexity and non-linearity. It basically deals with the exploits of PaPa LaBas, voodoo detective, and his attempts to find and destroy Louisiana Red - an insidious force that causes anger and pain. But really, as far as literary descriptions go, this is about as comprehensive as "Finnegan's Wake is about this guy who's having a dream." The book's more like a kaleidoscope of American (specifically black) culture, leaving nothing out.The quality of the writing can't be denied, and it's so full of brilliant images and ideas that it'll leave your head buzzing.