LITERATURE

Born on the Bayou

by Blaine Lourd
Gallery: S. & S. 2015. 224p. ISBN 9781476773858. $25; ebk. ISBN 9781476773872. MEMOIR
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Alternating entertaining and irritating, Lourd's memoir depicts a stereotypical Deep South (Louisiana specifically) and is excessively concerned with manliness and with becoming a man, which mostly seems to mean losing one's virginity (and then having lots of casual sex), learning how to hunt, and drinking beer. The term coonass, a Cajun variation on "redneck," is one the author bandies about frequently and apparently takes great pride in being, though he is now a wealth management adviser in Los Angeles. Finally, we are introduced to Lourd's father, Puffer, who ostensibly taught him everything he knows, but whom he must defy to make his own life.
VERDICT Readers looking for a little Southern flair in their memoirs should check out Rick Bragg's All Over But the Shoutin' and Mary Carr's The Liars' Club, which offer better places to start.
Reviewed by Staff , Oct 01, 2015
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