Mardi Gras: New Orleans

Rating:
Summary: "Driven from the streets by Government interference?"
Review: A previous reviewer talks of the Comus crewe being driven from the streets by "government interference." He couldn't be referring to the decision not to allow the continuance of racially segregated crewe activities on New Orlean streets by any chance? Or could he? Language is a funny thing. This book is a dedication to the "golden age" when Mardi Gras was all white, and all was right with the "white" world. It is not a very liberating experience, but I guess as long as the vestiges of the "old generation" remain the nostalgia for the good old days will persist. After all, there are those who think we would have been better off had Strom Thurmond been president....

Rating:
Summary: A loving look at the history of an unique celebration
Review: Henri Schindler is a devotee of New Orleans Carnival. He served as the last float designer for the Mistick Krewe of Comus, the orginator of thematic New Orleans Carnival parades, until the Mistick Krewe was driven from the streets in 1992 by government interference. Rather than focus on this end, Mr. Schindler writes evocatively of the glory days of carnival, the "last butterfly of winter". It is at once stylish, historical, and moving- a must have for every carnival afficiendo. You come away not seeing just a drunken debacle, but an appreciation for a local celebration, rich in traditions, social history and the artists who helped create it. Complete with extraordinary photo-plates.