Poor Man's Provence

March 3, 2008
According to newspaper columnist Johnson, life in Cajun Country, deep in the heart of Southeast Louisiana, is "the opposite of live and let live; it's more like mind my business and I'll mind yours." In this largely winning read, Johnson does exactly that with the residents of her adopted, beloved Bayou home, Henderson, La. Her distinct perspective, that of an accepted neighbor who's still considered an outsider, drives this observational memoir. Travel readers will enjoy chucklesome details-a town with about five surnames, Henderson's phone book "is the only one... I know of to use nicknames in its listings"-but Johnson's news background proves both blessing and curse. On one hand, she's a fearless reporter, but her profiles too often cut short just when they're getting good. She touches on the poverty, racism and other troubles (like hurricanes), but doesn't probe in much depth, effectively reducing some of her friends and neighbors to two-dimensional ciphers. Where she does achieve a more nuanced portrait, readers will find a wonderful, personal look into a Cajun community.

June 23, 2008
According to newspaper columnist Johnson, life in Cajun Country, deep in the heart of Southeast Louisiana, is "the opposite of live and let live; it's more like mind my business and I'll mind yours." In this largely winning read, Johnson does exactly that with the residents of her adopted, beloved Bayou home, Henderson, La. Her distinct perspective, that of an accepted neighbor who's still considered an outsider, drives this observational memoir. Travel readers will enjoy chucklesome details-a town with about five surnames, Henderson's phone book "is the only one... I know of to use nicknames in its listings"-but Johnson's news background proves both blessing and curse. On one hand, she's a fearless reporter, but her profiles too often cut short just when they're getting good. She touches on the poverty, racism and other troubles (like hurricanes), but doesn't probe in much depth, effectively reducing some of her friends and neighbors to two-dimensional ciphers. Where she does achieve a more nuanced portrait, readers will find a wonderful, personal look into a Cajun community.

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