Beautiful Crescent: From Spanish Silver To Congo Square

The history of anything depends on one crucial element – the person who is telling it. The history of New Orleans is no exception to this rule. It is inevitable that a city known for its storytelling, like New Orleans is, would have its own story told by numerous storytellers who all present its history in various ways by focusing on different elements of its culture and historical events. This holds true for two books about the history of New Orleans: Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans and The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square. Both works hold the same purpose of explaining how New Orleans came to be the city it is today, but they execute it in different ways. This is because of the people responsible for telling the stories, the approaches they take in how they decide to present their information, and the depth they include for certain historical and cultural events. An exploration of the stories each book tells is key to obtaining a full understanding and appreciation of the comprehensive history of New Orleans. The first work, Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans, written by Joan B. Garvey and Mary Lou Widmer, offers a look into

Sublette also covers many of the topics that are discussed above, but gives a greater depth to each historical event or cultural element. One key difference is the heavier inclusion and focus of other cultures that shaped New Orleans other than France. While France did arguably play one of the biggest roles in the birth of New Orleans, there are other cultures that also contributed a significant amount to shaping the unique city. Sublette covers the Spanish and American influences at a greater length than Garvey and Widmer, but the true focus of The World That Made New Orleans is the African