This book turned out to be a little different from my initial expectation. It was not strictly about Mayor Landrieu's decision to take down Confederate monuments in New Orleans, but also covered his life and political career; the range is reflected in the variety within my book notes.
In the Shadow of Statues by Mitch Landrieu (June 2019)
In my mind the breadth of the work did not diminish In the Shadow of Statues, but I would understand if a reader was left wanting to hear more about the decision, particularly given the events of the two years since I read the book. Then again, what is there to learn about this that we couldn't figure out for ourselves? My perspective mirrors a point Landrieu makes about statues - they exist in part as the symbols we use to tell stories about our history. The Confederacy was built on "the great truth" that slavery was a natural condition, and statues hail their leaders as heroes. So what is the story being told by these statues? I am befuddled by those who claim this situation requires further contemplation; it requires bulldozers. It does not stretch my imagination to wonder what stories future generations will tell about our time, when these statues remained cherished landmarks in so many places some one hundred and sixty years - and counting - after the opening shots of the Civil War.
TOA Rating: Three statues out of four.
