Book Review - Summers Full of Porch Bull by Gather's Own Mariana Titus

In an effort to read the works of some of the authors who grace us with their presence here at Gather, I began my adventure with "Summers Full of Porch Bull" by Mariana T. (Titus).


The book is a large ( 9x12?) paperback book with a charming picture of an Acadian, or Cajun, home on the front cover.  I have a suspicion this may be the home of Mariana's Mother, known in her hometown of Franklin, Louisiana, as Mama T.

I immersed myself in the Cajun culture of southwestern Louisiana from page one.  Mariana grew up here, these are her people, if not through blood, then through culture.  The book is full of stories one might hear sitting around in a local diner, at a small town watering hole, or indeed, on a front porch on a hot afternoon, or a humid evening sharing a beer or a pitcher of sweet tea.


The first section of the book was all about Cajun food, what some eat and some don't, how to prepare food in an authentic manner, and the sport and adventures the bayou dwellers have in obtaining their food.  There are some amazing stories about 1,000 pound turtles that might or might not be "bull."  The author leaves it up to you to decide.  The fishing stories are the same.  Some seem impossible to a northerner, but maybe not so to someone from the area.

Mariana brings out the French culture of the region and how it has changed through the years.  I was surprised to learn that Cajun is a "dead" language that stopped evolving years ago.  Cajuns do not have a word for "airplane" or "computer" for instance.  I found it interesting that just a generation or two back, some Cajuns didn't speak English, and many still speak French among themselves today.

One of my favorite stories in the book involved a boy who went to spend a week with his French-speaking Grandparents.  There was much love between them though they understood very little of each other's languages.  One day the grandson got bored and began shooting his Grandmother's chickens with his .22.  His Grandfather came roaring from around the house, ready to give the kid the whipping of his life, but the boy's Grandmother came outside and said, "You have nine down, just three more and you'll have my dozen I wanted killed."  That took the wind out of Grandpa's sails and bonded the boy to his Grandmother forever.

'Love is Better Than Rabbit Spaghetti' is a section all about Cajun courting and marriage rituals.  Many of the stories are laugh out loud, others are quite touching.

I reveled in the Cajun culture of this book.  The second day I was reading it I asked my husband to take me to the local Cajun food joint for Gumbo, but I'm sure it was nothing compared to the "real thing" in Acadian Louisiana.  I found myself with sudden cravings for shrimp, oysters and catfish, too.

The pictures in the book are all in black and white, some are full pages, and all are compelling.  There are scenes of everyday life, faces that seem to almost speak to the reader, and wonderful views of what Cajun Country looks like if you turn off I-10 and explore the backroads.

I've visited this area once, very briefly.  Now I can't wait to go back.

Mariana says that this book is now out of print and very hard to obtain.  I was lucky and bought the only one abebooks offered.  She does have some sources for some of her other books, all also about Cajun life or life in Southwestern Louisiana.  You may contact Mariana about these books at toes@gather.com.

I'm going to mail this book to Ina, and I believe Ina is going to pass it on the Sue.  If you'd like to get on the list to share this book, please let one of us know.  It costs very little to mail a book via media mail.  I am vicky63401@gather.com.

Mariana is working on finishing up her latest book about the area called, "Sunday Mornings, Crowning Glories."  I'm trying to figure out a way I (and maybe some Gather buddies) could show up at her Louisiana signing party in October.

Mariana's book, "Rain, Cane, Bayou Refrain," is still available through Books Along The Teche and their phone number is 337 - 367-7621 in New Iberia, Louisiana.  All four of Mariana's books are also available at Fad Newstand, Franklin, Louisiana, Phone: 337 828 2486 and La Cajun Stuff  has copies of all four and their phone is: 985 851 1698.  I'm budgeting a Mariana book per month.