LaRC books-- the fiction of Rhodesia Jackson

In her Pecan Candy trilogy, Rhodesia Jackson narrates the life-changing experiences of young Peggy Lavizzo of Orleans Avenue, as she falls in love and marries architect Clint Johnston.   Although both native New Orleanian African-Americans, the two characters are very different in socio-economic background and circumstances, age, family, skin color, education, life experience, religion, and point of view.

Pecan candy & huck-a-bucks / by Rhodesia Jackson.  2^nd ed.  New Orleans, LA : Orgena Enterprises, c1995. 

 PS 3560 .A24197 P4 1995 LACOLL

(also in a Kindle ed. From amazon.com)

Sweeter than candy / Rhodesia Jackson.  1^st ed.  New Orleans, LA : Orgena, c1997.

 PS 3560 .A24197 S92 1997 LACOLL

Three times sweeter, love, home & family / Rhodesia Jackson.  1^st ed.  New Orleans, LA : Orgena Enterprises Ltd., c2000.

[pre-order process in LaRC]

  

Yes, there’s candy-making, mini-snowballs, delicious aromatic food, music, sensual situations, romantic and family love, shopping, generosity, babies, adorable children, a Saints player, prayers, and hilarious vulgar dialogue.   There is even a trip to New York for cultural contrast.   But this is no pre-Katrina fairy tale.   Racial and intra-racial prejudice, male chauvinism, female opportunism, domestic abuse, poverty, materialism, political corruption, homophobia, mental illness, Voodoo curses, drug abuse, AIDS, crime, gun violence, and tragedy are themes throughout the ambitious trilogy.    

The author currently lives in New Orleans, working through websites and continuing her writing in the form of  screenplays and other projects, as cinematic-style dialogue is a strength of her work.    In a 2013 interview here, she comments on the effect of the Katrina disaster on herself, her family, and her writing.  

LaRC collects literary works by Louisiana authors, particularly when the Louisiana setting is of prominent importance in the narrative, verse, or text.  Works of fiction often serve the purpose of cultural preservation; poetry and nonfiction contribute to the knowledge and sense of the times.    

Posted by Susanna Powers