| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 106.1

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 106.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Canada and the United States

Jerry Purvis Sanson. Louisiana During World War II: Politics and Society, 1939–1945. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. 1999. Pp. xii, 323. $60.00.

Given the widespread interest in how World War II affected American society, a state study such as this is a worthwhile venture. Yet Jerry Purvis Sanson's book represents something of a missed opportunity. Instead of focusing on how World War II affected Louisiana's economy and society, it devotes the first six chapters (fully half its length) to a narrative of state politics. Only the last five chapters deal with the specific impact of the war. 1

There are several drawbacks to this approach. One is that Sanson's political narrative, although quite detailed, does not add much that is new or unfamiliar to students of Louisiana history. Sanson recounts, clearly and competently, the story of the Louisiana scandals of 1939–1940 and their profound impact on the state's political life. He then provides a detailed analysis of the administration of reformist governor Sam H. Jones (1940–1944), followed by an account of the first two years of Governor Jimmie Davis's administration (1944–1948). Sanson plays close attention to state and congressional elections and attempts to make sense of the state's labyrinthine factional politics. However, readers who are familiar with the work of Allan P. Sindler, Perry H. Howard, Glen Jeansonne, Michael Kurtz, and Morgan Peoples will not find much to surprise them. Nor does Sanson supply new insights or reinterpret familiar material in an original way. . . .

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