“Call me Larry: A Creole Man’s Triumph over Racism and Homophobia” is the memoir of a 7th Ward resident who discusses his growing activism in the 1960s and 1970s.  The book is by Larry Bagneris and co-authored by Ryan Gomez. The Creole boy, Lawrence, grew up in a close-knit Catholic family that encouraged him to commit to his values and equal rights. With Lawrence as his birth name, he took on the name Larry when he began to travel in the gay community—first in New Orleans’ French Quarter then in Houston, San Francisco, New York and other cities—where he made many friends with like-minded politics. The memoir has many illustrations of his hometown, family, and political activities. They are distributed throughout the text, which uses the voice of the author to describe many turbulent times. An important turning point in Larry’s life was in 1969 when he became heavily involved in politics and gay rights. Published by The Historic New Orleans Collection in 2025, the memoir offers a new perspective on the movement of human rights that took place all over the United States, but particularly with a member of our local community in our hometown.  

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The new Roman Catholic Pope, Leo XIV, is a member of the Order of St. Augustine. These priests are committed to education, service, and social justice. They also take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Perhaps now is a good time to read a book written by the namesake of the order. “The Confessions of Saint Augustine” (originally called Confessions) is a series of 13 books written around the year 400 as an autobiography by Augustine of Hippo. In sum, the book includes the North African’s conversion to Christianity from a troubled youth.

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Fatima Shaik is the author of seven books including "Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood," the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities 2022 Book of the Year. She is a native of...