The Last Days of Louisiana Red (1974) is a novel written by Ishmael Reed

Ishmael Reed

Ishmael Scott Reed is an American poet, essayist, and novelist. A prominent African-American literary figure, Reed is known for his satirical works challenging American political culture, and highlighting political and cultural oppression.Reed has been described as one of the most controversial...

. It is considered a model novel of the Black Arts Movement

Black Arts Movement

The Black Arts Movement or BAM is the artistic branch of the Black Power movement. It was started in Harlem by writer and activist Amiri Baraka...

 and contains many elements of postmodernism

Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...

. The book revolves heavily around voodoo

Louisiana Voodoo

Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...

.

Plot summary

A satiric look at 1960s politics, The Last Days of Louisiana Red follows investigator Papa LaBas as he tries to figure out who murdered Ed Yellings, the proprietor of the Solid Gumbo Works. In the story, Labas finds himself fighting the rising tide of violence propagated by Louisiana Red and the militant opportunists, the Moochers. Eventually, Labas learns that the murder has been a conspiracy to dethrone the Gumbo business because Ed was trying to create medicine that would stop heroin addiction.

Characters in "The Last Days of Louisiana Red"

• Ed Yellings - the proprietor of the Business known as Solid Gumbo Works. He is murdered early in the novel, and his Business is passed on to his son, Wolf.

• Wolf - one of the two sons of Ed Yellings.

• Sister - one of the daughters of Ed Yellings.

• Minnie - the youngest daughter of Ed Yellings, she leads a society known as the Moochers.

• Papa Labas - a sort of detective character who tries to figure out the mystery behind Ed Yellings' murder.

• Nanny Lisa - a nanny who lives at the home of Ed Yellings and takes care of the children. She forms a very special bond with Minnie.