During the devastating 1927 Mississippi River flood in Louisiana, a Cajun boy attempts to save his old hermit friend from the flood waters while encountering thieves and attempting to court his sweetheart. In the course of the greatest national calamity since the Civil War, a Cajun boy, Augustne, struggles to save his old hermit friend, Tristan, from the destruction of the 1927 Mississippi River flood in Louisiana. During evacuation in a Red Cross camp, Augustne meets the love of his life, Renee. Meanwhile, compelled to rescue Tristan who is stranded in the floodwaters, Augustne sneaks out in a boat against the National Guard's orders and returns to the flood ravaged region. While braving the flood waters, he encounters two thieves who are pillaging the vacant homesteads. Augustne and Tristan are taken hostage by the thieves and forced at gunpoint to help them with their looting. Eventually escaping, they report the thieves to the local police and the National Guard. Assisting the authorities in capturing the thieves, they become heroes among the evacuees. As the waters recede and the devastation of the flood is finally under control, Augustne begins to focus his attention on the love of his life, Renee, and how to hoist their relationship to a higher level. Within the course of this amazing life-changing flooding experience with more than 26,000 square miles inundated, at least 700,000 people homeless from Canada to Louisiana, flood damages of more than $400,000 dollars (equivalent to approximately half a billion dollars today), and an estimated death toll of near 1,000 people and countless animals, these stalwart Cajuns persevered and continued on with their attitude of 'Les le Bon Temps Roule' (Let the Good Times Roll).
About the Author: John Wayne Rabalais is a Cajun and a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He has held professor positions at three universities as well as a post-doctorial position at the University of Uppsala, Department of Physics, in Sweden with Nobel laureate Professor Kai Siegbahn. He has written four science books, over three hundred fifty articles for science journals, holds five patents, has presented over one hundred seventy scientific lectures at universities, scientific meetings, research institutes, and industries, besides serving on the editorial boards of four scientific journals. He has supervised thirty two Ph. D. degrees, nine M. S. degrees, and forty two postdoctoral students. The many honors that he has received include a NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship, two Technical Writing Awards from the Pittsburgh Chemistry Club & Society For Technical Communications, Southeastern Texas Section Award of the American Chemical Society, Elected to Fellowship in the American Vacuum Society, inducted into the Louisiana State University Hall of Distinction, Research Excellence Award and Esther Farfel Award of the University of Houston, and currently, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Lamar University. He enjoys nature, horses, dogs, good novels, family, and his grandchildren..