Bayou Farewell The story is told by Mike Tidwell, a man who chooses to hitchhike down the Bayou, catching rides on stranger's boats who he has never met before. He started on his exciting journey, not knowing what would become of him. Relying on strangers kindness, and a great deal of luck. Throughout the book the author travels down the 'Baya', as the Cajun people call it, and meets many people of Cajun background who call this place their home. The Author's main purpose in writing this book is to share with the world the lifestyle of these Cajun people; and how their home is disappearing before their own eyes. He wants to call attention to the rising problem of the disappearing marshlands, with the intention of slowing down the …show more content…

The structure of this book is in the first person format. It is written almost like a journal, in that he recounts what happens each day. One very interesting thing about it is that he tries to stay true to the Cajun dialect, without making his writing unclear. He does this in a very effective manner that keeps the Cajun feel and gives the reader the impression that they are actually listening to the Cajun characters speak. He comments on how the people there often use a 'd' instead of the 'th' sound in words like “the” “there” or “ that”. He writes that the characters say “ da” “ der” or “ dat.” This keeps the legitimate feeling while making sure that his book is easily understood.(xii) Originally when I approached this book I was a little skeptical. I was worried about whether or not it would be able to hold my interest throughout it's entirety. However as I began to read, I was pleasantly surprised. Tidwell's accounts of his experiences were mostly very interesting and exciting. It was exciting to keep guessing who he was going to meet next and where they would take him. The constant change in characters, and depth into each character's life kept the book interesting and made me want to read it all the way through. I would recommend it to a person who was interested in learning about different cultures.

References
Tidwell, M. (2003). Bayou Farewell (First