PRAISE FOR MY COLD WAR: "Tom Piazza's writing pulsates with nervous electrical tension--reveals the emotions that we can't define." - Bob Dylan

"Piazza writes about history with a rare engagement. He understands its vitality and its force." - New Orleans Gambit

"Pensive and elegiac.... Sharp [and] steely.... Like a good jazz funeral, Why New Orleans Matters is both a mournful dirge and a vivacious ode to the city." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Novelist, short story writer, music critic, Piazza is now truly a poet of place. Reading his book is an emotionally wrenching experience--at times hilarious, at times heartbreaking--as Piazza recounts his joyful adventures in the city and the pain of watching its destruction from such a great distance... The rage and grief Piazza recounts in returning to his home... will strike a chord with everyone who has set foot in the city since August 29th. And it will make it real to readers beyond our borders." - New Orleans Times-Picayune

"Hot and real and from the heart... An emotionally wrenching experience--at times hilarious, at times heartbreaking." - New Orleans Times-Picayune

"Pensive and elegiac... sharp [and] steely. ...A mournful dirge and a vivacious ode to the city." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"A minor miracle unto itself... a heartfelt, 180-page manifesto... There's a little something for everyone." - Gambit Weekly

"Piazza wonderfully captures the spirit of New Orleans or, more accurately, the spirit of its people....If you think New Orleans is only about Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street, you need to read this book. It will open your eyes...and caress your heart." - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Tribune

Best Book Award, New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association

Humanities Book of the Year Award, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

"Insightful... a sensory paradise... Why New Orleans Matters is a celebration of the spirit of New Orleans." - BookInfo.net

"An important book...containing so many reasons why New Orleans should matter to everyone." - Madison County Herald

"An enjoyable meander through what used to be called 'the city that care forgot.'" - Houston Chronicle

"Powerful, rich with anger, longing, and barely expressible loss." - Providence Phoenix