Norbert Elliot

Available as eBook May 1, 2025, on Amazon

New Orleans: A Childhood

When Norbert Elliot graduated from his New Orleans Catholic grammar school in 1966, he was determined to claw himself free from his family and the place they called home. Interlacing the history of one of America’s iconic cities with his childhood memories, Elliot explores two hundred and fifty years of intentional cruelty and promised charity. With a focus on disposable lives, his memoir calls into question traditional views of families and places and asks us to imagine the freedom of lives lived on the delicate line between what can, and cannot, be.

About the Author

Norbert Elliot was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1952, and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Elementary School and Brother Martin High School. He received his BA and MA from the University of New Orleans and his PhD from the University of Tennessee. A specialist in writing assessment, he is Professor Emeritus of English at New Jersey Institute of Technology. For more about his work, see norbertelliot.com.

Publication: Spring 2025