Through a case that set legal precedents, authors reveal the human toll when governmental bodies get greedy and the human spirit that prevailed in a fight that lasted 100 years
NEW ORLEANS, April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A historical novel, set in the 1920's, is based on the true story of the forced removal of a diverse population of people who once lived and thrived alongside the Mississippi River in lower Plaquemines Parish in southeast Louisiana. This story follows the lives of two families—one black, one white—as they struggle to fight corrupt New Orleans politicians who successfully steal their land, as well as the land of hundreds of others, to obtain valuable mineral rights under the pretext that an experimental spillway built fifty miles south of New Orleans could somehow protect the city from a river that runs north to south.
Written by New York Times Bestselling Author Susan D. Mustafa and Plaquemines Parish District Attorney Charles J. Ballay, "Blood Moon Over Bohemia" embodies the unique culture of Louisiana and the indomitable spirit of its people. As a child, Ballay would walk along the Mississippi River with his family, and they would look across at the Bohemia Spillway and imagine what it would be like if the towns and people still existed there. This novel depicts those towns and people and shows what can happen when politicians determine to take what doesn't belong to them.
"I grew up hearing stories about the Bohemia Spillway for as long as I can remember," said Ballay. "I always knew this story needed to be shared. Even today, when the spillway is mentioned in this
parish, older folks still shake their heads. No one who lives along the Mississippi River has forgotten what happened there one hundred years ago."
The book includes a collection of references and resources used by the authors, and they spent over two years conducting interviews and researching to write a more accurate story. The book also contains historical maps and photographs. This saga, which began more than one hundred years ago, is still being adjudicated in courts today.
"This story depicts the heartache of those forced off their lands and the elation they and their descendants experience when, some sixty years later, good finally triumphs over evil," said Mustafa. "It will appeal to history afficionados, fans of political corruption, drama enthusiasts, and audiences captivated by stories of injustice and survival."
"Blood Moon Over Bohemia"
By Susan D. Mustafa and Charles J. Ballay
ISBN: 9798823036085 (softcover); 9798823036092 (hardcover); 9798823036078 (electronic)
Available at AuthorHouse, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
About the author
Susan D. Mustafa is a New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle bestselling author, as well as an award-winning investigative journalist. Her books have been translated and published in nine languages. She has been prominently featured in several docuseries and numerous television programs that have aired on FX, A&E, Hulu, Discovery, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Canada, Lifetime, Oxygen, and National Geographic. Susan was born in New Orleans and resides in Baton Rouge.
Charles J. Ballay is the district attorney and a native of Plaquemines Parish. He was born in Port Sulphur, Louisiana, and grew up in the adjacent area of Homeplace. He earned a law degree from LSU Law School in 1976 and began practicing law in Belle Chasse that same year. In 1980, he began working as an assistant district attorney, and, in 2008, he was elected as the district attorney of Plaquemines Parish, a position that he continues to hold today. Charles is married to Claire Bonneval, and they are the parents of three sons and grandparents of eleven grandchildren. Charles and Claire reside in Belle Chasse.
To learn more, please visit authorwebservices-gem4.net/AuthorHouse/862940
Media Contact
Ziggy Goldfarb, AuthorHouse, 4803067065, [email protected]
SOURCE Author Susan D. Mustafa
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