“A Girl’s Life in New Orleans: The Diary of Ella Grunewald 1884-1886,” edited by Hans Rasmussen, Louisiana State University Press, 161 pages

Ella Grunewald’s life as a Louisiana teenager should sound familiar to many: school, church, a large family, membership in several clubs and a busy social calendar including parades and concerts. She was also a talented musician who spent hours practicing piano and often performed in public.

But her life in New Orleans toward the end of the 19th century was far different from her modern peers. Illness and death were all too familiar in the Crescent City in the Gilded Age, fire was an ever-present danger, travel about town could be more arduous, and communication did not come at the touch of a button.

Ella left behind a gift that reveals a glimpse i

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