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booksnooksandcooks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
5.0
What a book to start the year off.
I’ve always been interested in New Orleans, despite having never visited. Being from St. Louis, I find so many similarities between the two cities through the shared history and culture of the French colonizers and the Mississippi River. I was only five when Katrina happened and so anytime someone mentioned it, I knew it was bad but never truly grasped how horrific it was until Hurricane Harvey happened and many people spoke of the parallels.
But wow, this book. Baum was an excellent writer and his words kept me both captivated and heartbroken. I felt the depth of grief of each person. I felt rage at the injustices faced. I found myself setting the book down to google things about New Orleans, such as maps and photos of homes and pre-Katrina versus post-Katrina images. This book has only made my interest in New Orleans grow because I could only think about how similar the city is to my St. Louis. It made me miss the sugary taste of King Cake and the fervent love people feel for a city that others deemed “broken”.
Dan Baum, I wish I had read this book years earlier so you could read these words, but I know your words will stick with readers for years to come.
I’ve always been interested in New Orleans, despite having never visited. Being from St. Louis, I find so many similarities between the two cities through the shared history and culture of the French colonizers and the Mississippi River. I was only five when Katrina happened and so anytime someone mentioned it, I knew it was bad but never truly grasped how horrific it was until Hurricane Harvey happened and many people spoke of the parallels.
But wow, this book. Baum was an excellent writer and his words kept me both captivated and heartbroken. I felt the depth of grief of each person. I felt rage at the injustices faced. I found myself setting the book down to google things about New Orleans, such as maps and photos of homes and pre-Katrina versus post-Katrina images. This book has only made my interest in New Orleans grow because I could only think about how similar the city is to my St. Louis. It made me miss the sugary taste of King Cake and the fervent love people feel for a city that others deemed “broken”.
Dan Baum, I wish I had read this book years earlier so you could read these words, but I know your words will stick with readers for years to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Death, and Police brutality
Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Medical content, Child death, Classism, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
porgparade's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Rape, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Racism, and Police brutality
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