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sciencekoala's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Rape
mllejoyeuxnoel's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book out of the many accounts of Katrina because it appeared to be the most comprehensive and widely-read - and at over 600 pages, comprehensive it certainly was. Still, reading this 2006 book in 2022, when the Katrina response has for many years now been almost universally acknowledged as the epitomic result of systemic, institutionalized racism, was disheartening at many points. I also wasn’t crazy about the chronological way the history of the storm and its aftermath was written. It felt like the author was trying to fit literally every single story he’d ever recorded into one book, which sometimes resulted in very strange jumps from one moment to the next; still, as chaotic and unwieldy as the story of Katrina is, I must admit I don’t have any suggestions for how it should have otherwise been organized. Overall, I’m glad I read this book. I was 17 when Katrina hit, busy applying to colleges and in so many co-curriculars that it was exceedingly rare for me to be home from school in time for the nightly news, so I had only the broadest understanding of what happened during the week’s worth of time this book covers. For the factual timeline and anecdotal accounts of survivors, this book was great. I learned a lot.
mzokiegolfer's review against another edition
5.0
This was a long book but worth the read. As I watched the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina on TV, my heart went out to all who were affected by this tragedy. I can't imagine the despair and helpless feelings everyone must have had as a result. I also was dumbfounded by the length of time it took to get any help to these people by our government.
Mr. Brinkley described in great detail what took place the days before, during and following Katrina. At times, it was hard to read as he wrote about the hospitals, the ineptitude of FEMA, NOPD, and the criminal element that pervaded during the darkest days. He also wrote about the bravery of individuals who were determined to survive at all costs, the groups who came from out of state to help whomever they could, including rescue of animals.
I vaguely remember reading or listening to an online blogger on the internet while Katrina was taking place. I can't recall the details but it seemed they were in an office building or high-rise apartment and were describing the initial effects of the Hurricane and the need for food and personal hygiene items. This is a book I won't long forget and highly recommend if you enjoy non-fiction.
Mr. Brinkley described in great detail what took place the days before, during and following Katrina. At times, it was hard to read as he wrote about the hospitals, the ineptitude of FEMA, NOPD, and the criminal element that pervaded during the darkest days. He also wrote about the bravery of individuals who were determined to survive at all costs, the groups who came from out of state to help whomever they could, including rescue of animals.
I vaguely remember reading or listening to an online blogger on the internet while Katrina was taking place. I can't recall the details but it seemed they were in an office building or high-rise apartment and were describing the initial effects of the Hurricane and the need for food and personal hygiene items. This is a book I won't long forget and highly recommend if you enjoy non-fiction.
jsisco's review against another edition
5.0
Masterful and meticulous in his re-telling of this catastrophic event. The incompetence is mind-numbing, but the human stories never cease to give you chills. The only thing I'd like to see is more information (perhaps an added epilogue or afterword?) on the repercussions in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to this day.
Overall, though, the detail in this tome is stunning. Truly a phenomenal text.
Overall, though, the detail in this tome is stunning. Truly a phenomenal text.
lesleynr's review against another edition
5.0
The real disaster of Hurricane Katrina was the effect of disinterest and greed. It is too kind to blame what happened on imcompetence. Incompetence implies that someone tried, but bumbled the job. The decision to do nothing is an active -- not a passive -- choice.
k80uva's review against another edition
3.0
Gruesome and compelling, but it really needed some editing--it's long and circular. There's also a pervasive, distracting issue with the author editorializing. Hurricane Katrina was a deeply fraught, chaotic, tragic situation and it naturally lends itself to polemics. I don't even fault Brinkley for that. It's more that he seems really inconsistent in his accusations--he has a major focus on rape and looting and "thugs," though in the end he also seems to have some data that undercuts how widespread that was. He's enormously accusatory toward Kathleen Blanco and Ray Nagin, but considerably less so about the federal government. He's very romantic about vigilantism and "can do spirit" that arose in the absence of organized aid. It's a lot of trees and not enough forest, and it makes the book seem rambling and not entirely reliable. So while it was an engaging read, I feel like I need to read another book to disambiguate the information in this one.
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5. Consumed as an audiobook. The narrator was just ok for me and may have impacted the rating of the book.
The author has a bone to pick, and he is ready to tell you about it. Sometimes his vehemence comes through, which results in any objectivity clearly disappearing.
However, he tells a compelling story, and it moves quickly. I definitely learned some new things.
The author has a bone to pick, and he is ready to tell you about it. Sometimes his vehemence comes through, which results in any objectivity clearly disappearing.
However, he tells a compelling story, and it moves quickly. I definitely learned some new things.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Hurricane Katrina was an Atlantic hurricane that made it to Category 5 strength before making landfall in New Orleans. Other areas were damaged severely by this Hurricane, but this book has a specific focus on New Orleans. The strength of the storm did decrease in the hours before inundating New Orleans in many ways. The storm did plenty of damage from being a strong storm, but the flooding caused by the storm was the real killer. Levee walls and other flood protection systems failed. The city is below sea level to begin with, and water rushing in from the failed levees and then having no place to dissipate left the city in a state that would be the equivalent of sticking it in a bowl of water. Lack of preparation and warning were also factors in this catastrophe, and the response from the government was underwhelming, to put it nicely.
I have read several books and watched several things about Hurricane Katrina in the years since it happened. This happened my senior year of high school, which really dates me, but I remember it very clearly. We had a lot of students transfer in after the storm, because they had to leave Louisiana. I remember all of the images on the news, but hearing the personal stories is even more devastating that seeing everything on television. I thought this book did an amazing job relaying the personal experiences of human beings that lived through this event and suffered in the squalor afterwards. It is unreal to me that, even today in 2023, people are still not finished with cleanup from this particular storm or are still living in FEMA trailers. I just watched something about that not long before I started reading this book. The author did a lot of work to write this book, and the comprehensive nature of it is evident. I got this because I like disaster books, but it is a very valuable book about this event for the historical record.
I have read several books and watched several things about Hurricane Katrina in the years since it happened. This happened my senior year of high school, which really dates me, but I remember it very clearly. We had a lot of students transfer in after the storm, because they had to leave Louisiana. I remember all of the images on the news, but hearing the personal stories is even more devastating that seeing everything on television. I thought this book did an amazing job relaying the personal experiences of human beings that lived through this event and suffered in the squalor afterwards. It is unreal to me that, even today in 2023, people are still not finished with cleanup from this particular storm or are still living in FEMA trailers. I just watched something about that not long before I started reading this book. The author did a lot of work to write this book, and the comprehensive nature of it is evident. I got this because I like disaster books, but it is a very valuable book about this event for the historical record.