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Down in New Orleans

Reflections from a Drowned City

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Down in New Orleans

By: Billy Sothern
Narrated by: David Henry
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About this listen

"Billy Sothern's Down in New Orleans illustrates, in very human and heartbreaking ways, how the horrors that emerged during and following Hurricane Katrina existed long before the storm. These beautifully composed stories not only reveal the dignity—and amazing grit and grace—of the hurricane's survivors; they also illuminate larger truths about the urgent issues of our day. Sothern magnifies the urgency of creating a government that really serves the common good - and a society that protects its poor and vulnerable."
--Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editor and Publisher, The Nation

©2007 Billy Sothern (P)2007 University of California Press Anthropology Environment Nature & Ecology State & Local Urban United States Natural Disaster City

Critic Reviews

"He eloquently and angrily shows how devastatingly easy it can be for those in power to cast aside the rule of law our society relies on. In outrage he recalls how the prisoners in New Orleans' jail—most of whom had yet to be tried, let alone convicted—had to break open their cell doors to swim to safety. He follows the story of residents suddenly arrested as suspected terrorists and held for weeks with no family contact. Sothern's own story of escape and return adds a personal facet to a Katrina book that looks not to the destruction wrought by the storm, but to that caused by the suspension of rights by those in charge of a great American city now truly in ruins." (Booklist)

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Profile Image for clare

informative, thorough, enlightening

This is such a great read for anyone wanting to understand the plight of new Orleans before, during and after Hurricane Katrina. The Author and resident expressed their own experience, along with the moving and horrific experiences of others, in a sympathetic telling of the stories, it also highlights the failings of the government, and some of the public servants whom served NOLA in this crisis, whilst also outlining the disadvantage and lack of resources which led to the suffering and ultimately refugee status of many, many displaced residents.
I read for anyone wanting to understand what happened, what REALLY happened, and a cautionary tale for all of us, no matter the natural disaster, we mustn't ever forget those whom are in our care, especially the most vulnerable in our society.

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