The Great Deluge

Historian Douglas Brinkley, who lives and teaches in New Orleans, provides a comprehensive account of the events of 2005?s Hurricane Katrina, as well as an analysis of the reasons why this natural disaster became a man-made tragedy. His detailed reporting of the hours and days before, during, and after the disaster seems to leave nothing out, and it is the human dimension, based on a huge number of interviews with survivors, responders, and officials that provides the often disheartening, but occasionally uplifting, aspect of the immense story. Brinkley is unsparing in his criticism of government officials at the local, state and national levels, in particular, Mayor Nagin, Governor Blanco, and the usual suspects at FEMA and the Office of Homeland Security. But he also relates many hitherto untold stories of dogged determination and heroic rescue--of individuals moved to help others, without any reason other than it was the right thing to do. THE GREAT DELUGE is a huge history that restricts itself to the first week of the storm and includes in its scope the Gulf Coast region as a whole. It is respectful of the dead, and it is full of stories. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 2006. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.