Holding Out and Hanging on: Surviving Hurricane Katrina [Hardcover]

Thomas Neff (Photographer, Narrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0826217745 | ISBN-13: 978-0826217745 | Publication Date: December 6, 2007 | Edition: 1

Words cannot adequately convey the human dimension of the devastation wreaked on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Thomas Neff s photographs can. A volunteer in the city in the early days after the flood, this Baton Rouge photographer witnessed firsthand the confusion and suffering, as well as the persistence and strength, of those who stuck it out. The friendship he extended residents enabled him to approach his subjects from a uniquely personal perspective. Readers will meet people from all walks of life who are exhausted by grief and shock but who are determined to hold on to their culture and their city. Neff s gripping black-and-white images and poignant narratives show individuals reorganizing their lives, trying to maintain their individuality, and even enriching their souls as they help one another. These are the stories that New Orleans citizens told each other and photographs that show the city as it knows itself.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Neff is Professor of Art at Louisiana State University and is the coeditor of Teaching Photography. He has traveled extensively in Italy, Ireland, China, and Japan, producing bodies of work that focus on people, landscape, and architecture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: University of Missouri Press; 1 edition (December 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826217745
• ISBN-13: 978-0826217745
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply stated, every community library in the country should have a copy, January 4, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding Out and Hanging on: Surviving Hurricane Katrina (Hardcover)

The devastation and aftermath of hurricane Katrina brought to light a truly American vulnerability as being one of the worst disasters of our time. But as they years have begun to pass, the plight of the survivors, once so prominent on the evening news and in the speeches of politicians, has faded back into obscurity and neglect. Baton Rouge photographer Thomas Neff seeks to restore public awareness of the continuing necessity for attention to rebuilding the lives and communities that were so badly damaged by compiling his black-and-white photographs, combined with forty-five days of interviews with the people affected by the hurricane in "Holding Out And Hanging On: Surviving Hurricane Kartrina". Showcasing some remarkable people living and trying to rebuild under exceptionally difficult circumstances, as well as photographically documenting the extend of the damages still awaiting the promised attention and resources from state and federal agencies, "Holding Out And Hanging On" is a clarion testament to the enduring human spirit as representative individual stories are told. Simply stated, every community library in the country should have a copy of "Holding Out And Hanging On" in their collections so that the politicians and the people will remember what happened, what was done, and what remains to be done.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Capturing What Words Alone Cannot Fully Express, January 30, 2008

By 

C. Eaton "ChaplainCBE" (Chicago Area, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Holding Out and Hanging on: Surviving Hurricane Katrina (Hardcover)

The drive down from Chicago to the French Quarter in the canteen left me feeling heavy hearted & speechless. The vast area that hurricane Katrina hit left behind a sea of wasteland like nothing I'd ever seen before. Some areas were completely wiped out where others were only battered, yet the people I met along the way while serving with the Salvation Army in the French Quarter were such a blessing. It was one afternoon in the French Quarter that I met Mr. Neff--I was on my way back from delivering supplies and checking on some of the neighbors. By this time the media was swarming the streets looking for new sensational stories for the headlines. I must say that I did meet a few that tried to report more uplifting personal stories of survival but the majority did not--they were insensitive and disrespectful to the residents. Mr. Neff had a sincere interest in the people he met & photographed, and you can see it in his subjects' eyes: their transparency and trust. Mr. Neff's body of work gives the reader a glimpse into his subjects' lives during this most difficult time. Thank you for recording what words cannot fully express.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, insightful, yet beautiful vision into the reality of Katrina ..., May 21, 2008

By 

Robert MacKimmie (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Holding Out and Hanging on: Surviving Hurricane Katrina (Hardcover)

Thomas Neff is a remarkable photographer and this book sharing the real impact of Katrina on people's lives is powerful, timeless, truthful in an inside and honest way that no casual viewer could comprehend. Neff's vision is sophisticated but pure, trained but revealing in its simplicity, visually poetic with the abhorrent facts of life that have been so cruel to so many. If that weren't enough, there are the essential, heroic and stunningly conveying essays which accompany each image. The photographs share so much comprehensive visual information that one needn't ask for more, but by conveying a much broader and richer context for each image through writing and story telling, a nearly complete cultural mosaic is spun, surrounding the milestone and epic event so unique in US History. This book will stand through time as a classic conveyance of important information about an event that we all know about, but certainly haven't had, until this book provided us with it, an insider's view of the real nitty-gritty that is life, both cruel and beautiful. Way to go, Thomas Neff. Such a brilliant work which we should all feel grateful to comprehend.