It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina [Paperback]

Laura Dawn (Editor), C. B. Smith (Photographer), Barack Obama (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1932771867 | ISBN-13: 978-1932771862 | Publication Date: July 29, 2006

Edited by the cultural director of MoveOn.org, It Takes a Nation tells the extraordinary story of how thousands of Americans came together to provide shelter, sustenance, and hope to survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Through MoveOn.org's Hurricane Housing website, volunteers brought aid to evacuees by providing housing, cars, jobs, clothes, healthcare, and, perhaps most important, community. Presenting a positive contrast to the national shame that was widely felt about the Bush administration's handling of the Katrina crisis, these candid first-person accounts and portraits are a moving testament to the power of everyday people to make miracles happen.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

• An inspiring collection of stories and images from MoveOn.org’s Hurricane Housing project, which brought shelter and aid to thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. • Includes more than 40 full-color photos by New York Times photojournalist Carter Smith and others. • With a foreword by Barack Obama, the recently elected Democratic Junior Senator for Illinois, civil rights attorney, and community organizer.

About the Author

Laura Dawn is the Cultural Director of MoveOn.org, America's premier online progressive organization, with over 3.3 million members nationwide. Utilizing artists and media to push people-powered progressive ideas into the cultural mainstream, she has created and organized dozens of national campaigns, most notably co-creating and organizing Bush In 30 Seconds and creating and executive producing the celebrity directed 10 Weeks political ads. She is also an accomplished singer-songwriter, most recently appearing on Moby's world wide platinum selling album "Hotel".

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Earth Aware (July 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932771867
• ISBN-13: 978-1932771862
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,157,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, but Not Much For a Book!, May 19, 2007

By 

Loyd E. Eskildson "Pragmatist" (Phoenix, AZ.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina (Paperback)

"It Takes a Nation" tells the story of how moveon created the idea of people across the U.S. helping 30,000 of those displaced by Katrina to find shelter, and possibly even a new start. While this was an impressive accomplishment, it fails to provide riveting material for a full book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Inspiring and Thought Provoking!, December 19, 2006

By 

Sithara Batcha "Sithara" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina (Paperback)

IT TAKES A NATION is a great book how people in America came together after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. It presents thorough first person accounts the stories of both the courage and perseverance of the survivors as well as the generosity and bravery of those who opened their houses and hearts to them- the helpers. Americans (and some non-Americans!) became family despite being of different races, religions, genders, ages, and classes.

The stories of course, are much more than just narrations of friendships and happy encounters. Both survivors and the helpers candidly narrate the horrors of Katrina: being in houses watching water levels rise higher and higher, living for days on end in the Super Dome facing riots, rapes and murders, leaving behind family members and pets and wondering if they would survive, and the utter failure of action on the part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The survivors also give an in depth look at their city, New Orleans- a vibrant city of culture and music, but also a den of corruption and crime. A repeated element was the power of water in New Orleans: One survivor mentioned that she is able to differentiate the rain water, the water of the canal and the sea just by the smell and its feel in the air. Another theme was the unique and famous food bringing survivors and helpers together: red beans, ham, gumbo, jambalaya...

Interspersed among the stories are truly fantastic pictures. Some show the hurricane from an aerial/satellite view, others show pictures of houses and buildings flooded to roof tops, yet others show the great destruction wrought by the hurricane and the aftermath. Of course, there are charming pictures of the Survivors and helpers and their families.

All in all, this is a truly inspiring and thought provoking book. As many of the helpers mentioned, they felt that housing someone is a much more meaningful way to assist someone in need than just sending money. Furthermore, they felt that since their intentions were noble, they felt that they would have a good experience (and not end up housing a serial killer or violent criminal)- and this was more than borne out by their experiences. I thought, wow, hopefully one day I will have enough generosity of spirit to help in such a personal way.