Customer Reviews

There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Katrina

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm astonished that this is billed as a scholarly work when it gets so many basic facts wrong.

The book is correct that the "impact of the hurricane was uneven" by race. Multiple studies done in the year since Katrina have all shown that it was white people -specifically elderly white people- who where disproportionately affected by the storm. You would think a "scholarly work" would know that.

(Unlike what CNN tells you) more white people died per capita than blacks. (google is your friend) The reason is simple. The "lower 9th ward" is relatively small neighborhood and most of its citizens where in the Superdome. The section of town called Lakeview however is far larger and populated (well, was populated) by a large number of elderly white people. Many of these people had medial conditions or simply could not drive the 6+ hours to safety so they took their chances. These people died by the hundreds.[again, you can google all of this]

Further the book bashes, "George W. Bush's America and more specifically the Republican-dominated South."

Ok... New Orleans has a Democrat mayor and has for decades. There are no Republicans on the city council. We have a Democrat Governor and we've only had one Republican Senator since Reconstruction. - And this book wants to blame Katrina on Republican domination? It's fantasy, pure fantasy.

And if you think I'm shilling for Republican's, I assure you I am not. If you want to know the true story of Katrina, I would HIGHLY recommend "Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security"

It is highly critical of the Bush administration -even if- Bush proper actually did a good job before, during and after the storm. (You have to read the book, Bush really did OK, many of his people should be hung however.) And the book also makes Blanco (a Dem) look much better than any of us locals thought of her.

The story of Katrina is amazingly complex. If you think -and want to continue to believe- that it only hit black people, then this book is for you. If you want to believe it is all the Democrats' fault, I'm sure you can find a book out there to confirm that. If you want to believe it is all Republicans' fault, this book should be on your short list.

If you want amazingly accurate information however, read "Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security."

This book however should be in the fiction section. 10 minutes with google will debunk the whole "scholarly work" billing.

The central message of this book is the central message of Katrina. Social and political forces, not natural forces, accounted for the devastation and unequal impact of that devastation on New Orleans and the Gulf region. Failure to maintain the levees, the concentration of poverty, and racial segregation of neighborhoods are the primary causes of the damage of the storms and the disproportionate costs that poor people and people of color paid. This book closely examines the wide ranging challenges now facing New Orleans in a series of essays written by leading scholars and activists. The call for a more transparent, democratic approach to planning is critical for New Orleans and for metropolitan areas across the country that, in fact, are dealing with many of the same challenges. The introductory chapter by the editors alone is worth the price of admission.

If you are looking for a book with insight as to actual response and mitigation for Disasters this is not your book. Dr. Hartman is well versed in City and Regional Planning (with a degree from Harvard) and years of real experience in this area. Dr. Hartman is also an accomplished author, including some other works that have provoked controversy. However, the title of this book is a little misleading. This is more of an examination of the social-political issues surrounding the Katrina event in New Orleans, with a decidedly singular point of view. If you are interested in the debate regarding social justice it will be worth the read. If you are looking for some real data on the Katrina response and events, don't look here as that is not the intent of the book.

Hartman and Squires have assembled a comprehensive set of essays, by a range of activists and scholars, some from national groups, some based in the Gulf area, covering most of the key issues about the impact of the August 2005 storms. It reveals the misleading notion of "natural diaster" and shows the underlying political, economic, and social forces that led to the Katrina disaster in the first place, and then led to the bungled efforts at both emergency assistance and long-term rebuilding of the areas.

It is a useful course reading assignment on urban policy in general, race, poverty, and the individual topics covered: housing, schools, health, economic development, planning.

This is a powerful and thought-provoking book that is an important read for anyone who wants to understand what really happened in New Orleans, why it happened, and what we should do, both to relieve the suffering of those who have been directly affected in this instance and to prevent such a disaster from repeating itself elsewhere. The articles look insightfully at the race and class issues that formed the backdrop for the aftermath of Katrina and explore what must happen now if we are to redeem the many promises that have been made to the displaced people of the Gulf Coast. Of equal importance, the book serves as a warning to other cities that unless they address race and class issues, they cannot escape a similar fate if a disaster strikes them. The authors--and the editors--are authorities on race and class issues, and they know whereof they speak. Not only do I highly recommend this book, but I intend to use it in a class I teach on race.