Share <Embed>

List Price: $21.99

Save: $5.91 (27%)

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon or get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

Arrives: Thursday, Jan 28 Details

Fastest delivery: Monday, Jan 25
Order within 7 hrs and 48 mins Details

In Stock.
As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

Secure transaction

Ships from	Amazon.com
Sold by	Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon or get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by Mostly Tomatos

Fulfilled by Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

$15.68
+ Free Shipping

Sold by: PhilipsBooks

$16.07
& FREE Shipping on eligible orders. Details

Sold by: North Star LLC

$17.00
& FREE Shipping on eligible orders. Details

Sold by: Elegants Store

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Douglas G. Brinkley

The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Paperback – Illustrated, July 31, 2007

by Douglas Brinkley (Author)

266 ratings

See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Abridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover, Deckle Edge

"Please retry"

$15.00

$9.33

$1.95

Paperback, Illustrated

"Please retry"

$16.08

$12.95

$0.34

Audio CD, Abridged, Audiobook

"Please retry"

$6.77

$1.66

In the span of five violent hours on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed major Gulf Coast cities and flattened 150 miles of coastline. But it was only the first stage of a shocking triple tragedy. On the heels of one of the three strongest hurricanes ever to make landfall in the United States came the storm-surge flooding, which submerged a half-million homes—followed by the human tragedy of government mismanagement, which proved as cruel as the natural disaster itself.

In The Great Deluge, bestselling author Douglas Brinkley finds the true heroes of this unparalleled catastrophe, and lets the survivors tell their own stories, masterly allowing them to record the nightmare that was Katrina.

Frequently bought together

Total price: $47.66

One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley Paperback $16.08
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00. Details
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink Paperback $13.59
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00. Details
Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City by Jed Horne Paperback $17.99
Only 6 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00. Details

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Sheri Fink
1,647
Paperback
$13.59
Andy Horowitz
36
Hardcover
$32.76
Jed Horne
61
Paperback
$17.99
Douglas Brinkley
333
Hardcover
$15.79
Don Brown
177
Paperback
$9.99
Douglas Brinkley
84
Hardcover
$14.94

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account

Editorial Reviews

Review

“‘The Great Deluge,’ captures the human toll of Katrina as graphically as the most vivid newspaper and television accounts” (New York Times Book Review)

“Doug Brinkley’s chronicle of Hurricane Katrina has a keen sense of history and context” (Graydon Carter)

“[A] riveting story” (Cokie Roberts)

“The first historical book that has researched the available record on Katrina and is the closest to actual fact.” (Gov. Kathleen Blanco)

“More dispassionate and analytical books will be written about Katrina, few will capture the human drama as well as Brinkley’s.” (Financial Times)

“An important, poignant and often-infuriating look at the tragedy.” (Denver Post)

“Written with verve and energy, this is Brinkley’s best book to date.” (Times Picayune)

“…likely to be the [account] against which other treatments of the subject will be judged.” (Washington Times)

“An impassioned argument for sustained national interest in the aftermath of a catastrophe.” (The Advocate)

“…likely to be the [account] against which other treatments of the subject will be judged.” (Daily Advertiser)

About the Author

Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University, a CNN Presidential Historian, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. In the world of public history, he serves on boards, at museums, at colleges, and for historical societies. The Chicago Tribune dubbed him “America’s New Past Master.” The New-York Historical Society has chosen Brinkley as its official U.S. Presidential Historian. His recent book Cronkite won the Sperber Prize, while The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast received the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He was awarded a Grammy for Presidential Suite and is the recipient of seven honorary doctorates in American studies. His two-volume, annotated Nixon Tapes recently won the Arthur S. Link–Warren F. Kuehl Prize. He is a member of the Century Association, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three children.

www.douglasbrinkley.com

Product details

Publisher : Harper Perennial; Illustrated edition (July 31, 2007)
Language : English
Paperback : 784 pages
ISBN-10 : 0061148490
ISBN-13 : 978-0061148491
Item Weight : 1.99 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.6 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #329,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #222 in Atmospheric Sciences (Books)
- #234 in Natural Disasters (Books)
- #300 in Weather (Books)

Customer Reviews:
266 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		71%
4 star		15%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Peter P. Smith

The Great Deluge is an absolute tour de-force

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

The Great Deluge is an absolute tour de-force on one of the most shameful episodes in modern American history. I was reluctant to buy the book worried that (having been written by a history professor) it might not have the narrative flow to bring the various events and stories to life. I need not have worried, as Brinkley's writing style would do justice to Erik Larson and, on occasions, reminded me of Larson's own Isaac's Storm. This book should be required reading in our schools and in State and local government. It speaks to the power of Mother Nature, the incompetence of the administration in Washington DC (especially, Chertof at Homeland Security and Michael Brown at FEMA) and Mayor Nagin in New Orleans. It also tells the heroic stories of courage and survival by ordinary citizens, both from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast - and of those who came to the region to lend their help. Peter Smith

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Quarter Rat

So much meat I need to read it again

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed the book - as much as you can enjoy an accurate description about death, corrupt leaders and destruction of my beloved home city. I was still active duty the week katrina hit. I was going through the whole retirement process in memphis. Probably a good thing. I was able to help my family members that had lost everything. Including their precious pets that they weren't allowed to bring on the helicopter. Now I live in the french quarter and if a katrina happened I would be fine. The last chapter was particularly haunting. My dad was born at the old charity hospital and named after his doctor, my grandfather spent about a month there in traction after a horrible pile up on the I10. My question to the staff that evacuated (yes they were heroes but...) did they forget to tell someone something!??

One person found this helpful

Helpful

a New Yorker

Grew tedious

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

Perhaps it’s because my parents lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast during Katrina - but had evacuated to Jackson, MS before the hurricane hit - or perhaps it’s because of my long history with the city of New Orleans, but by the time I read this book, Katrina and all her related circumstances were firmly seared into my memory. I do admit I didn’t know (or remember) how woefully unprepared New Orleans and the surrounding areas were for the event; nor did I know of the hundreds of angels who worked tirelessly to save people. But I have to say that after a while, the story-after-story narrative grew tiresome. I mean no disrespect to the book itself, just that it is told dispassionately and somehow I wanted more from it. I guess this points to the fact that this is a history book, not an opinion piece. If you want the former, you’ll be satisfied. If you want the latter, you won’t be.

The bottom line though is how do you write words that tell the story of Katrina? Words fail. Only emotion works.

Helpful

Bernard B. Vinoski Jr.

History repeats itself.....

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2020

Verified Purchase

The author presents a fair and balanced perspective of this historic natural disaster from a nonpartisan position.
Several self evident truths are revealed in this treatise.
1.) Prepare for the worst and strive for the best In all you pursue in life.
2.) Never expect the government to “rescue you”, have a plan.
3.) Elected officials at any level of government will pursue partisan political gains over preservation of human life and common sense governing regardless of party affiliation.
4.) The populace does not learn from mistakes and chronically repeats the same mistakes( Marion Barry, Ray Nagin)
5.) Cronyism is rampant at all levels of governance and will not change until elected officials are held accountable.
6.) Living below sea level has inherent risks which include loss of life and limb...
Sadly, no epiphanies in this one...A good read nonetheless.

Helpful

Catherine L. Hurston

The Great Deluge has been the best read

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

I am an avid reader of all books about Hurricane Katrina, and of the volumes I have read, The Great Deluge has been the best read. It really gives points of view of all parties involved, and even though the length initially worried me, I couldn't put it down. For those of us who lived near and through this storm and its effects, this book is the real story and puts to rest a lot of rumors that have circulated for the ten years since the event.
This was a catastrophic natural disaster of monumental proportions, and Douglas Brinkley brings all of the elements to the surface for you the reader to see and experience. It could well serve as a textbook for the study of this storm.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Martha A. Murray

Inside Look at Hurricane Katrina and the Players

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2012

Verified Purchase

I'm a survivor of the hell of the Dome and I wrote "Left to Die-A first-hand account of life in the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina." After seven years of nightmares, I'm finally able to read accounts of the events without becoming an emotional wreck. It was with enthusiasm that I read "The Great Deluge."

I was surprised to find for the most part an accurate rendering of the facts. It did gloss over some events but that is expected due to formatting restraints.

I liked the fact that it chronicled the whole Gulf Coast and not just New Orleans. The way the author explains each vignette is great for the reader unfamiliar with New Orleans, its politics or quirky ways. The main players were people I knew and Mr. Brinkley accurately portrays them.

You hardly ever hear about the people with a plan. And it is rarer if they use it. The coastal smaller parishes got it and prepared for the Big One. Likewise heroes are seldom acknowledged. Big or small the writer took time to point out some of these unsung champions.

The book is well written but does ramble at times. The author flip-flops back and forth on the timeline. The photos were good but were poorly placed. Still it is a book worth reading.

I agree with Bishop Paul Morton... Nagin is "A white man in black skin." His aspirations were to rise up the political ladder. When he told Bush we were all evacuated, he left us to die. I'm surprised he was never called to account for his lack of planning and action.

So for an accurate account of those horrible days up and down the Gulf Coast, this is the book for you.

23 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

stephen trodden

Shocking insight to the Bush administrations workings.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

Excellent description of the events linked to the unfolding catastrophe of hurricane katrina. The research and detail is very good, but the story is a frightening one of ineptitude of the Bush administration and the fact that the people of New Orleans were treated in such a despicable way is horrendous.
Nevertheless Brinkley does a good job of keeping your attention all the way through as the drama unfolds.
Must be worth a follow-up book on where the town stands now and what happened to all those poor people who had to suffer through no fault of their own.
A must read, and lets hope lessons have been learnt to prevent it happening again with the next natural disaster.

2 people found this helpful

victoria

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great, thank you!

HLPAF

Impressive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

A detailed, engrossing, harrowing account of a momentous week in American history, which pulls no punches assigning blame for the moumental balls-up which followed the hurricane and the inevitable, preventable, catastrophic flooding. Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

John Rogers

excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

excellent

emmacee

Fantastic and horrifying read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2017

Verified Purchase

The most terrifying book I have ever read.

See all reviews

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: history of new orleans, katrina new orleans, mississippi history, becoming a police officer

Buy used: $9.79

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Paperback – Illustrated, July 31, 2007

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers who bought this item also bought

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Buy used:

$9.79