Revisiting Hurricane Katrina: The Top Five Books About Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the southeastern tip of Louisiana; home to the city of New Orleans. Fifty-three levee breaches followed, flooding 80% of New Orleans. For months following Hurricane Katrina most New Orleans residents were displaced across the country; unsure if their home would survive. Hurricane Katrina is widely considered to be the worst natural disaster to ever occur. While the streets were still filled with stagnant water, writers all over the globe started writing books about the effect Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans. Some of these books depict personal accounts. Other books are filled with memories of a city trying desperately to be remembered, and a few books are the true stories of others from places nearly forgotten; like St. Bernard Parish. While all of the books written after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to Louisiana are worth reading, these five give the reader the best inside glimpse of New Orleans and the surrounding areas during and after Hurricane Katrina.

1. 1 Dead in Attic: After Katrina By. Chris Rose: 1 Dead in Attic: After Katrina is a compilation of columns written by the Times-Picayune (a newspaper in New Orleans,) reporter, Chris Rose. 1 Dead in Attic is direct, honest, and raw. One of the most personable books written; Chris Rose takes the reader through the first year and a half after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

2. Lost in Katrina By. Michael Schaefer: New Orleans has become synonymous with Hurricane Katrina through books and the media; but Hurricane Katrina didn’t stop at New Orleans, it devastated many parishes throughout Louisiana. Michael Schaefer’s book, Lost in Katrina is about one of those parishes; St. Bernard (located just outside of New Orleans.) Schaefer takes you through the first few days of Hurricane Katrina as seen through the people who stayed and tried to save St. Bernard Parish.

3.Katrina: The Ruin and Recovery of New Orleans by. The Times-Picayune: Katrina: The Ruin and Recovery of New Orleans is a collection of photographs taken by the Times-Picayune during Hurricane Katrina. The photographers captured some of the most harrowing and defining moments of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and the Times-Picayune compiled them in to one of the best books to come from the storm.

4. Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by. Dan Baum: Dan Baum was sent to New Orleans by the New Yorker to cover New Orleans recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Once he landed in New Orleans he began to ask himself what makes New Orleans residents so determined to rebuild. Baum gives us his answer in Nine Lives: Death and Live in New Orleans, a book about the lives of nine people from different races, classes, and lives, all struggling in New Orleans.

5. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? By. David Rutledge:Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? isn’t necessarily about Hurricane Katrina, but it takes its place among books that are. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? is a collection of essays written by New Orleans writers displaced after Hurricane Katrina. It is their stories about what makes New Orleans unique, and a compelling read on why it was worth saving.

Four years after Hurricane Katrina New Orleans and the surrounding parishes are still struggling to rebuild, struggling to survive. These books show just how much New Orleans suffered during Hurricane Katrina. These books show just how important New Orleans was to thousands, if not millions of people. These books show the worst disaster in our history.