Josh Neufeld

This powerful graphic novel interweaves the true stories of 7 separate people who survived Hurricane Katrina, beginning before the storm and continuing through the aftermath. Some searing moments, especially in the horrifying aftermath, hordes of people dumped at the Convention Center with no food or water, buses promised again and again that finally arrived only to drop off more people at the Convention Center instead of taking anyone away.

My only complaint is that I would've liked even show more more stories. I would've loved to know what happened on the bridge when shots were fired, forcing survivors back into the zone of destruction. I also would've liked to hear what happened at the Convention Center to all the rest of the survivors after Denise's lucky escape. The author, however, is true to his format. He tells the story of only these 7 people, but he does so well. There's integrity in that choice that earns my respect.

I hope after twenty or even thirty years works such as this one can keep the memory of those terrible days in New Orleans alive. It's best to remember so such mistakes aren't repeated. But aside from any social or political concerns, the stories interweaved in this book are gripping. I sat down and didn't rise until I'd read the whole thing. I highly recommend it - it's a quick, compelling read. show less

This surprised me. I was sure that I wasn't going to like it, but I did. I'm constantly ticked off by the media. Constantly. I can't watch more than five minutes of the mainstream news before a new stress twitch starts somewhere around my eyes. It's not new for me. My media “black pill” was back in the mid-80s when someone I knew was murdered and I had to read the press coverage in the NYC press. I don't completely believe anything they say unless I can verify it with at least two or show more three other sources.

I developed the habit of checking and rechecking events that mattered to me. With the advent of the Internet, it became so much easier to track down sources. I wasn't confined to the library to do my checking on important stuff. I had a huge resource sitting in my house. I could go to other sources, listen to multiple sides of an issue, and find witnesses to an event talking directly to the public. So much better.

Gladstone essentially says the same thing. We shouldn't trust what we read or hear. We should check and double-check the things that are important to us. Don't rely on Twitter for the news. Figure out what those Facebook posts really mean. And most important, don't blame the media when you misinterpret things. Headlines are not the news. Headlines sell the paper (or get the clicks). That's what they are meant to do.

So yeah! The illustrations kept this light-hearted and she had plenty of excellent things to say. show less

This beautiful graphic novel tells the true story of a few Hurricane Katrina survivors and the obstacles they faced.

I loved that Neufeld told the specific stories of five individuals who lived in New Orleans, instead of giving a wide lens view of the catastrophe. Readers are able to see what happened through the eyes of those that experienced it. It reminded me in many ways of Dave Egger’s book Zeitoun, which covers the same event.

I hadn’t thought about the people who evacuated the show more city, but lost all of their belongings. They other books and articles I’ve read tended to focus on those who stayed, but the others still experienced a huge tragedy. They had to watch news stories of their homes and treasured possessions being destroyed. They’re lives were washed away while they struggled to find a temporary place to stay in another city.

I also think people often assume those who stayed made a selfish or stupid decision. Why would you stay if there was a mandatory evacuation and you knew what was coming? It’s easy to forget that many of those people had no where to go and might not have even had enough money for gas to leave the city.

BOTTOM LINE: I think many of us know the general story of the Katrina, but this novel delves deeper into individuals’ experiences. I think it will be even more valuable for future generations that weren’t alive when it happened. show less

The media. Most of us have, like me, a love-hate relationship with the media. Can't live with it, can't live without it, right?

In this book, Brooke Gladstone explores the history of the media, and in particular, the history of the American media. Now, you might think this would be a boring subject, but Gladstone and her book, both in comic/graphic form, makes it both interesting and entertaining - and I really enjoyed it. If you are unhappy with the media today, it seems we have been here show more before. "Everything we hate about the media today was present at its creation."

Additionally, Gladstone explores issues related to the media—bias (who knew there were that many kinds!?), objectivity, propaganda, war coverage, disclosure, to name a few. She also touches on contemporary media issues (photoshopification of photos, citizen journalism...etc) and looks ahead into the future (chips in our heads, anyone?). There's a lot in this book.

I didn't think I would like the graphic/comic rending of the book, but in hindsight, I thought it a perfect vehicle for it. The visual style spread the ideas out a bit, giving you a bit of space to mull them over, while augmenting the ideas with illustrations, some quite humorous. As I said before, it's a fabulous blend of education and entertainment. She isn't defending the media so much as explaining and educating. Yes, it's as bad as we thought. "So news consumers seeking quality information have to penetrate an intensifying fog of passion and poppycock. That take great commitment. Because truth seekers also must struggle endlessly with a force even more seductive than the media, a force that weaves an irresistible vision of a familiar and predictable world."

Here's some tidbits:

"There's a long-standing debate in the media biz over whether news outlets should give the public what it wants, or what it needs. This debate presupposes that media execs actually know what it wants or needs. And that there actually is a unitary 'public' ."

"Impartiality, like news itself, is whatever the publisher says it is."

"The American media are not afraid of the government. They are afraid of their audiences and advertisers. The media do not control you. They pander to you."

"{Neil}Postman says the moment we could get instant news from everywhere--news not directly relevant to us--that's when news became entertainment. Or as C. K. Chesterton put it: Journalism largely consists of saying 'Lord Jones is Dead' to people who never knew Lord Jones was alive. But Chesterton's news came from newspapers. In fact, as far back as Caesar's Acta Diurna, news has always been entertainment. The difference between their eras and our own is that now, news from everywhere is relevant. Unemployment in the Middle East, environmental policies in Asia, epidemics in Africa--this news affects us all. And now we can act, easily, to spread the news, and even influence how those stories end." show less