Hurricane Song

In this short novel about one twelve-year-old's experience living through Hurricane Katrina, the reader gets a disturbing view of how people cope with disaster - and how some turn fear into hatred. Miles, his father and his uncle, both jazz musicians, are forced to take refuge in the Superdome when Hurricane Katrina hits, and through Miles' eyes, we watch as people, hungry, terrified, and desperate, either band together or turn on each other.

Miles' account is chilling, and my stomach churns at the thought of the horrors faced by people who thought they were going someplace "safe" to wait out the storm. Miles is a tough young man, made tougher by his experience, and he gains understanding about both himself and his father during the show more ordeal.

The writing is good - the voices are strong and feel authentic - and easily accessible. This would be a good reluctant reader choice, as it is tense, fast-paced, and not long.

Recommended. show less

17 year old Miles moves to New Orleans to be with his father after living in space-cramped closeness with his mother who remarries a man who already has three children.

The crowded conditions he left cannot compare to the nightmare he faces as he, his near do well jazz musician father and his uncle flee Hurricane Katrina to seek safety in the superdome.

Volponi spares nothing as he intensely, accurately, painfully and vividly details the horrors that await them at the overcrowded, stench-filled and violent superdome.

The majority of the story takes place inside the dome as gangs rule, as lawlessness abounds and as human nature is portrayed in a worse case scenario.

Escaping the turmoil of the superdome, Miles and his father flee to the show more flooded streets where looting, shooting and crime are rampant.

With the necessary imperative to pick up the pieces and repair their lives both in the physical surroundings left behind by the wreckage of Katrina and in the mucky debris of hard emotional feelings, the tenuous relationship between Miles and his father grows in a healing space.

Highly recommended. Five Stars. show less

Kearsten says: In this short novel about one twelve-year-old's experience living through Hurricane Katrina, the reader gets a disturbing view of how people cope with disaster - and how some turn fear into hatred. Miles, his father and his uncle, both jazz musicians, are forced to take refuge in the Superdome when Hurricane Katrina hits, and through Miles' eyes, we watch as people, hungry, terrified, and desperate, either band together or turn on each other.

Miles' account is chilling, and my stomach churns at the thought of the horrors faced by people who thought they were going someplace 'safe' to wait out the storm. Miles is a tough young man, made tougher by his experience, and he gains understanding about both himself and his father show more during the ordeal.

The writing is good - the voices are strong and feel authentic - and easily accessible. This would be a good reluctant reader choice, as it is tense, fast-paced, and not long.

Recommended. show less

Miles is a high school football player, who's just moved to New Orleans to live with his dad after his mom remarried. His father is a professional jazz musician who plays the trumpet, and Miles thinks that his father doesn't pay attention to anything other than his music. Miles is getting settled in his new life when Hurricane Katrina looms in the Gulf, threatening the coast. Miles, his father, and Uncle Roy are forced to take shelter in the Superdome with the majority of New Orleans' poorest black residents who have no way out of the city as the floodwaters rise. The refuge from the monster storm is a combination homeless shelter, prison, and war zone, which one character announces is nothing less than a slave ship on land. This is not show more a tale for the fainthearted, and Volponi's outrage at what happened before, during and after the storm is obvious in his story. A gripping tale, torn from the headlines of just a few years ago; this one will make you think. Grade 8 and up for language and mature themes. show less

FROM SYNC 2023:God slaps the New Orleans Superdome like a drum as he sings a hurricane song called Katrina in this riveting young adult novel. Between the authenticity of the writing and narrator Jacob Norman’s laid-back, youthful delivery, listeners will be convinced they're eavesdropping on the characters in this novel. Miles, a high school sophomore, and his pop and uncle are forced to ride out the disastrous 2005 storm in the city's shelter of last resort. The violence, the filth, and the shortages of food, water, and medical care all unfold in a way that will convince listeners that Volponi was really there. Couple the writing with Norman's authentic-sounding teen voice, and everything about this gripping descent into hurricane show more hell feels real. Norman sings verses from "When the Saints Go Marching In" between chapters. Luckily, his narrator's voice rings with an authenticity and passion that his singing voice lacks. M.M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2009] show less

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Miles has been living in Chicago with his mother and has recently moved to New Orleans to live with his father. His father left the family years ago to play jazz music. Miles knows that his father's life is his music, but when his mother remarried and the family in Chicago increased by three kids, he knew he had no choice. Taking a chance on his father seemed like the only way to go.

So far, the two months father and son have spent together haven't been all that great. Miles is looking forward to playing football and maybe even making the varsity team at his new school. Unfortunately, he knows he probably won't see his dad at any of his games. His dad can't even remember show more that it's football Miles plays and not basketball.

When news that a huge hurricane is heading toward New Orleans reaches them, Miles, his father, and his uncle pile into the car with the idea of heading toward Baton Rouge and higher ground. The traffic is terrible, and the car soon overheats, leaving them stranded on the highway. As the storm gets closer, their only option is to follow the rest of the evacuees to the shelter at the Superdome.

In the several days Miles and his family spend at the Superdome, the storm batters the exterior of the massive building while the interior suffers from a "storm" of its own. When tired, frightened people are crowded into a facility not equipped to handle the situation, there are bound to be problems. In those few days, Miles experiences horribly unsanitary conditions, watches as thugs threaten, beat, and steal from innocent people, and sees death and suffering no person should ever have to witness.

Most of us watched the drama of Katrina unfold on our TVs, but Miles's experience brings us the reality of the actual storm and those first days afterward. Sadly, many are still suffering and trying to recover years later. Everyone should read this book as a reminder that our country reacted poorly in the early stages of the disaster, and even at this late date, not enough has been done to help rebuild the lives of so many. show less

Miles knows that living with his dad in New Orleans won't be a picnic - his dad's always chosen his jazz trumpet playing over his son - but when his mom remarries, it's the lesser of two evils. Even when Hurricane Katrina threatens the city, Miles doesn't regret his decision. But when Miles is trapped in the Superdome with his dad and uncle and unspeakable atrocities begin to take place, it will challenge Miles and his dad to figure out their relationship.

I was totally caught up in this gripping and brutal portrayal of Hurricane Katrina. My only complaint is (of course) I would have liked an author's note so I knew how New Yorker Paul Volponi knows anything about what it was like in the Superdome and the aftermath of the storm. The show more story is pretty graphic and not for the faint of heart, but it will be a hit with teens looking for survival stories.

Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-review-hurricane-song.html show less