Deeply sad, and yet a necessary piece of our understanding of modern history in America. ( )

A gripping distillation of Hurricane Katrina. ( )

I was not sure how to feel about a graphic novel that depicted Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. Would it be tastefully done? Would there be a political message? Would it romanticize or would it dramatize? I must confess that in the end, there was a little bit of all the above.

I appreciated the authenticity it shared about events. HOWEVER while there were lists of sources at the back of the book (including when they directly quoted and/or borrowed ideas), this was not known to the reader. I wanted to know more about their primary sources. (But that's just the grad school nerd in me)

I knew there would be a political slant and sure enough there was. Bashing Bush (who yes, perhaps did not respond as he should have all the time) was prevalent. It also tugged on heartstrings about people who could not evacuate, the animals, etc. etc.

The sequential art in grays, blues, and browns seemed appropo for depicting a hurricane. The font style reminded me of political cartoons which actually worked for this book.

For young adults, I think this is a good nonfiction graphic novel. Especially when you want to introduce them to nonfiction ;) ( )

This book would be good for intermediate and middle grade levels. It could be used as an introduction to a conversation or lesson about hurricane Katrina. The book is the story of hurricane Katrina, it talks about the weather events that led up to the event, the struggle that people who didn't evacuate faced, as well as the rescue efforts that were put into saving New Orleans. ( )

Reading this is not easy - it will shake you up, but it's excellent and accessible, especially for kids who don't know a lot about Katrina. ( )