Come Hell or high water: Hurricane Katrina and the color of disaster, Part 97

Michael Eric Dyson

Basic Books, 2006 - Social Science - 258 pages

When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, hundreds of thousands were left behind to suffer the ravages of destruction, disease, and even death. The majority of these people were black; nearly all were poor. The Federal government’s slow response to local appeals for help is by now notorious. Yet despite the cries of outrage that have mounted since the levees broke, we have failed to confront the disaster’s true lesson: to be poor, or black, in today’s ownership society, is to be left behind. Displaying the intellectual rigor, political passion, and personal empathy that have won him acclaim and fans all across the color line, Michael Eric Dyson offers a searing assessment of the meaning of Hurricane Katrina. Combining interviews with survivors of the disaster with his deep knowledge of black migrations and government policy over decades, Dyson provides the historical context that has been sorely missing from public conversation. He explores the legacy of black suffering in America since slavery and ties its psychic scars to today’s crisis. And, finally, his critique of the way black people are framed in the national consciousness will shock and surprise even the most politically savvy reader. With this clarion call Dyson warns us that we can only find redemption as a society if we acknowledge that Katrina was more than an engineering or emergency response failure. From the TV newsroom to the Capitol Building to the backyard, we must change the way we relate to the black and the poor among us. What’s at stake is no less than the future of democracy.

What people are saying

Review: Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster

User Review  - Melissa Dally - Goodreads

This was more commentary on how Hurricane Katrina was handled (badly!). There is discussion on if the difference between this and an earlier Florida hurricane that W basically tripped over himself to ...

Review: Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster

User Review  - Pascale Plänk Steig - Goodreads

This book is a record of the government's embarrassing ineptitude and lack of care for its citizens. The author examines the way race relations were at play during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina ...

Contents

• Race and Poverty: 1
• Does George W Bush Care About Black People?: 17
• The Politics of Disaster: 35
• Hurricane and Hesitation: 55
• Levees and Lies: 77
• Follow the Leader?: 89
• Guns and Butter or FEMAnizing Disaster: 109
• Capitalizing on Disaster: 129
• Class Caste Culture and Cameras: 141
• Supernatural Disasters? Theodicy and Prophetic Faith: 179

About the author

Michael Eric Dyson, named by Ebony as one of the hundred most influential black Americans, is the author of sixteen books, including Holler if You Hear Me, Is Bill Cosby Right? and I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King Jr. He is currently University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Come Hell or high water: Hurricane Katrina and the color of disaster, Part 97; Come Hell Or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster, Michael Eric Dyson
• Author: Michael Eric Dyson
• Publisher: Basic Books, 2006
• ISBN: 0465017614, 9780465017614
• Length: 258 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Natural Disasters; Social Science / Disasters & Disaster Relief; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies