Description
The counterclockwise swirl of Katrina and the subsequent levee breaches ripped civilization right off of New Orleans five years ago. At that time, David Rutledge compiled an anthology of essays and art ("Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" 2006) that gave voice to denizens of the Crescent City as they waited in exile, unsure of their city's fate. The book was structured like a jazz funeral, and the authors wrote far from home while staying with friends or in cheap motels, praying for the floodwaters to subside. Five years later, New Orleans is still limping. This second book of a planned trilogy looks at both those who stayed on and rebuilt their lives in New Orleans and those who had to say goodbye. It also weaves in historical references and quotes from Louis Armstrong, Lafcadio Hearn, and many others. What emerges is a book that shows how lovers of New Orleans have always battled with its darker side, and how the people's knack for celebrating an impromptu second line goes hand in hand with their acknowledgment of the ghosts in their midst. David Rutledge is an English professor at the University of New Orleans and the editor of the 2006 anthology "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?"
