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acsaper's review
5.0
This is awesome.
Floodlines is unequestionably the best book about New Orleans I've ever read, especially New Orleans following Katrina. I only wish I had been exposed to these stories of struggle and resistance many years ago while trying to find my footing in this city I love so much but can't quite seem to find my place in.
Flaherty is a community organizer and activist who is not unaware of the problems that he brings in telling these stories, as a young, white, male, outside. Yet his collecting these stories for others to hear is so so important.
The activists and organizers Flaherty knows and highlights are incredible, powerful, thoughtful, and remarkable people. They are the ones who fight for criminal justice reform because it affects them most, they are the ones who fight for school funding when their schools are defunded, they are the ones that fight to keep second lining when formal institutions tell them no. They are the storm's first responders, and most resilient rescuers. They are the people of New Orleans.
In watching my younger brother's activism, and those around him, and those around me, I am wholly inspired by the strength, foresight, commitment, and creativity that compels actors to tackle injustices according to their own rules, on their own times, and for the greatest benefit. Sure, there are attorneys in court, teachers in schools, journalists in the field, but the people en mass are who Flaherty highlights, and are who make the most difference in times of need. And we are always in times of need.
A powerful and uplifting read that also tells the truest version of the storm, both as it effected New Orleans and as her people responded. A must read.
Thank you!
Floodlines is unequestionably the best book about New Orleans I've ever read, especially New Orleans following Katrina. I only wish I had been exposed to these stories of struggle and resistance many years ago while trying to find my footing in this city I love so much but can't quite seem to find my place in.
Flaherty is a community organizer and activist who is not unaware of the problems that he brings in telling these stories, as a young, white, male, outside. Yet his collecting these stories for others to hear is so so important.
The activists and organizers Flaherty knows and highlights are incredible, powerful, thoughtful, and remarkable people. They are the ones who fight for criminal justice reform because it affects them most, they are the ones who fight for school funding when their schools are defunded, they are the ones that fight to keep second lining when formal institutions tell them no. They are the storm's first responders, and most resilient rescuers. They are the people of New Orleans.
In watching my younger brother's activism, and those around him, and those around me, I am wholly inspired by the strength, foresight, commitment, and creativity that compels actors to tackle injustices according to their own rules, on their own times, and for the greatest benefit. Sure, there are attorneys in court, teachers in schools, journalists in the field, but the people en mass are who Flaherty highlights, and are who make the most difference in times of need. And we are always in times of need.
A powerful and uplifting read that also tells the truest version of the storm, both as it effected New Orleans and as her people responded. A must read.
Thank you!
marcymurli's review
5.0
Man-made catastrophe. Demographic threats. Hundreds of thousands of refugees denied the right to return to their homes. A criminal justice system that is motivated by racism. A government that is determined to portray itself as a melting pot all the while pursuing policies that insure a system of inequality will be upheld in all sectors: education, healthcare, safety, housing. Jordan Flaherty's book may be about New Orleans, but it has so much to teach the world about catastrophes and how to resist them in a variety of contexts. His style of journalism is deeply rooted in grassroots organizing and activism. Flaherty paints a vivid picture of New Orleans historically, culturally, and currently. Readers will get an inside view on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as well as the creative means to resist the ongoing depopulation of New Orleans that targets women, people of color, and the poor. This book is not only essential reading, it is a call to grassroots, leftist organizers. It is filled with ideas and an agenda for taking action not only in New Orleans, but beyond.
robynlets's review against another edition
4.0
I'm happy that I finally went back and finished this book. Floodlines is a rigorously researched, street-level study of New Orleans in the years following Hurricane Katrina (finishing off with the story of the Jena Six). The book's content lays bare the brutal consequences of structural racism and capitalism, while at the same time raising up stories of resistance and struggles for justice. If you're looking for an in-depth analysis of specific aspects of post-Katrina New Orleans, this may not be the book for you - but if you'd like to read about what happened there, from the immediate aftermath to the ongoing consequences of disaster capitalism and institutionalized racism, as told by a respected organizer and journalist, I'd highly recommend it.
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