Hurricane Katrina : America's unnatural disaster /

This eclectic collection of essays succeeds in providing multiple layers of context to the "unnatural" tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Through various styles and methods, the authors underscore a basic truth: "A just society could have prevented the devastation wrought by Katrina, and a just society certainly would not have allowed the event to devastate the lives of so many for so long." The editors' introductory essay argues that Katrina merely exposed long-term regional poverty and racial segregation across the political, economic, and social landscape. Subsequent essays explore the nature of a persistent local, national, and international racial divide most obviously revealed during moments of calamity and chaos. The essays span a variety of topics in consideration of this essentially manmade disaster, from an examination of the role played by neoliberal economic assumptions, to the consequences of unequal distributions of wealth and health care, to thoughtful explorations of the duties owed citizens by their governments. The contributions range from literary firsthand accounts of the tragedy as it unfolded, to reflections of its meaning, to social science approaches that place Katrina's aftermath in historical and even international context. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students of all levels, and graduate students. S. E. Horn Everett Community College