Parents' Guide to

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Intense nonfiction graphic novel chronicles 2005 disaster.

Book Don Brown History 2015
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans Poster Image

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There have been many nonfiction accounts from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but this book does a great job of presenting a nuanced overview that's suitable for young readers. Brown's text and illustrations convey the enormity of the storm and its aftermath without being overwhelming in intensity. Individual acts of bravery and kindness are contrasted against scenes of avoidable tragedy and terrible neglect. There's a political message here about the arrogance and incompetence of the federal and local governments, but it's subtly rendered through the simple statement of documented facts.

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