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Drowned City
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans | Don Brown
57 posts | 42 read | 34 to read
Kirkus' Best of 2015 list School Library Journal Best of 2015 Publishers Weekly's Best of 2015 list Horn Book Fanfare Book Booklist Editor's Choice On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina's monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the protective levees around low-lying New Orleans, Louisiana. Eighty percent of the city flooded, in some places under twenty feet of water. Property damages across the Gulf Coast topped $100 billion. One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives. The riveting tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage--and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality. Don Brown's kinetic art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history. A portion of the proceeds from this book has been donated to Habitat for Humanity New Orleans.
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review
Rachiiebookdragon
Pickpick

A very informative book, about this very upsetting event in history,
I can't believe that next year it will be 20 years since it happened.

Library book 📖

4/5

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hannahpry

“The sewers … all back up and we [are] down there in the stifling heat and this odor [is] horrendous… we [are] just in there smothering.”

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hannahpry

“Drowned City“ not only depicts the chaos after Hurricane Katrina but also explores the lasting effects on New Orleans. It shows how people coped with displacement, loss, and the slow recovery. The graphic novel pays tribute to the resilience of the city's residents and emphasizes the importance of being prepared for and responding to disasters.

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hannahpry
Pickpick

The book begins by introducing readers to the vibrant city of New Orleans, its unique culture, and the diverse community that called it home. As Hurricane Katrina approaches, the narrative vividly depicts the escalating tension and the eventual catastrophic flooding that overwhelmed the city.

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liz.eng

This book is non-fiction because it is based on an actual historical event that changed many lives that are still affected to this day. This is a good book for middle schoolers and high schoolers because it is based on a real life event that can be hard for younger readers to process. This book is great to read about terrible real life events that happen all around the world and effect people and their daily lives just like us.

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bkloppman

The stench inside the convention center is “indescribable…overpowering…it‘s like a solid wall almost pushing you back.”

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bkloppman

Due to its topic, Drowned City is a tough read for anybody. This book is probably best used in an older 4-8 classroom during a unit on natural disasters in science or about Hurricane Katrina specifically in a social studies classroom.

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bkloppman
Pickpick

Drowned City by Don Brown depicts the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Told in the style of a graphic novel, this book provides accurate depictions, both visually and with its words, of the effects of Hurricane Katrina. The book does not shy away from the graphic nature of its content, telling the heartbreaking stories of those who did not make it, and the hardships faced by those who did.

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SophieA

“People fight the flood. Some succeed. Others do not.“

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SophieA

I would use this book in my classroom when we are learning about the weather or about Hurricane Katrina. This book could be a way to introduce the history of what happened and get students interested.

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SophieA
Pickpick

This book was about history which falls under nonfiction. The captions in the book provide information on Hurricane Katrina without being too graphic. Part of nonfiction is that it has to distinguish between fact, theory, and opinion. This book does just that by only stating the facts of the hurricane and then shares stories of New Orleans residents who were there when the hurricane hit.

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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
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Mehso-so

In Drowned City, Don Brown offers a basic account of what happened during Katrina, but I would have liked a far much more detailed account of the events, with an analysis.
So despite the wonderful art, the content left me wanting more. He evokes facts that were new to me, that I wanted to know more about.
I guess this book is good if you want a real basic introduction to the subject.

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IndoorDame
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Clwojick ❤️❤️❤️ 2y
47 likes1 comment
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IndoorDame
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Pickpick

An adult nonfiction GN about Katrina that goes through the storm & its aftermath in great detail. The art isn‘t graphic or shocking, but the details included in the text are - I would not show this to kids. This did a great job of merging a timeline with a narrative so I was able to integrate new facts with those pieces I already knew & come away feeling like I have a complete picture of this piece of recent history. #Nonfiction2022 #ImADisaster

megnews I‘ve been meaning to read this. Thanks for this great review. 2y
62 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
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Pickpick

This is another tough one, but necessary. We can‘t forget what happened there, and how the failures of government officials made the tragedy worse. The text is well-chosen, effective in its matter-of-factness. The illustrations grab you. Highly recommended. Written and illustrated by #DonBrown #HurricaneKatrina

#BonBonCat #CatsofLitsy

94 likes4 stack adds
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BookishMarginalia
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No words. None. #HurricaneKatrina

Chrissyreadit Sometimes I can‘t think past the anger at callous leaders who always put profit and punishment ahead of humans. 3y
53 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
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I remember this too. What kind of police officers do this? What kind of human beings? 😔😡 #HurricaneKatrina

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BookishMarginalia
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This is what kills me. We all saw that on tv and social media. We all knew it was happening. And this was the Bush FEMA response… I remember how appalled I was. #HurricaneKatrina

Sweettartlaura If you want a good - but difficult - follow-up read, try 3y
51 likes1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
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Striking art by #DonBrown showing the effects of #HurricaneKatrina

52 likes2 stack adds
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taylorscalfaro
Pickpick

This book was a great example of a nonfiction book because the illustrations were clear and helped extend the text, the text was clear and easy to follow, and the information is up to date.

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taylorscalfaro

I would use this in my future classroom because it is a good example of a natural disaster which kids would be interested in learning about.

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taylorscalfaro

“When I have a nightmare, it's a hurricane in New Orleans“

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agreco1925

“When I have a nightmare, it's a hurricane in New Orleans“

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agreco1925

I would use this book in my future classroom when we talk about weather because this book does a good job of showing what happened to the town of New Orleans.

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agreco1925
Pickpick

This is a very engaging and good nonfiction story about hurricane Katrina. The information is accurate and up to date. The language and illustrations are clear and engaging.

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thejessashmore
Mehso-so

like this book because the illustrations were explained solely by the captions and labels were not needed to clarify them. I also like this book because of the text is appropriate for the intended audience.

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thejessashmore

I think this book would go well in my future classroom, because it teaches about recent events and it can be used with a science lesson about hurricanes for older classrooms. it can also be used if I worked in the southern part of America, because it can bring awareness to hurricanes and help children plan.

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thejessashmore

we need your help. We need everything you got.

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Lf196117

Eighty percent of the city flooded, in some places under twenty feet of water.

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Lf196117

I wouldn't put this book in an early childhood classroom since the topic is too advanced and the words are too complicated. Even reading this book to the class would be a challenge.

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Lf196117
Mehso-so

This book describes the real life experiences throughout Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of Don Brown. The images are mostly drawn, but make the reader imagine very deeply how terrible Katrina really was. The book appears as a graphic novel and is a great read for anyone curious on hurricanes.

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Allierd22
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“People fight the flood. Some succeed, others do not.” This quote, accompanied by the image is such a powerful point in the book and really shows the true devastation of the event

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Allierd22

This is a great book to have in class for a history lesson, or a lesson on how to empathize with others for what is happening to them in their lives. It‘s something that everyone should read, because it affected so many people

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Allierd22
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Pickpick

Published in 2015- this book was a sad but true tale of the terrible effects Hurricane Katrina had on the city of New Orleans. It was written in the form of a comic book, and tells the true story from the perspective of the people using facts from when the event happened. The illustrations made the book so much more effective in telling the story, and made it feel more real to the readers who had not experienced this tragic event

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cwarnier
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Pickpick

#bbrc #mg non fiction graphic novel
This is a great graphic novel telling about Hurricane Katrina.

18 likes2 stack adds
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suzisteffen
Pickpick

An excellent - and deeply sad - graphic novel that succinctly and powerfully explains Hurricane Katrina‘s progress and effect on New Orleans and her people. #graphicnovel

17 likes1 stack add
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ConnorLaCroix

A swirl of unremarkable wind leaves Africa and breezes toward the Americas.

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ConnorLaCroix

Dang Hurrican Katrina was just terrible.

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ConnorLaCroix
Pickpick

Again, using a graphic novel is a good way to get kids interested in an uninviting topic like hurricane Katrina.

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TracyReadsBooks
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Pickpick

Using stark, vivid imagery & blunt language, Brown describes the devastation of New Orleans & the loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina. From the catastrophic failure of the levee system to the incompetence of many in government who failed the people they were elected to serve, Brown spares no one. There‘s also resilience, heroism & lessons to be learned. Graphic novel format is ideal—visceral, powerful, & heartbreaking MG nonfiction read.

20 likes1 stack add
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noveladdiction
Pickpick

So good. Why has it taken me this long to read this?!

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Notafraidofwords
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Mehso-so

This graphic novel is a powerful rendering of Hurricane Katrina‘s destruction in New Orleans. It‘s meant for a YA audience, so I appreciate the direct way in which it tells the story. However, I feel like a young adult audience would benefit from critically thinking about the reasons that the effort in New Orleans failed. This graphic novel-in the end- is just a summary with pictures.

Notafraidofwords Bookriot challenge: A comic that isn‘t published by Marvel, DC, or Image ✅ 6y
jillannjohn I haven‘t heard of this one. I‘ll have to check it out. 6y
67 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Chelsibno
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Nine down on the 6th-8th grade list of WAW Book Award nominees, two more to go.

rustoryhuf @Chelsibno are you by chance a SLIM student? I recognize the WAW awards from when I attended SLIM. (edited) 7y
Chelsibno @rustoryhuf Yes, I'm actually graduating in August. I was raised in Kansas, so I knew a lot about the WAW awards as a kid. I actually went to the award ceremony a few times in elementary school, since I read all the books nominated in my grade category. 7y
Lmstraubie I find it interesting that this one is on the 6-8 grade list. It's sequel is due out soon. 7y
See All 7 Comments
Chelsibno @Lmstraubie It usually takes a couple of years for a newly published book to get nominated for the WAW Award. The review process to choose which books make the cut for each year takes over a year. From talking to one of the librarians who is on the board, she said they typically start out with a list of 150-200 books that they have to read & review, then slowly eliminate books from the running until they have around ten for each list. 7y
Chelsibno @Lmstraubie I'm not sure how they decide which books go on which list. It wasn't until the early 2000s that they began splitting the nominees into two categories. Before that, there was just one award given each year. I've read a lot of the WAW Award winners & nominees over the years. Every year it feels like a few books could have been on either list or would've felt more appropriate for the other list. 7y
Lmstraubie @Chelsibno Thank you for sharing. I guess I just see it as a 3-5, but it does have a lot of layers so I'm sure it would make for great discussion at the 6-8 level. 7y
rustoryhuf @Chelsibno Congrats on your upcoming graduation. I finished in 1993 and loved my time at SLIM. 7y
32 likes7 comments
review
Chelsibno
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Pickpick

This was a tough #nonfiction #graphicnovel to get through. Relating the events of Hurricane Katrina, Drowned City is unforgiving in its portrayal of the disaster & the mishandling of relief efforts by officials. Unlike most graphic novels, it uses voice bubbles sparingly & only for quotes. Instead, most of the information is relayed by narration boxes. While it relayed the tragedy of the disaster well, it still felt too fresh.

38 likes1 stack add
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Grrlbrarian
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Pickpick

Morning reading. I wept. Brown's words and art combine to paint a devastating picture of what Katrina did to NOLA - and the total inadequacy of the federal and mayoral response to it. Heartbreaking.

30 likes1 stack add
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monalyisha
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Panpan

I wanted to like this non-fiction graphic about Hurricane Katrina... but I didn't.

The illustrations are well-done, but the text is both choppy and lacking in style. The font choice doesn't help matters either; I found it very hard to read (and not just due to the grim reality of the subject matter). The topic is a worthy one, but this isn't a great book.

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MrsAlexanderHamilton
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Mehso-so

Not much for a book. Just a brief history lesson. It's okay, but perhaps following a specific character or family would have heightened my emotional response to it.