Come Hell or High Water

Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster

By Michael Eric Dyson

When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, hundreds of thousands were left behind to suffer the ravages of destruction, disease, and even death. The majority of these people were black; nearly all were poor. Displaying the intellectual rigor, political passion, and personal empathy that have won him acclaim and fans all across the color line, Michael Eric Dyson offers a searing assessment of the meaning of Hurricane Katrina. With this clarion call Dyson warns us that we can only find redemption as a society if we acknowledge that Katrina was more than an engineering or emergency response failure. What’s at stake is no less than the future of democracy.

About the author

Michael Eric Dyson, named by Ebony as one of the hundred most influential black Americans, is the author of sixteen books, including Holler if You Hear Me, Is Bill Cosby Right? and I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King Jr.. He is currently University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

"The lessons of Katrina are not just a moment to feel shame, but an opportunity to give ourselves one last chance to deal - truly deal - with the ongoing tragedy of inequality in America. Dyson thinks we can do it and so do I."
-Michael Moore

"Dyson leaves no stone unturned as he breaks down what went wrong after Katrina... Whether the government response to Katrina will become as much of an albatross as the war in Iraq remains to be seen. Books like this will certainly help to tip the balance."
-The Independent

Price: $14.95
ISBN: 9780465017720
Published: 2007
Type: Paperback