Come Hell or High Water [Paperback]

I live in New Orleans and I love most aspects of the city. I evacuated before the storm and we lost our home and most of our possessions to flooding. But, this has merely been an inconvenience for me in many ways. As one who had to buy flood insurance to get a mortgage, we were lucky - with the insurance settlement and the sale of gutted house, we will soon be back on our feet financially.

However, spiritually and emotionally, Katrina has changed my life. Much of that is because of the things Dyson writes about in this book. I watched with horror, outrage and sadness as our government (at all levels) failed the people of New Orleans. New Orleanians knew but generally did not speak about the huge racial and class divisions within the city. As I took myself (and my dog) out of the city, I knew thousands would be left behind, and generally felt there was nothing I could do. I had get myself to safety. Of course, Dyson doesn't let people like me off the hook, which is a good thing.

It is painful to read Dyson's book because in so many ways it speaks the truth about our country's attitudes toward the poor and toward African Americans, as well as our government's continued response to their issues. These issues didn't begin with a hurricane; it took that to remind the entire country that we are not a classless society. The book was insightful in many ways, and it provided new information about what really happened. Dyson's writing is searing and unforgiving.

However, I only rate this book 4 stars instead of 5 because it is almost too hard on Bush. I am not a big fan of Bush, and believe wholeheartedly that the federal government bears a great deal of responsibility over its lousy and cruel response to this disaster. I also agree that this is indicative of a larger philosophy about poverty and racism. Worse in some ways is the federal government's continued response by refusing to pay for Category 5 levees and to realistically help people get back on their feet.

Yet, the local and state officials bear a lot more responsibility than Dyson is willing to admit. Although exaggerated, Nagin's "chocolate city" comments illustrate that our local leadership is certainly not beyond reproach. I also found Dyson's defense of Kayne West to be incredibly convaluted - I doubt seriously that West gave as much thought to his words as Dyson seems to think he did. And, although he is correct that the stories of violent crime and looting were exaggerated by the media, they did occur. We saw it on television, and I have a good friend who was trapped for days in a local hospital, afraid for her life b/c of thugs trying to steal the hospital's limited food, water and drug supply. He should not let these people off the hook simply by saying their poverty caused them to enjoy things that had heretofore been denied to them. In that case, laws are meaningless, as is morality.

This book has the ability to make us think deeply about the situation not only in the Gulf Coast, but with the people of that territory, their condition, and the way we treat them. He had a lengthy critique of the federal government and their response to Katrina (or lack thereof). The book also forces us to look at ourselves and ask what we could have and what we can do to do a better job of being "our brother's keeper" so to speak. I say this because the general public has done a tremendous job of raising money, providing resources, and our time to the victims, but we must continue to do so. We cannot do it temporarily; the people need our help and it is our duty and responsibility to be there for those in need. Don't get me wrong; it certainly does not excuse the government of their poor and horrendous response to the hurricane, but we must bear some responsibility for our treatment of them. This book clearly states that and much more.

From the removal of the funds needed to shore up the levees, the willful ignoring of severe hurricane warnings, the destruction of the wetlands to the deploying of the National Guard to Iraq and the incredibly slow response time from FEMA, Hurricane Katrina was a disaster waiting to happen. Michael Eric Dyson, in COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, lists all the reasons that this natural disaster did not have to be as devastating as it was. Even as people were ordered to evacuate, the government had to know that many would be unable to leave because they had no private transportation, yet no means were offered to these urban poor for escape. For those who did manage to leave the Lower 9th Ward and get to the Superdome, even more horror awaited them as they lived without food or water, in their own bodily wastes while the hurricane blew two large holes in the roof. Still rescue was not imminent.

As the citizens sat atop their roofs begging for rescue, ugly rumors spread that they were shooting at their rescuers. When the real story came out, they were simply attempting to attract the attention of the circling helicopters. The elderly, the infirm, and the poor were trapped in attics and on roofs for days with nothing as bodies floated in the water or sat propped in chairs in public. For those black citizens who attempted to get food, water or clothing from abandoned stores, accusations of 'looting' abounded while white citizens who were doing the same were pictured as 'finding' these items. Even the local officials helped pass on stories of degradation, murder and mayhem, yet most of these stories were untrue.

Dyson connects the New Orleans disconnect to the sometimes blatant, but mostly hidden racism that consciously or unconsciously rules American society. This is a well-documented book that is needed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. So many have already forgotten or at least pushed it to the back burner. There are also those, both black and white, who want to blame the victims of this hurricane. Dyson is having none of it in this book as he chronicles how help from other states, other countries and even the Coast Guard hospital ship was turned away by FEMA. It is well written and a must read for those interested in the politics of racism in this country.

Reviewed by Alice Holman

of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 30 reviews  3.7 out of 5 stars