Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Drowned City
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans | Don Brown
63 posts | 44 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.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
quote
meganmoore

“Water kept rising. Streets disappeared. Homes floated away.“

review
meganmoore
Pickpick

The book‘s style is engaging, with dynamic text and illustrations that draw readers into Hurricane Katrina‘s story. The language is vivid and descriptive, helping students visualize the disaster and its impact, making the book both informative and memorable.

blurb
meganmoore

Drowned City brings the story of Hurricane Katrina to life with vivid illustrations and clear, engaging text. In the classroom, it can help students understand the real-life impact of natural disasters, explore cause-and-effect relationships, and discuss community resilience and human responses to crisis

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

quote
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.”

blurb
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.

review
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.

blurb
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.

quote
bkloppman

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

blurb
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.

review
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.

quote
SophieA

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

blurb
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.

review
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.

review
JulietteReadsALot
post image
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.

blurb
IndoorDame
post image
Clwojick ❤️❤️❤️ 4y
47 likes1 comment
review
IndoorDame
post image
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. 4y
62 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
BookishMarginalia
post image
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
quote
BookishMarginalia
post image

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. 4y
53 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
BookishMarginalia
post image

I remember this too. What kind of police officers do this? What kind of human beings? 😔😡 #HurricaneKatrina

blurb
BookishMarginalia
post image

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 4y
51 likes1 comment
blurb
BookishMarginalia
post image

Striking art by #DonBrown showing the effects of #HurricaneKatrina

52 likes2 stack adds
review
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.

blurb
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.

quote
taylorscalfaro

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

quote
agreco1925

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

blurb
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.

review
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.

review
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.

blurb
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.

quote
thejessashmore

we need your help. We need everything you got.

quote
Lf196117

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

blurb
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.

review
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.

quote
Allierd22
post image

“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

blurb
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

review
Allierd22
post image
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

review
cwarnier
post image
Pickpick

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

18 likes2 stack adds
review
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
quote
ConnorLaCroix

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

blurb
ConnorLaCroix

Dang Hurrican Katrina was just terrible.

review
ConnorLaCroix
Pickpick

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

review
TracyReadsBooks
post image
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
review
noveladdiction
Pickpick

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