New MS and YA Nonfiction…Drowned City; Legalizing Marijuana (In Controversy series)

DrownedCity

Brown, Don.  Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.  978-0-544-15777-4.  96p. $18.99.  Grade 6 and up.

Don Brown is well known for his ability to put historical events into a graphic format with beauty and an emotional punch.  This, his latest work, addresses the events of Hurricane Katrina and the lasting impact it has had on the City of New Orleans.  The pictures, illustrated in somber blue, gray, and brown tones, impart a feeling of foreboding.  Brown depicts the horrific hurricane, the flooding, and the efforts of citizens to survive on rooftops and in the fetid New Orleans Superdome.  Brown does not shy away from controversy in his telling of events.  He illustrates the widespread suffering, crime, and bureaucratic disorganization at all levels of government involved in the rescue/cleanup.  The story ends on a hopeful note with the reconstruction of the city, but it also acknowledges that New Orleans will never be the same again.  THOUGHTS: This book is an essential purchase for libraries looking to provide information on Hurricane Katrina.  It will appeal to fans of graphic literature, while being an extremely powerful work in its own right.

976.3, U.S. History      Susan Fox, Washington Jr./Sr. High School

Drowned City literally made me cry.  I lived in New Orleans for two years at the end of the 1990s.  It is a city that, once you have lived there, becomes a part of you.  Brown’s work is both stunning and devastating.  There is one small error in the book (which I was surprised wasn’t noticed by the book’s editors);  the author refers to New Orleans’ suburbs as “parishes”.  In actuality, parishes are Louisiana’s version of counties and are a long-standing reflection of Louisiana’s Spanish/French/Roman Catholic heritage.  I wouldn’t let this mistake stop a library from acquiring the book, but it is something to be aware of.

 

Brown, Don. Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 978-0-544-15777-4. $18.99. Gr. 7-12.

Illustrator and author Don Brown narrates this graphic novel about the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, from its meager beginning as a tropical storm to the devastating destruction that left the city of New Orleans forever changed. While the storm was powerful enough to flood the city, the conditions after were the most shocking; police abandoned their posts; communication lines failed; shelters ran out of food, fuel, and water; the flooded water turned black with oil and trash, and federal, city and state aid did not come for almost a week. Brown’s images are murky and morose, reflecting a town wrecked and forgotten. Importantly, the graphic novel provides a timeline of the event, showing that it took more than two months for the water to be pumped from the city. Published on the tenth anniversary of Katrina, this powerful graphic novel is an important, factual look at one of America’s worst recent natural disasters. THOUGHTS:  Drowned City is an essential addition to any teen graphic novel collection.

976.3; US History    Vicki Schwoebel, Friends’ Central School

 

legalized

Netzley, Patricia. Is Legalized Marijuana Good for Society? In Controversy series. San Diego: Reference Point Press, 2015. 978-1-60152-774-5. 96p. $17.99. Gr. 7 and up.

Part of the In Controversy series, Is Legalized Marijuana Good for Society? tackles the current and hotly debated topic of marijuana legalization.  The book features an easy to use format beginning with a short introduction on whether or not marijuana is harmful or beneficial.  The five chapters that follow discuss the origins of the controversy, how it’s used medically, the steps to legalize recreational use, the conflict between state and federal law, and finally how it should be regulated.  Each chapter features bulleted facts that give brief, easy to understand evidence as well as quotes used in other articles and titles on the topics.  These provide students with easy to find material perfect to include in an essay as evidence to support or refute the topic.  Each quote is linked to source notes with complete citation information.  There is also an additional reading section with print and internet sources to help readers further their research.  THOUGHTS:This is a great resource for younger students (grades 7 – 9) to use while gathering information for a persuasive essay or speech.  It’s also a good launching point for older students (grades 10-12) who are more experienced researchers.  It gives basic easy to understand facts and citations about a current topic.

Social Issues   Laura Ward, Fox Chapel Area High School

 

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