The Great Deluge

Written by a resident of New Orleans and a professor of history at Tulane University, this book covers the entirety of Hurricane Katrina - from when it is first spotted by the NWS to the moment the final evacuees leave the city - from numerous perspectives. Brinkley's interviews with the surviving citizens enables him to tell the story from their perspectives, describing the horror of the event from the ground up. Brinkley also describes the failures in government at every level, from President Bush's failure to oversee FEMA to Mayor Nagin hiding in a hotel to New Orleans police officers skipping town in stolen SUVs.

This book was really good. It was an eye-opening look at an event that I thought I was familiar with since I lived through the news coverage of it. After reading this book, I realized I didn't know the half of it. It's full of details and interviews which, while interesting, certainly make for some slow reading. I'd recommend it for someone looking for really comprehensive coverage of the event but not to someone looking for a light read.