The Straits Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After a hurricane took the life of both his sister and his mother, Jim Beauregard now resides in a FEMA trailer with his aunt Mel. When Jim is fired after his arch-enemy sets him up and with FEMA placing The Straits under eviction, Jim's only hope is cards. Though participating in an illegal underground poker ring may be risky, Jim has no choice. Can one simple hand of Hold 'Em Texas get Jim enough money to survive eviction and even get Hollis Mulwray off his back for good? Or is there something more important at risk here?
.........
The Straits was an Ace read, not to mention there was a Full House of spectacular characters. Not only was it an edgy story of a guy living in a hurricane-depressed neighborhood who also constantly gets a bad reputation; but the story of letting go of self-blame. (Oh, yeah and I always wondered what really happened to all those people who lost their homes and were supposedly helped by FEMA.)
The book's settings leaped right out of the pages and into your mind. Jim and other important character's backgrounds were easily told in just a few short chapters leaving plenty of room for the emotional side of the story. Even though Jim's situations were not always pleasant, the storyline was absorbing: the characters, the poker games, the local teen hangout, the mysterious trailer, and the best ending you could ever hope for. I knew Hollis would get what was coming to him sooner or later, but what did happen was the best play yet.
You know what I truly liked about this book? The Straits was written so smoothly, it was like watching an actual movie in your head-even down to the last little camera shot detail. Since the author is a graduate student in a film program at Colombia University, welp, maybe someday The Straits will really come to life.... on the big screen.
Overall The Straits was a brilliant emotional journey of letting go, and one heck of a poker game.Genre: Realistic/Contemporary, Tragedy, Drama
Age Group: YA, ages 14+ Content: Some language, drinking
Personally Enjoyed It: 4/5 Rating (based on content): 3/5

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Straits

He could have saved them.

When a hurricane ripped through Florida last year, it leveled high school student Jim Beauregard's house—while his mom and sister were trapped inside.

Now "home" is a FEMA trailer, shared with his overweight and disabled aunt. Facing eviction, Jim's got to earn enough money for a new place, fast. But when he loses his construction job after being duped by his nemesis, Hollis Mulwray, Jim's got nothing left. Only by joining an underground poker gambling ring does he see a glimmer of hope—in a roomful of dangerous (and possibly crazy) older men.

But more could be at stake than he realizes.

Click here for more information about The Straits

Read More...

Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I liked this book because it made me examine some pre-concieved notions I had(have.) It took me several chapters to figure out the author's race and religion and my perceptions morphed during the exercise.
I used to live in New Orleans and my brother still does. He was there through Katrina and I was there less than 2 weeks after.
The book presents some of the most grievous episodes of post-Katrina NOLA--evacuees turned back on the Crescent City connection, the handling of state prisoners, the case of Abdulrahman Zeitoun and tries to extrapolate from them a theory of systematic oppression. I didn't quite buy it, but the author shines a light on some obvious problems in southern Louisiana.
As a lawyer who represents death penalty prisoners he has a clear bias against law enforcement and "the system." Every instance of authority paints the law enforcement officers in the worst possible light. I don't doubt that there are bad cops in New Orleans, but I worked with many noble selfless officers when I worked in the Emergnecy Rooms in Baton Rouge, Metairie and Bay St Louis, MS. Still, there's no defense for women pushing strollers to be forced back to the Superdome at shotgun point.
The book reads like a confession from the author who is trying to exorcise his survivor's guilt rather than an objective reflection on what happened. It is an interesting an compelling read, but it's only a few moments of one side of a very long story.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City

Click here for more information about Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City

Read More...

Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Rising from Katrina is a beautiful tribute to the very wonderful people of Mississippi and the horrendous ordeal they have been dealt. It is a story of hope and love, and a story of strength and faith. It is very well done and beautifully written. If you care about what has happened along the Gulf Coast and fear forgetting, buy this book. Kathleen Koch is a superb writer and she brings us into the world of the characters who are Mississippi, and I mean that in a very positive way. Thank you Ms Koch for giving your time and energy to help your hometown and for sharing this incredibly personal and powerful book with us.
A fan of the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and all of her residents,
Kate

Click Here to see more reviews about: Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered

Hurricane Katrina left Eddie Favre, the affable mayor of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, with nothing but the shirt and shorts he was wearing. State and local officials offered to send him pants, but Favre declined. ''Wearing long pants sends a signal that everything is okay,'' he insisted. ''And until such time as everything is okay here, I'll wear my shorts.''Even George W. Bush took notice. ''I arrive here at this important school and he's got short pants on,'' the president remarked during a visit nearly five months after the storm. ''Eddie, I like a man who sticks to his guns.''Those who read this moving story of the small town of Bay St. Louis and the Mississippi Gulf Coast will discover an entire region that did just that.The 2005 hurricane season was the most devastating in history. People from the Bahamas to Mexico to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida suffered a record 15 hurricanes, four of which reached Category 5 strength.Katrina was the costliest. Images from the Superdome and the rooftops of New Orleans are seared into the American consciousness.But few realize the Mississippi Gulf Coast was where Katrina hit full force and where the destruction was worst. Entire towns were reduced to shoulder-high rubble by the winds and the unprecedented 30-foot storm surge.Bay St. Louis was the former home of CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch. From her initial Katrina assignment in Alabama, Koch headed west in the storm's aftermath. The closer she got to her community, the more personal the story became. Old friends asked her to search for loved ones whose bodies would soon be found. She reported from the sites of once-beautiful homes--including her own--stripped to their concrete pads. Time and again, she heard residents pleas to spread the word about the dire needs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.Rising from Katrina is a story of the kindness of strangers, of minor miracles--and, above all, of how despite bureaucratic snarls and insurance battles a region rolled up its sleeves and rebuilt. It is also the story of a veteran reporter who, struggling to maintain her objectivity amid loss, traveled her own personal path from devastation to recovery.

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered

Read More...

Horses of the Storm: The Incredible Rescue of Katrina's Horses Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a heartfelt story of heroes and the will to survive under the most tragic circumstances.
In the aftermath of the August 29, 2005, devastating destruction of Katrina, the untold suffering was not just felt by vast numbers of residents in the Gulf Coast area.
The book chronicles the tireless work by Louisiana State University's Equine Rescue Team to rescue the animals in oftentimes very dangerous circumstances.
Becoming the riders after the storm, this is an incredible chronicle of individuals and the heart & soul that only comes from a strong desire to live.



Click Here to see more reviews about: Horses of the Storm: The Incredible Rescue of Katrina's Horses

On August 29, 2005, the United States suffered one of the worst disasters ever when Hurricane Katrina slammed into southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. In the midst of uncertainty and chaos was born the largest equine rescue ever. Horses of the Storm is a collection of grippingand ultimately inspiringfirst-hand accounts of how the Louisiana State Universitys Equine Rescue Team spearheaded a dedicated group of heroic staff and volunteers that saved hundreds of horses. In addition, Horses of the Storm will also contain a take-away of tips to prepare horse owners before, during, and after a disaster.

Get 25% OFF

Click here for more information about Horses of the Storm: The Incredible Rescue of Katrina's Horses

Read More...

The Hurricanes: One High School Team's Homecoming After Katrina Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'll start out by saying that this is a good story. This book focuses on football, and the story of a team and teams coming together to rebuild their lives. It's a "rags-to-riches" tale that will surely one-day make a good movie, but it ignores the real tragedy that I was thinking about the entire time. What it doesn't focus on is the real tragedy of why rural Louisiana is dirt poor and uneducated. A year after Katrina, officials are proud to announce that the new sod is on the field, yet there is no school cafeteria. The scoreboard works, but there are not enough books to go around at school. More examples abound like this abound, but it is clear to me why communities like this will continue to decline as they focus more on their fleeting football success than on graduating educated kids from their high schools. A few of these kids will end up in college, and maybe one every few years will play pro ball, but 200 others will be poorly served by their lack of a decent education.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Hurricanes: One High School Team's Homecoming After Katrina

Click here for more information about The Hurricanes: One High School Team's Homecoming After Katrina

Read More...