AmosL
07-28-2008, 06:51 PM
Piazza, Tom. “City of Refuge: A Novel”, Harper, 2008.
A Thoughtful Look at New Orleans
Amos Lassen
Tom Piazza’s new novel, “City of Refuge” is the story of two families, one white and one African-American, whose lives are changed by Hurricane Katrina. Their lives are not just changed but torn apart and they work to piece them back together. The Donaldsons and the Willliamses are two very different families but they were both uprooted from their homes due to the storm and forced to go to Houston and Chicago and try to come to terms with what has happened.
Piazza chooses not to look at the sensationalism of Katrina but instead concentrates on the characters affected by the storm. The book starts with the days leading up to the storm and then explores what happened during and afterwards. This is a book about the real New Orleans and her people and because of that the book appeals to readers of both fiction and non-fiction.
Each family prepared for the storm differently and each had different experiences and recovery. Against the backdrop of Katrina we get a powerhouse of a novel that deals with race, community and family. Piazza uses the places we all remember from the television coverage of the disaster and we have a starting point from which to delve into the book. Having been in New Orleans during Katrina made the book that much important to me and I identified with almost everything in the book. Unless you are a refugee yourself and have an emotional tie to the city (I was born and raised there), you may have a bit of trouble getting into the book but I don’t think so. The story is very real and masterly written. Most of you are aware of the Katrina you saw through the eyes of the media. This is the story of the Katrina that is personal and intense—so intense that I had to stop reading at times and take a deep breath so I could go---but I am glad I did. I expected there to be a slew of books after the storm and there have been a few but none have touched me the way “City of Refuge” did.
The characters are very real and as you read you feel their emotions—their dreams, their hopes and their pain. They watched Katrina destroy the world that they knew and their futures were unsure.
This is not only a story about Katrina; it is also a story about New Orleans. The horror of the hurricane is there as is the public outrage but the strength of the people and the flavor of the city hovers over the story. Looking back at my own experience I realize that the city I love is struggling to come back but I won’t be there. I have picked up a new life but I still love to read and hear about The Big Easy. When we leave the two families at the end of the book we realize, yet again, that the city is not what it was but neither am I or the other people who went through Katrina. Piazza gives hope for the triumph of the city but I am not so optimistic. Everyday I meet people in Arkansas who have relocated here and have no plans to return. But I must thank the author for this beautiful book and his look at a great American city and its people. I may be in Little Rock now but I will always be a New Orleanian in my heart.
A Thoughtful Look at New Orleans
Amos Lassen
Tom Piazza’s new novel, “City of Refuge” is the story of two families, one white and one African-American, whose lives are changed by Hurricane Katrina. Their lives are not just changed but torn apart and they work to piece them back together. The Donaldsons and the Willliamses are two very different families but they were both uprooted from their homes due to the storm and forced to go to Houston and Chicago and try to come to terms with what has happened.
Piazza chooses not to look at the sensationalism of Katrina but instead concentrates on the characters affected by the storm. The book starts with the days leading up to the storm and then explores what happened during and afterwards. This is a book about the real New Orleans and her people and because of that the book appeals to readers of both fiction and non-fiction.
Each family prepared for the storm differently and each had different experiences and recovery. Against the backdrop of Katrina we get a powerhouse of a novel that deals with race, community and family. Piazza uses the places we all remember from the television coverage of the disaster and we have a starting point from which to delve into the book. Having been in New Orleans during Katrina made the book that much important to me and I identified with almost everything in the book. Unless you are a refugee yourself and have an emotional tie to the city (I was born and raised there), you may have a bit of trouble getting into the book but I don’t think so. The story is very real and masterly written. Most of you are aware of the Katrina you saw through the eyes of the media. This is the story of the Katrina that is personal and intense—so intense that I had to stop reading at times and take a deep breath so I could go---but I am glad I did. I expected there to be a slew of books after the storm and there have been a few but none have touched me the way “City of Refuge” did.
The characters are very real and as you read you feel their emotions—their dreams, their hopes and their pain. They watched Katrina destroy the world that they knew and their futures were unsure.
This is not only a story about Katrina; it is also a story about New Orleans. The horror of the hurricane is there as is the public outrage but the strength of the people and the flavor of the city hovers over the story. Looking back at my own experience I realize that the city I love is struggling to come back but I won’t be there. I have picked up a new life but I still love to read and hear about The Big Easy. When we leave the two families at the end of the book we realize, yet again, that the city is not what it was but neither am I or the other people who went through Katrina. Piazza gives hope for the triumph of the city but I am not so optimistic. Everyday I meet people in Arkansas who have relocated here and have no plans to return. But I must thank the author for this beautiful book and his look at a great American city and its people. I may be in Little Rock now but I will always be a New Orleanian in my heart.