Review, Review: 'Hurricane Song' by Paul Volponi
Posted by alli on 09-15-2008
It's hurricane season. The Gulf Coast is being pummeled by a siege of storms once again. Each year the newest cast of hurricane characters: Ike, Gustav…only serve to remind me of the most catastrophic of storms– Katrina. Doesn't it feel like since that terrible event, everything is ultimately measured by and compared to her? Each new storm just reminds us of "the big one."
Paul Volponi has written a very heartfelt and realistic account of this great American storm story through the eyes of Miles, a boy confronting life in the shelter that was "The Superdome." Having just moved to Louisiana to live with his father, Miles is uprooted by the storm soon after he arrives. Still getting to know him, they weather the storm together quite literally, and ultimately get closer. Miles tells of the gangs, the horrific treatment by the officials, and the fear and trauma the entire community experienced. Extremely aware of the racism, and ghettoization of New Orleans' poorest victims, Miles grapples with what it all means while trying to survive.
Like anyone wants to relive Katrina, right? Still, I thought it would be appropriate to share some great reviews of Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi. It offers a very quick claustrophobic take on how severe this event was for all who lived through it, from a teen's POV.
School Library Journal: Practically Paradise
'Hurricane Song is tale of Katrina and Superdome' (2theAdvocate.com)
A powerful novel about Hurricane Katrina (YA Bookmark)
