This is an especially timely book; Texas and Florida are still reeling from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Zane and the Hurricane captures many of the difficult situations that people face before, during and after a hurricane.
Zane Dupree travels from New Hampshire to New Orleans to get to know his great-grandmother and to see where his deceased father grew up. What starts out as a leisurely upbeat story abruptly changes to a fast-paced story of survival. Highlighted are some of the many situations that are encountered during a major emergency: the need to think and act quickly, the importance of survival skills, how disasters can bring out the best and worst of people, the kindness of strangers, those who profit from others’ misfortunes, and the reality of losing a home and having little or no access to water, food, shelter and hygiene. This story gives the reader a small taste of what it’s like to be in a disaster. Other themes explored in the book include race, identity, and injustice.
Two other excellent Louisiana audiobooks to consider:
* Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes
History Focus: 1870; the post-slavery reconstruction period, sugarcane plantations and Chinese immigrant workers. Rating: 4.5 stars
* Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
History Focus: 2005; Hurricane Katrina Rating: 4.5 stars
