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A Season of Night: New Orleans Life After Katrina
For many months after Hurricane Katrina, life in New Orleans meant negotiating streets strewn with debris and patrolled by the United States Army. Most of the city was without power. Emptied and ruined houses, businesses, schools, and churches stretched for miles through once thriving neighborhoods. Almost immediately, however, die-hard New Orleanians began a homeward journey. A travelogue through this surreal landscape, A Season of New Orleans Life after Katrina offers a deeply intimate, firsthand account of that homecoming. After the floodwaters drained, author Ian McNulty returned to live on the second floor of his wrecked house without electricity or neighbors. For months his sanity was writing this book on a laptop by candlelight. By turns haunting, inspiring, and darkly comic, this memoir offers a behind-the-headlines story of resilience and renewal. From bittersweet camaraderie in the wreckage to depression and violent rampages in the lawless night to the first flickers of cultural revival and the explosive joy of a post-Katrina Mardi Gras, A Season of Night delivers an unprecedented tale from the wounded but always enthralling Crescent City. Learn more about the book and its author at //www.seasonofnight.com/
- GenresNonfictionHistory
176 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 3, 2024
This is a lovely account of New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Written by a now acclaimed local food writer, at the time he was a relatively recent transplant in NOLA working for a local bank. It focuses primarily on his experience living in Mid City (my neighborhood) and his feelings as a resident who loves the city, and it's slow recovery more through the lens of his own neighborhoods recovery. While he mentions some of the worst hit areas, it's clear this isn't intended to be a comprehensive account or delve into much of the political issues at the time.
I thought it well written and particularly evocative for me, a new Mid City resident who now knows the blocks, the establishments, etc. and it's fascinating to think of their evolution over time.
I thought it well written and particularly evocative for me, a new Mid City resident who now knows the blocks, the establishments, etc. and it's fascinating to think of their evolution over time.
August 1, 2019
A true story of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans The author, Ian McNulty, lived in the New Orleans neighborhood of Mid-City before the storm. His house and neighborhood was completely devastated by Katrina. After a couple of months in Baton Rouge, he returned home. This is the story of his life in the devastated and deserted city from October 2005 through Mardi Gras 2006.
McNulty describes a broken and battered city, but one that refused to lay down and die. To the people who call New Orleans home, his book will evoke their own memories of those long months and years post-Katrina. We who lived through this experience were forever changed by this horrible event which scarred our beautiful city, but could not destroy its people or our way of life. McNulty's book is a tribute to New Orleanians' undying spirit.
I live in Metairie, LA, a suburb of New Orleans. McNulty's experiences hit home in a memorable way. When he describes the filth, the smells, the grey sludge, the piles of debris, the military presence, the eerie quiet, I relive what I went through after the storm along with him.
For anyone who wants to know what living through the aftermath of Katrina was like, read this book!
McNulty describes a broken and battered city, but one that refused to lay down and die. To the people who call New Orleans home, his book will evoke their own memories of those long months and years post-Katrina. We who lived through this experience were forever changed by this horrible event which scarred our beautiful city, but could not destroy its people or our way of life. McNulty's book is a tribute to New Orleanians' undying spirit.
I live in Metairie, LA, a suburb of New Orleans. McNulty's experiences hit home in a memorable way. When he describes the filth, the smells, the grey sludge, the piles of debris, the military presence, the eerie quiet, I relive what I went through after the storm along with him.
For anyone who wants to know what living through the aftermath of Katrina was like, read this book!
September 2, 2021
A quick stress read while waiting for news,
September 28, 2011
I'm trying to learn more about my new home and to understand, at least a little bit, what it was like here in the immediate wake of Katrina. Before I moved to New Orleans a meager month ago, I only understood that residents were dedicated to this place in a way that I didn't understand. But in the small amount of time that I've been here, I have already seen so much - and really just a sliver - of what (or who, really) makes this place tick so wonderfully. I think it would be very hard for me to feel this comfortable this quickly anywhere other than here and where I'm from, and if here IS where you're from, I'll bet that's a pretty amplified feeling.
But enough of that; this book is a personal account of someone trying like hell to get back the city he loves. Not to get back TO it - he does that fast - but to get IT back, which means constantly hoping that the diaspora will return from its far flung refugee states, and making it as homey as possible for when they do. The standard, post-storm greeting becomes "you back?" whether you know the person or not, because if you're back, then that's another tiny fraction of the city returned, and it's a tiny step closer to good again.
The details of the memoir are what really painted the picture for me: The dogs going feral in packs on the streets, or in the houses where they had to be left behind, still barking. The first bars to re-open after the storm, still with no power, and the patrons who flock to them thirsty for normalcy and communion. Some bring donated beer that they'll buy back a few minutes later, effectively jump-starting their beloved businesses, and lending real credence to the "for the people, by the people" approach. McNulty takes the time to catalog the things he sees in the piles of personal possessions that are strewn around the city. If he had wanted, I think he could have just made a very long list of things in piles, and that would have been a book on its own. People's stuff telling stories all by itself.
This book belongs somewhere along the sentimental end of the spectrum of books that I plan to read about New Orleans, which will help to balance out the hard history when I get there.
Enough! OK!
But enough of that; this book is a personal account of someone trying like hell to get back the city he loves. Not to get back TO it - he does that fast - but to get IT back, which means constantly hoping that the diaspora will return from its far flung refugee states, and making it as homey as possible for when they do. The standard, post-storm greeting becomes "you back?" whether you know the person or not, because if you're back, then that's another tiny fraction of the city returned, and it's a tiny step closer to good again.
The details of the memoir are what really painted the picture for me: The dogs going feral in packs on the streets, or in the houses where they had to be left behind, still barking. The first bars to re-open after the storm, still with no power, and the patrons who flock to them thirsty for normalcy and communion. Some bring donated beer that they'll buy back a few minutes later, effectively jump-starting their beloved businesses, and lending real credence to the "for the people, by the people" approach. McNulty takes the time to catalog the things he sees in the piles of personal possessions that are strewn around the city. If he had wanted, I think he could have just made a very long list of things in piles, and that would have been a book on its own. People's stuff telling stories all by itself.
This book belongs somewhere along the sentimental end of the spectrum of books that I plan to read about New Orleans, which will help to balance out the hard history when I get there.
Enough! OK!
April 17, 2011
I knew Ian when I lived in New Orleans in 2008 and sadly just got around to actually reading his book on the airplane heading down to French Quarter Fest. You can tell it's a first novel in a few places, but it is a great book for anyone who knows and loves New Orleans. This is not like other storm novels that try to capitalize on pictures or fully translates the experience to someone who isn't familiar with the city. This is Ian's ode to the city and neighborhood he loves. I think many of the places mentioned don't necessarily resonate as well to those unfamiliar, but to those who know and frequented them regularly, this is a wonderful heartfelt book.
For those of you who read this and want to have a memorable experience, I would plan a trip to New Orleans and try to visit all the places mentioned in this book. You will get a much different and more interesting experience than the traditional quarter/Bourbon St. tourist trip.
Also Ian just came out with his second book, Louisiana Rambles, so check it out if you liked this one. I'm going to try to be a better friend and not wait as long to read it!
For those of you who read this and want to have a memorable experience, I would plan a trip to New Orleans and try to visit all the places mentioned in this book. You will get a much different and more interesting experience than the traditional quarter/Bourbon St. tourist trip.
Also Ian just came out with his second book, Louisiana Rambles, so check it out if you liked this one. I'm going to try to be a better friend and not wait as long to read it!
December 10, 2013
I really liked this book all around. I think this book really created a surreal view on Hurricane Katrina and what people went through. I honestly didn't know much about Katrina before reading this book. It shows how long and painful the road to recovery was for New Orleans, and I'm sure that New Orleans still has temporary problems from Hurricane Katrina. It also shows how much the animals went through, tons of animals were trapped, with no owners to help and save them. Thankfully rescuers were hired to go and attempt to save the animals. The determination of New Orleans really creates this book, New Orleans decided to do something about their situation. And the author Ian McNulty really did a fantastic job of showing me that. I would recommend everyone to read this book. Because this book could apply to anyone, it could help everybody understand what the New Orleans people went through.
January 4, 2009
McNulty fled New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Katrina, and was one of the first to move back in. This book chronicles his survival in the city, without utilities, but with the rebel spirit typical of NOLA denizens. It's not just about the storm...it's about the city and its unique culture, from the parties that spring up in defiance of the curfew to the street art people create from the detritus of the hurricane. When Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, comes after the first post-Katrina Christmas, Carnival season officially begins and New Orleans begins to put its party clothes on again.
September 25, 2011
One of the most compelling, honest accounts of New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. Although non-fiction, the tension, fear and ultimate spirit of the city is palpable. I hope McNulty will follow up this book with NOLA's continued recovery.
November 17, 2009
Ian McNulty moved back to New Orleans as soon as he could following Katrina. He lived in his house sans electricity and just about every other modern convenience. This is a great story about his love affair with the Big Easy. It really puts New Orleans culture in perspective.
May 14, 2010
This book was just okay. It seemed to drag in parts. Pictures would have made it quite a bit more interesting so that you can really get a better feel what the author is trying to tell instead of the overuse of adjectives.
March 15, 2013
As a Mississippi survivor of Katrina myself, I generally approach New Orleans stories with aprehension. This was outstanding. Very hard to put down, and easy to sense walking with the author as he lives out his personal nightmare.
December 3, 2015
A beautifully written book that reads like a love poem for my favorite city in the world - New Orleans. A compassionate look at a city that is filled with political corruption, violence & poverty but is still more alive, creative & beautiful than any other place.
December 26, 2008
A compelling narrative, not as emotionally intense as 1 Dead in the Attic, Rose, Chris.
May 18, 2009
Great book! It was much more hopeful and celebratory than I expected.
August 8, 2012
A very well written book about the author’s experience moving back to his deserted neighborhood in New Orleans shortly after the post-Hurricane Katrina flooding devastated it.
May 23, 2013
He described so perfectly what we imagine it was like and what it is today.
January 29, 2014
Wonderful account of life before and after the federal flood. Why New Orleans captures your heart, soul and imagination.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews