In Too Deep: Class and Mothering in a Flooded Community

by Rachel Kimbro

In a small Texas neighborhood, an affluent group of mothers has been repeatedly rocked by catastrophic flooding—the 2015 Memorial Day flood, the 2016 Tax Day flood, and sixteen months later, Hurricane Harvey. Yet even after these disrupting events, almost all mothers in this neighborhood still believe there is only one place for them to Bayou Oaks.

In Too Deep is a sociological exploration of what happens when climate change threatens the carefully curated family life of upper-middle-class mothers. Through in-depth interviews with thirty-six Bayou Oaks mothers whose homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey, Rachel Kimbro reveals why these mothers continued to stay in a place that was becoming more and more unstable. Rather than retreating, the mothers dug in and sustained the community they have chosen and nurtured, trying to keep social, emotional, and economic instability at bay. In Too Deep provides a glimpse into how class and place intersect in an unstable physical environment and underlines the price families pay for securing their futures.

Genres: Nonfiction

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2021

Reviews

[Matt Lanza · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous book that helps fill in a lot of blanks of what people went through and why they chose to stay in a chronically flooded neighborhood after Hurricane Harvey. The book is readable, full of great insights, and the author does a fine job reiterating key points. This should be read if you have interest in Houston, disaster sociology, climate, weather impacts, flooding impacts, or Hurricane Harvey.

[Vivian Ho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most homes in Houston did not flood during Hurricane Harvey in Houston. However, everyone in Houston knows someone whose home did flood. This book will be of interest to anyone connected to Houston's recent floods, but I also recommend it for anyone who is planning to buy a home and is choosing between neighborhoods. After all, according to the website FloodFactor, the risk of flooding in Boston and NYC is close that in Houston, and it's way higher in Miami. Rachel Kimbro paints a detailed picture of the thought process running through the heads of 38 mothers who chose a neighborhood with an excellent school, friendly neighbors, and easy access to cultural amenities, despite an extraordinarily high risk of flooding. It's a lesson in the high price that was paid by these families, both financially and emotionally. Many of these women still seem in denial, thinking that this neighborhood remained their "only choice," downplaying the long-term effects their choices will have on their children. The descriptions of how these families dealt with the immediate storm are particularly gripping. In the midst of water everywhere and no information, Dr. Kimbro describes these families' tough choices on sticking it out in overcrowded 2nd stories of neighbors' houses versus riding rescue boats to unknown destinations. The stories of their children's actions and conversations well after the storm are poignant. I was put off by Dr. Kimbro's frequent use of the word "curate" to describe the mothers' actions in choosing Bayou Oaks as their families' home. All parents choose a neighborhood with the aim of shaping their children's lives in a positive manner. The word "curate" is so closely associated with art, that it gives an impression of superiority which seems unfair to these mothers. Indeed, Dr. Kimbro describes well the dedication, strength, and unrelenting work ethic of these women that leads them to methodically prepare for the flood and tackle the long arduous task of mucking out their homes, haggling with insurers, and remodeling. But by latching onto one neighborhood that had many fine attributes, these women ignored the fact that they could have made tradeoffs in several different directions that would have made them and their children better off in the long run. The initial chapters are often repetitive, but one can easily skip over familiar themes. Bayou Oaks has taken on significant food remediation since Harvey. This book's story will be repeated, but I hope it's not for a long time.

[Gwendolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book about the impacts of repeated flooding events (2015 Memorial Day flood, 2016 Tax Day flood, and Hurricane Harvey) on the Houston neighborhood of Meyerland (pseudonym of Bayou Oaks in the book). Rachel Kimbro followed a group of 36 mothers whose homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey, and she interviewed them repeatedly over time to gage their changing views on the neighborhood and their decisions whether to stay or leave. Kimbro is a sociologist, and this is very much an academic book. The details are exhaustive and often repetitive. I didn't love the dry, academic tone of the book, but the individual stories were compelling and emotional. Because l'm from Houston and have experienced these storms, this book had a powerful impact on me despite the way it was written.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book about the choices mothers in the Meyerland neighborhood in Houston faced before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey. These mothers were so deeply invested in their community, which they had chosen intentionally to curate the best possible environment for their children to grow up in, that they worked to maintain the community even after a catastrophic flood. From the outside, it's easy to question why people would want to stay put after being flooded out, but this book made me think about some of the more emotional / human aspects of choosing where you live, especially for mothers of young kids.

The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is that the writing style was dry and repetitive.

[Brandy McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is an academic book, I am not a sociologist and found it highly readable and engaging. The flood stories were captivating, and the gender and economic analysis was very informative and eye-opening. Two questions I had were: did this neighborhood flood during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 and if so, how did that factor into the choice to initially buy a home there? And, is "curate" just a fancy word for "control?" A footnote in the conclusion makes me think I could do more reading on that, but it is a question I asked myself many times when I saw myself in the decisions the mothers were making.

[Samantha Shain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book as much about disaster recovery as about motherhood. Writing was solid but slightly repetitive. I think a theory chapter would have strengthened the book, however, I think it is also a strength that the book appeals to a more popular audience.