Using vivid explanations of key literary and musical works complemented by contemporary illustrations, Parrish ... successfully demonstrates that the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 left a lasting, modernizing cultural imprint... A thoughtful comparison of 1927's events to 2005's Hurricane Katrina aftermath highlights continuing issues concerning the manipulation of natural flood controls and its effect on impoverished, low-lying neighborhoods. Throughout, Parrish ... Read moresuccessfully and eloquently captures the sense of humanity and personal loss among the million refugees whose experiences gave rise to artistic efforts and environmental issues that continue to resonate.
Publishers Weekly Parrish's ... deeply researched narrative ... rewards dedicated general readers. It requires no doctorate to appreciate her rendering of the remarkable back story to Bessie Smith's 'Backwater Blues'; her insightful discussion of the trauma's conversion into enduring works of literary fiction by William Faulkner, Richard Wright, and Zora Neale Hurston; her analysis of the persistent North/South hostility that complicated relief efforts; and her survey of 1927's vaudeville scene, from the subversive African-American stars Miller and Lyles to the high-profile, widely influential, and, in the author's telling, somewhat problematic Will Rogers. As a cubist might, Parrish paints a multifaceted portrait of catastrophe: sometimes puzzling, often surprising, and wholly original.
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