Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina

Words Whispered in Water by Sandy Rosenthal narrates the personal experiences the author had with her family during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The levees intended to protect the city of New Orleans broke and as a result, an entire city was almost wiped from the map. Her personal experience propelled her to get to the heart of the storm and find out why things unfolded the way they did, and possibly how they could have been handled differently. She lays out the timeline of events, even going as far as to include government decision-making that preceded the storm but eventually had a huge impact on it’s effects. She gives anecdotes that coincides with newscasts, giving the reader a sense of the feeling of oppressive foreboding one would feel while the events unfolded. Her research and hindsight allows the reader the unique experience of observing the anticipation people must have felt hearing about the pending storm, the pressure leaders must have felt to make quick, efficient and pertinent decisions and also the disappointment or relief that would have been felt depending on how affected one was after the storm. The author did an awesome job of expressing the gamut of emotions she went through with her family and also the empathy she felt for others who were not as fortunate as she was. But this is only one aspect of the book. It is not just about how her family survived. It is also about how she made the decision to investigate and reveal the bureaucratic system behind the fatal decisions that made the storm such a definitive event. It is also about how she tried to shed light where the media wouldn’t. It is not just about how she fought to help her family adjust after the storm. It is also about how she rallied support to help others and find ways to make sure the devastating effects would not reach the same level again. Words Whispered in Water is a riveting account of a tragic natural disaster. I would recommend this read to anyone interested in being more informed about the political decision-making processes that can seem insignificant one day and become life-changing the next. A truly informative and enlightening book.