Treme is on HBO and as such is an adult offering. Parental Guidance is recommended. That being said, I've never seen a show that so beautifully captures several pieces of New Orleans life after Katrina hit us. I knew several John Goodmans. Depressed, demoralized, overwhelmed, sucked dry. As a mental health therapist, I saw damage of all kinds. Physical, spiritual, psychological. I have to watch this in small doses because it hurts too much because it's so accurate.
I certainly knew Antoine Baptistes, both black and white, ditto Davis McAlary, again, both black and white. I've never known a Mardi Gras Indian (above) but I've seen them every year at Carnival. Beautiful, defiant, wild. Fun. New Orleans all the way.
My family left. Couldn't handle the "hurricane roulette" as my father called it. They went up north. I stayed. Work, friends, the city kept me there. The pain reflected in Treme is why I wrote Hurricane Boy. For the lost children of the storm. The ones that keep getting overlooked. I hope that doesn't continue.
Hurricane Boy is a compelling account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, but it is much more than that. It is a heartful story about people. Even someone who has never experienced a tropical system can empathize with the struggles of your characters.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks Julie. I like your stuff too.
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