Why New Orleans Matters and What You Can Do About It

Lately I’ve been posting about my personal experiences post-Katrina. I haven’t written much about the “big picture.” But if you care about me and Xy I hope you are also interested in the larger issues at stake.

Here are two glimpes of that bigger picture.

1. Last night we went to a book reading. Seems a guy named Tom Piazza has written a book called Why New Orleans Matters. He wrote it very quickly in the month after Katrina.

   The bookstore was packed, standing room only, and there weren’t enough copies of the book to go around. But to judge by the portions the author read, it’s a damn good book, worth a read by anyone who cares about New Orleans.

   It would be even better if people who don’t care about New Orleans were to read it.

   It seems like a lot of people don’t “get” New Orleans. I barely do myself after having lived here for six years. It’s such a unique place, so different from other American cities, that I think it can be difficult for Americans to understand and appreciate.

   This book attempts to articulate just why New Orleans is important — why it matters. I hope people get the message.

   So buy a copy, read it, and then give it to someone powerful and influential.

2. This morning, the Times-Picayune published an impassioned editorial on their front page. It is a plea similar to the one I tacked on to my recent letter to the people of Bloomington, only much more eloquent.

   Please give it a read and take some action. We really need people from outside this area to voice their support. So please pass this link on to friends and family around the nation.