I spent the first 4th of July after Katrina in Ronald's driveway in the completely devestated Lower 9th Ward. It was me, Rachel, Dan, Abram, Ronald, Ronald's family and a bunch of architecture students from Kansas- grilling in the rain and playing cards in the gutted frame of a house with a tarp for a roof. There was not a house with the lights on for miles in any direction. Every once in a while, a neighbor would drive by, and Ronald would go out and tell them that everyone was here to help him build a museum and that they should move back because the neighborhood was going to rise from the wreckage.

This book helps me understand how he was able to convince folks, and why people came to him for convincing. The stories, photos and soul in this book, and the care with which it was put together: Amazing. It's so hard to explain to people what New Orleans and Second Lines and Mardi Gras mean, now I have an amazing tool to help in my explaining.

Inspirational on a deep level, educational even to folks who know NOLA well, fun to read, and full of gorgeous photos. Every American should own a copy. Made me cry.

September 23, 2009
By Jamie Schweser ( )