Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina

By Phyllis Montana-Leblanc

Book Overview

Now in paperback, the astounding and poignant account of how a Katrina survivor and her husband lived through one of our nation's worst disasters--and continue to put their lives back together today. A driving force in Spike Lee's acclaimed and hardhitting HBO documentary When the Levees Broke, Phyllis Montana-Leblanc became the outspoken voice of Katrina survivors everywhere. In her gut-wrenching memoir, Not Just the Levees Broke, she reveals the impending doom that she and her family experienced during one of the greatest disasters in contemporary American history. From the initial weather forecast to the public warnings from officials, and the increasingly devastating developments-- the winds, rain, and rising waters--LeBlanc takes readers into the eye of the storm. With unrelenting vigor, Not Just the Levees Broke continually begs the question: What would you do in a life-and-death situation with your family and neighbors facing the ultimate test of character? Filled with the generosity of family, neighbors, and strangers; the depth of love that one can hold for another; and the power to help and heal others, Not Just the Levees Broke is a profound portrayal of the human spirit at its very best and what happens when it is pushed to the absolute limits.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416563474
• ISBN13: 9781416563471
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A must for Every American to read

Wow... I have Spike's Video & had to hear more of what Phyllis has to say about this heart breaking human event. Every American should read this book with an open heart & open mind & search within for the level of forgivness Phyllis has shown in her words & actions.

You had to be there!

As a native of lower Louisiana. I have been surviving Hurricanes since I was born. Seeing that the Hurricane passed New Orleans-after hitting lower Plaquemines Parish-and the city was a little wet but these stupid levee systems-which cost tax payers millions-were destroyed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and not "Breached" by the storm-The role of the US Army Corp in La is to work for the Texas oil companies and survey private property for theft-and since the 1930's(Bohemian Spillway) these people have flooded out the lower ninth ward or "black areas" by having an official policy of blowing up or "breaking" the levee system(as they did in 60's Betsy and Camile)-this was mass murder. Everyone knows that a civilian investigation needed to happen and Bush blocked it. Today in Plaquemine Parish the folks are now having to fight the U.S. government and state Gov. to reclaim their land. Even with all of this-the media will NOT show that the new levees are being rebuilt weaker and lower-so who really hit New Orleans? Katrina, Oil companies, Army Corp??? It wasn't hit by a Hurricane! http://creoleneworleans.typepad.com/creole_folks/2009/03/retired-military-vet-ronald-treadaway-sr-takes-on-la-levee-crimes-by-the-state-ted-duplessis.html

Put's You Right There With Them

NOLA has a special place in my heart and I swear to this day I won't go back because of how Katrina all went down. When I saw Phyllis Montana Leblanc on Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" I knew there was something about this woman. She spoke with power and the pain of someone who survived a great ordeal. And she didn't mind expressing herself with a curse word or two, which reinforces the BS the survivors went through. I heard about the book when she was being interviewed on the Tom Joyner show. I rushed out and got it. Let me tell you, this book takes you where the TV did not. I can't imagine how they did made it. Sticking around vs. leaving town. Taking the chance to go out beyond their "safe haven" through murky waters. Going from place to place until they ended up in San Antonio. Going for a week in the clothes on their backs and no baths. Phyllis Montana Leblanc is no seasoned writer, nor did the editor correct every pargraph or sentence. I don't think that is what this book is about or meant to be presented as. Keep in mind this is her personal account, just as if you were reading her journal or sitting out on the porch listening to her tell it to you - minute by minute. I finished the book on a lazy afternoon, it's only a couple hundred pages but makes you feel like you endured the entire week.

Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc: American Hero

Here is a true American hero. She survived one of the biggest tragedies of the modern age and carried herself forward through the aftermath to dazzle us all with her wit, her charm, her intelligence - and the beautiful, selfless example of her spirit of forgiveness. The example Montana-LeBlanc sets is gift to all of us. Would that I could live up to her example in the face of adversity... She is a model of positive and constructive energy that every parent can hold up to their children as a lesson in resilience and good.

very powerful and eye opening book

i watched and followed the whole katrina storm, have family and friends who dealt with it and the whole aftermath, but when you read this book you getr a up close and direct day by day account of just what went down and the many obstacles faced during and after it's devasting effect on all people involved.Phyllis Montana Leblanc pulls no punches and speaks on her and Her Husbands situation through this brutal and unfair storm. it forever changed lives. this is a powerful must read Book ASAP and a reminder of natural disasters and how to be prepared for and what to do. very detailed and a strong,strong book.