Obviously, there have been many projects created on the subject of Hurricane Katrina. Recently, Spike Lee's documentary on the storm appeared on HBO. In addition, a number of news magazine shows are planning to have special features on the one year anniversary of the storm. The Weather Channel already had it's commemoration. Written in late 2005, Hurricane Katrina: The Storm That Changed America by TIME Books is a nice collage of images, diagrams, timelines, and stories that surrounded the devastating storm that struck the Gulf Coast a year ago this month. There is even an introduction given by famed Jazz Musician, Wynton Marsalis, who goes to great lengths in explaining what the city of New Orleans means to all of us, and why it is imperative that this great cultural gumbo of life is rebuilt.

The book is only 136 pages long, but it is still a typically good book by TIME, whose parent company, Time-Warner, also runs CNN, which had great coverage of the storm and its aftermath. There are a lot of photos in this book that capture the fury and violence of the storm as well as the desperation, despair, pain and heartache of the days following its landfall. In addition, there are fine excerpts on some of the key players in the debacle that was the recovery effort on behalf of the local, state, and federal governments. Another element of this book that is a constant in many editions of TIME Magazine, and that is diagrams that break down what happened before, during, and after with Katrina. At the end of the book, there is even a segment on Hurricane Rita, which also caused additional impact to the Big Easy as well as other parts of the Louisiana coast. Speaking of Bayou country, there is discussion of the situation with the coastal regions or wetlands of Louisiana.

This book covers the calamity caused by Hurricane Katrina in all of its aspects: the cultural, social, economic, personal, environmental, and scientific. It gives a complete account of what this storm did not only in terms of the damage created itself, but also by the bureaucratic bungling from all levels of government. There were some things that caused me some discomfort during the reading of this book. One was the occasional spelling mistake, which occurred more often than I expected from a book made by TIME. Then, on top of that were the numerous inaccuracies with regards to the date Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast. Instead of saying it was August 29th, the book often referred to it as September 29th. I was quite disappointed by that glaring mistake since this is made by a news based organization. Aside from that, I was happy with the book. Proceeds from the purchase of the book helped the American Red Cross, but that deal was only through December 31, 2005.

In order to understand what happened with Katrina in the late summer of 2005, you have to grasp the social, cultural, economic, and political impacts from this storm. Hurricane Katrina was a storm that brought to many Americans attention that there are many problems here at home in the United States. TIME's book, Hurricane Katrina: The Storm That Changed America, brings all of that together in a short, concise manner with detailed photos and diagrams that breaks down and analyzes the storm's impact to the Central Gulf Coast. Despite some glaring spelling mistakes and basic inaccuracies, I still feel that this is a good book to purchase. If you are looking for a book that gives a good story on Hurricane Katrina in photos, diagrams, and in a magazine like manner, to buy this book.