The characters of Baum’s novel come from a variety of backgrounds. There’s Joyce Montana, wife of the founder of the Black Indian tradition that helps color Mardi Gras. Wilbert Rawlins Jr. (I happen to think 'Southerns caught in the act of being themselves' IS interesting!)ĭan Baum originally found himself in post-Katrina New Orleans reporting on recovery efforts for The New Yorker. But as restoration efforts dragged along, he became captivated by the city’s residents, so determined to rebuild their lives in a city infamous for corruption and scandal. As he interviewed and poked around, he found nine voices that he wove together into a comprehensive narrative of New Orleans, beginning in the 1960s during the raging of Hurricane Betsy and ending in December 2007 as a parade snakes its way through the Ninth Ward. “ Nothing of any interest happens in the entire first half of the book - just Southerners caught in the act of being themselves. Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans reminds me quite a bit of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. (New York reporter discovers foreign quirkiness of Southern city and moves there to soak in the regional atmosphere.) In fact, in a negative review of Midnight on I found a phrase meant to be critical, but summarized why I would recommend Nine Lives (and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which I loved) :

Fashion_piranha Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans

Nine lives baum