They need to see the roles of other teens in this event, how their courage, passion, and in some instances their greed, helped to shape what happened. They get so caught up in everything it takes for them to survive today that yesterday's lessons have a way of getting shortchanged, even the immensely important ones. History has a way of disappearing for our teens. Why is it important to have a young adult novel about Hurricane Katrina? And for the life of me, I didn't know if that baby was being born or dying. …Then I heard a baby cry with a shriek that nearly stopped my heart cold. And when those flashlights disappeared and everything went dark again, it was like somebody shut the oven door on us. The sweat came down my face, stinging the corners of my mouth. The courage of everyone involved, the heroic and giving nature of those who laid their lives on the line to help, and the woefully unprepared nature of our government which contributed to the danger and lawlessness so many had to endure, pushed me to take on this project about an overwhelming event that called out to the humanity in all of us.ġ7-year-old Miles in the Superdome-I stopped trying to figure out how scared I was or if that empty feeling in my stomach would ever quit. I was so incredibly moved by his feelings for that patch of ground that the wheels of a storyline began turning in my head, eventually evolving into Miles and Pop's personal and physical journey in Hurricane Song. I was watching the news coverage when a local musician gave his account of braving the conditions in the street to see what had happened to a favorite jazz club in which he regularly played. Home Articles on Paul Biography/Awards Facebook

Hurricane song by paul volponi