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Can Everybody Swim? A Survival Story from Katrina's Superdome
We stood chest deep in water as we watched the female police officer remove the man from his wheelchair restraints. Steadying the man, she turned to us and asked, "Can Everybody Swim?" News coverage surrounding Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath captured America's rapt attention and swelled our hearts. Stories of lawlessness and violence still abound from the flooded City. Who can forget the Louisiana Superdome? Can Everybody Swim? takes you beyond the camera's lens on a journey through the maelstrom. A shortage of cash combined with a fierce loyalty to protect the Gentilly neighborhood family home purchased by his Ecuadorian immigrant grandparents led the then twenty-five-year-old author and his family to remain in their City to weather the storm, including enduring six days in the infamous Superdome. Follow this family of four and a half as they survive the worst natural disaster of the 21st century.
- GenresNonfiction
252 pages, Paperback
Published July 6, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 27, 2018
First I'd like to say I'm a bit biased here. I do know the author and I knew touches of his story from spending time with him. However, I do reviews for many authors and know I need to be totally honest with each one. And Bruce (this author) did not ask me to review his book at all. In fact, he didn't even know I was a reviewer for others.
As for the book; WOW, what an amazing story!! As I said, I'd heard bits and pieces of his story over the years since I met him. But never had any of his stories contained the details of the misery they endured. This book contains the full account from just before Katrina hit, to the moment Bruce and his family arrived in Arkansas. As a reviewer and not a friend I can say it is very well written and well edited. Nothing ticks me off more than a poorly edited or written book....ok not really but you get it. It is written like Bruce speaks which is my favorite way to read a book. And he's a fantastic, funny storyteller. Yes, I said funny! People survive such things when they can hold on to their sense of humor. He's deeply honest. Maybe more than some would like. But that is real to me. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, I was moved by the goodness of others, shocked by the uncaring of the few that always stick out in terrible situations. There wasn't an emotion unfelt while reading this account. As a reviewer, I typically review from the point of view of a parent. This is not for children, but you knew that already. It is real...very real. Every single word...even the bad ones. But to be honest I'm not sure how else Bruce could word some of that stuff. Plus if you know sweet mama, you'd know he'd be a liar if he didn't quote her exactly how he did. And I will have my children read it. They are old enough. In fact, one is now an adult and the other is a teen. Yet if this was fiction, I'd not let the teen read it. This, however, is history; the good, the bad, and the ugly. The naked truth. I truly believe (like a few other books I've read) that this NEEDS to be made into a movie. A high quality, well-made movie! I love to read but not everyone does. And this story needs to be told. Sure we all saw the horror on TV. But we couldn't truly feel it. Reading Bruce's account gives us all a more realistic understanding of just how truly bad it really was. This will affect him for most of his life.
I'm from Houston. We too know our fair share of natural disasters. We recently suffered catastrophic flooding with Harvey. While I don't live there anymore, my family still does and I'm not far away. It was, like Katrina, around my father's birthday and we were there celebrating it with him. My children and I escaped the day it hit land and barely made it out. The flooding was that quick. The part of town I grew up in was under water. Amazingly my parent's neighborhood was completely safe, built 5 whole feet above the dam, but everything around them was not. And because of Katrina, Houstonians knew what to do. The following weekend I returned to try to help in some small way with the relief. What I found were hundreds of folks from Louisiana doing the same thing. We prayed and cried together. When I told them thank you...for the billionth time...one guy said: "Houston was there for us, it's our turn to be there for you."
As horrible as the account in this book is, people did truly shine through. And the horror taught this nation a valuable lesson. We do not respond the to such horror as we did then. That's for sure.
As for Bruce and his family, I didn't meet him until just a few years (heck I can't even remember, possibly only one) after Katrina. This is the man I'd been praying for for about 3 years by the time I met him. I had no clue it was him. I'd been praying for his wife, my sweet wonderful amazing friend to find THE guy. I prayed for a man who would love her and treat her and her little girl as they should be treated. And Bruce is that man. Who knew He'd (God of course) allow Bruce to suffer so much before meeting that lady he was truly supposed to meet. And please no matter what you get from this book; don't you dare think that Bruce and his family do not love and respect the United States Miltary and those who serve this nation. My husband is an Army Reservist and combat veteran. While he was deployed Bruce and his mother were very good to me and prayed for me and my family. And even military personnel would tell you, sometimes the war machine isn't the most efficient way to care for people in a natural disaster. Heck, any government entity is typically bogged down with too many rules to get things done fast. And those service men and women were beyond their breaking point too. This terrible week did not jade this family from the greatness our military does for us.
I don't know why it took me 2 years to read this. Perhaps I feared that it wouldn't be this good and I'd not be able to be my overly honest annoying self for sake of a friendship. Like that ever stops me from speaking my mind. Maybe it's because I THINK I can't read a printed book anymore. Perhaps it's because I refused to buy it from a bookstore because I wanted a signed copy and can't seem to use a postage stamp anymore. Or I'm just too darn stubborn to go get my eyes checked. Who knows. I just took my husband's reading glasses and enjoyed a great story. But no matter how late I am at doing it, I'm sure glad I did. I will be pushing this as a must read to everyone I know. Especially my friends who suffered during the recent floods themselves. They at least didn't end up in a 'Superdome' situation! That has to be something to be truly grateful for.
As for the book; WOW, what an amazing story!! As I said, I'd heard bits and pieces of his story over the years since I met him. But never had any of his stories contained the details of the misery they endured. This book contains the full account from just before Katrina hit, to the moment Bruce and his family arrived in Arkansas. As a reviewer and not a friend I can say it is very well written and well edited. Nothing ticks me off more than a poorly edited or written book....ok not really but you get it. It is written like Bruce speaks which is my favorite way to read a book. And he's a fantastic, funny storyteller. Yes, I said funny! People survive such things when they can hold on to their sense of humor. He's deeply honest. Maybe more than some would like. But that is real to me. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, I was moved by the goodness of others, shocked by the uncaring of the few that always stick out in terrible situations. There wasn't an emotion unfelt while reading this account. As a reviewer, I typically review from the point of view of a parent. This is not for children, but you knew that already. It is real...very real. Every single word...even the bad ones. But to be honest I'm not sure how else Bruce could word some of that stuff. Plus if you know sweet mama, you'd know he'd be a liar if he didn't quote her exactly how he did. And I will have my children read it. They are old enough. In fact, one is now an adult and the other is a teen. Yet if this was fiction, I'd not let the teen read it. This, however, is history; the good, the bad, and the ugly. The naked truth. I truly believe (like a few other books I've read) that this NEEDS to be made into a movie. A high quality, well-made movie! I love to read but not everyone does. And this story needs to be told. Sure we all saw the horror on TV. But we couldn't truly feel it. Reading Bruce's account gives us all a more realistic understanding of just how truly bad it really was. This will affect him for most of his life.
I'm from Houston. We too know our fair share of natural disasters. We recently suffered catastrophic flooding with Harvey. While I don't live there anymore, my family still does and I'm not far away. It was, like Katrina, around my father's birthday and we were there celebrating it with him. My children and I escaped the day it hit land and barely made it out. The flooding was that quick. The part of town I grew up in was under water. Amazingly my parent's neighborhood was completely safe, built 5 whole feet above the dam, but everything around them was not. And because of Katrina, Houstonians knew what to do. The following weekend I returned to try to help in some small way with the relief. What I found were hundreds of folks from Louisiana doing the same thing. We prayed and cried together. When I told them thank you...for the billionth time...one guy said: "Houston was there for us, it's our turn to be there for you."
As horrible as the account in this book is, people did truly shine through. And the horror taught this nation a valuable lesson. We do not respond the to such horror as we did then. That's for sure.
As for Bruce and his family, I didn't meet him until just a few years (heck I can't even remember, possibly only one) after Katrina. This is the man I'd been praying for for about 3 years by the time I met him. I had no clue it was him. I'd been praying for his wife, my sweet wonderful amazing friend to find THE guy. I prayed for a man who would love her and treat her and her little girl as they should be treated. And Bruce is that man. Who knew He'd (God of course) allow Bruce to suffer so much before meeting that lady he was truly supposed to meet. And please no matter what you get from this book; don't you dare think that Bruce and his family do not love and respect the United States Miltary and those who serve this nation. My husband is an Army Reservist and combat veteran. While he was deployed Bruce and his mother were very good to me and prayed for me and my family. And even military personnel would tell you, sometimes the war machine isn't the most efficient way to care for people in a natural disaster. Heck, any government entity is typically bogged down with too many rules to get things done fast. And those service men and women were beyond their breaking point too. This terrible week did not jade this family from the greatness our military does for us.
I don't know why it took me 2 years to read this. Perhaps I feared that it wouldn't be this good and I'd not be able to be my overly honest annoying self for sake of a friendship. Like that ever stops me from speaking my mind. Maybe it's because I THINK I can't read a printed book anymore. Perhaps it's because I refused to buy it from a bookstore because I wanted a signed copy and can't seem to use a postage stamp anymore. Or I'm just too darn stubborn to go get my eyes checked. Who knows. I just took my husband's reading glasses and enjoyed a great story. But no matter how late I am at doing it, I'm sure glad I did. I will be pushing this as a must read to everyone I know. Especially my friends who suffered during the recent floods themselves. They at least didn't end up in a 'Superdome' situation! That has to be something to be truly grateful for.
February 27, 2022
A wonderfully eye-opening first person telling of a story I needed to hear. Bruce is a damn fine storyteller.
September 25, 2025
This book has been on my radar for years, and I finally got the opportunity to read it. It was well worth the wait. I loved the heroic journey this takes you on, feeling the real suffering of what people went through during Hurricane Katrina. I recommend to anyone looking for a real journey of perseverance and family.
August 6, 2016
My husband and I recently met Bruce while riding a trolley in downtown Little Rock. We began a conversation which untimately led him to tell us a bit about his experience during Hurricane Katrina. When we learned that he had a copy of his book with him on the trolley, we eagerly purchased it. As I have read this incredible story of Bruce and his family, I have been absolutely dumbfounded to learn how they survived post-apocalytpic New Orleans. This is a book which I will not forget. I highly recommend it.
July 31, 2020
This was my first POV Katrina survival book I have read. Being from south Louisiana, I always felt I had heard everything I could about Katrina from all the beautiful humans I have met since that day. However, this book opened my eyes to yet another story I didn’t know I needed to hear. Bruce, I felt like I was on the back porch one Friday night drinking some beers and listening to you talk. I feel we would have shared some laughs, tears and gasps as I did reading this book. Thank you for sharing your story!
December 1, 2024
In reading this book, I realized I never really knew what happened during Hurricane Katrina. Granted, I was 8 and living in Tennessee, but I can’t believe I went this long without knowing the breadth and depth of devastation. Bruce used such descriptive language that I could picture it all so clearly. I truly could not put this book down!
January 14, 2025
Maybe not completely accurate. It gave “I didn’t see it or go through it, so it didn’t happen.” But it still was pretty spot on with other accounts of Superdome experiences. One part in particular was a little diminishing to other survivors stories I’ve read and heard, but this would be a good starter book to understand the gist of what was happening.
May 26, 2018
Very interesting, first hand story of survivor of hurricane katrina. Struggles from flooded house, to Superdome, to bus trip out, and positive treatment upon arriving in Arkansas.
Some parts disturbing; some bad language; but very well told.
Some parts disturbing; some bad language; but very well told.
December 2, 2018
Yet another account from a survivor of the hurricane (I know there are others, but that's what I still call it), and I still am disturbed at the missteps that happened at almost every single turn by all levels of government.
Then I remind myself that what happened in New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005 was basically every other natural disaster that's happened in American history all lumped into one. You really can't prepare for it.
Then I remind myself that what happened in New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005 was basically every other natural disaster that's happened in American history all lumped into one. You really can't prepare for it.
February 4, 2017
Engaging first-hand personal account.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews