Under Surge, Under Siege: The Odyssey of Bay St. Louis and Katrina

by Ellis Anderson

Winner of the 2010 Eudora Welty Book Prize and the Mississippi Library Association's Nonfiction Author's Award for 2011, Under Surge, Under Siege was also short-listed as Nonfiction finalist for the 2012 William Saroyan International Book Prize, Stanford University Libraries.

Under Surge, Under Siege shows how Hurricane Katrina tore into Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, raking away lives, buildings, and livelihoods in a place known for its picturesque, coastal views; its laid-back, artsy downtown; and its deep-dyed southern cordiality. The tragedy also revealed the inner workings of a community with an indomitable heart and profound neighborly bonds. Those connections often brought out the best in people under the worst of circumstances. In Under Surge, Under Siege , Ellis Anderson, who rode out the storm in her Bay St. Louis home and sheltered many neighbors afterwards, offers stories of generosity, heroism, and laughter in the midst of terror and desperate uncertainty.

Divided into two parts, this book invites readers into the intimate enclave before, during, and after the storm. "Under Surge" focuses on connections between residents, and then it demonstrates how those bonds sustained them through the worst hurricane in U.S. history. "Under Siege" documents the first three years of the grinding aftermath, detailing the unforeseen burdens of stress and depression, insurance scandals, and opportunists that threatened to complete the annihilation of the plucky town.

A blend of memoir, personal diary, and firsthand reportage, Under Surge, Under Siege creates a compelling American testament to the strength of the human spirit.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2010

About the author

Ellis Anderson resided in the New Orleans French Quarter for two decades before moving full time to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1996. Her work has been published in various regional venues, including Southern Cultures. She was the recipient of a Mississippi Arts Commission Fellowship for Literary Excellence (2007). Her first book, Under Surge, Under Siege, is being published by University Press of Mississippi and will be released in Augus, 2010."

Reviews

[lori summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing...

This book puts into words the feeling we felt our very first time visiting the area. We happened upon Bay St. Louis by accident (or as I prefer to say...higher guidance) and found we couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. We now have the honor and great privilege to call this home. You all are truly wonderful!

[Kerry Maloney · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intimate journey into the eye of a hurricane and how Katrina effected a community. An absolute must read for anyone living on the Gulf Coast especially if you've moved here post-Katrina.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a friend-of-a-friend, riveting and highly recommended. I couldn't put it down; maybe i'm a victim of "disaster tourism" or voyeurism, but i was really moved by the stories in this book. The writing is clear, honest, and thoughtful. The book is all the more touching because i've just moved to the Gulf Coast of MIssissippi area, but i think its an important book for everyone thinking about the aftermath (and surviving through) trauma and disaster. These stories must be told. Here is a good place to delve into firsthand accounts. I kept thinking about what i might do in such-and-such situation, but that's not even the point. The point that became clear to me is how incredible it is that everyone on the Gulf coast and in New Orleans experienced incredible loss after Hurricane Katrina. How do we cope with so much loss? How do we keep going? As individuals, as communities? This book is about writing down the bones, and creating the world we want to live in. Excellent.

[Stacygibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This incredible book tells the story of what it was like to live through Hurricane Katrina in Bay St. Louis, MS, the town where I was born. The author describes her preparations, her experience during the storm, and the aftermath. She also tells the stories of other survivors, including some who lived because they hung onto a boat or a tree, and a young woman who survived alone in New Orleans. Our family vacationed in Bay St. Louis this summer, six years after the storm, and the destruction is still visible. I have a different kind of respect for hurricane season and for the residents of the Gulf Coast after having read this book!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent most of my first 18 years of life in this small community on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I miss it much. It was detailed first hand experience that got my interest. There were a few people I actually knew from my childhood and many of the places I could picture before the storm. There were many photos in the book and I thought it captured the devastation well in those photos and in the heartening stories of many that lived through the storm and later rebuilt. What a great and sad and simple and different than the Katrina in New Orleans story. Must read.

[Glorianna Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellis Anderson is a gifted writer. Her account of survival during and after Katrina comes to Bay St. Louis is makes the personal day-to-day drama of survival visceral. While Katrina changed many of us forever and for many reasons. No matter how much we witnessed this storm from afar, being there was inevitably different than what we imagine. The black and white photographs by Joe Tomansovsky, a friend and neighbor of Anderson's, adds another level to the surreal journey that required meeting raw devastation with profound love.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mississippi Gulf Coast residents have complained that New Orleans got all the Katrina press. I put on my native New Orleanian blinders and turned a deaf heart to those complaints. This reopened my heart to the incredible loss, pain and stubborn perseverance of the Katrina survivors of Bay St. Louis. I dare you to maintain dry eyes during the recounting of the bed and breakfast survival story. The prose drags in places, but otherwise a good read if you want to gain a solid non-New Orleans perspective on Katrina.

[Hanna Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just spent a week in Bay St. Louis and I am loving how this book is taking me back there, and explaining what it was like 5 years ago. The writing is sharp, and the stories incredible.

[Claire Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first hand account of Hurricane Katrina on the gulf coast, NOT New Orleans (although it is mentioned, NOLA did suffer, the coast sometimes gets forgotten.)