"Print and public-radio journalist Wagner describes rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. . .Despite Kafkaesque experiences with the infamous bureaucratic mess that threatened to undo New Orleans once and for all, the couple held on to their optimism for the city and their little piece of it. Wagner captures the nostalgia, the heartbreak and the friendships spawned in Katrina's turbulent aftermath with raw emotional honesty free of sentimentality. Unflinching, humorous and heartfelt. --Kirkus Reviews

The cliche"New Orleans gets into people's blood" happens to be very true--just not...