Hurricane Song by: Paul Volponi

Hurricane Song, by Paul Volponi is a fictional story about Hurricane Katrina that is specifically for teenagers. It starts off when we meet the main character, Miles, who is a sophomore in high school. He is faced with a very difficult decision. Miles has to choose between living with his mother and step father, who he does not get along with, or living with his father who does not connect with Miles very well. Miles is a sporty kind of guy, and his dad loves to play jazz music. Miles starts to regret his decision to live with his father, but soon, Miles, his father, and his uncle are forced to move out of their house. They all try to get to Baton Rouge, but it is too late and they get stuck having to stay at the Super Dome. Since they were rushed, the family had no food. But that wasn't uncommon. Most families in the Super Dome did not have money or food. The bathrooms were also breaking because of overuse. The Super Dome is simply over populated. Since people are hungry and thirsty, people are forced to rob each other. At the end of the story, most people are fine, but some people did die of hunger and dehydration. But all the families are affected when they see the whole city is destroyed. All their homes, schools, and businesses are obliterated. This story is a fantastic book for any teenager, or person who wants to learn about Hurricane Katrina from a 1st person point of view. Valponi gives the reader a great sense of how people were affected and how they coped with the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

In the story, the protagonist is Miles. He goes through many conflicts. One example is man vs. nature. Miles is just a sophomore, and he is forced to deal fight one of the worst storms that have ever occurred, Hurricane Katrina (Antagonist). He has to leave his home to live in a cramped Super Dome with thousands of strangers. Therefore he is goes through a Man vs. Man conflict with the people who are forced to steal (Antagonists).

I think one piece of symbolism is the Hurricane. I believe this because the hurricane stands for all the troubles Miles goes through. The hurricane could be the decision to leave his mother and live with his father. As most know, it would be very hard to have to choose between one or the other because you don't want either to be mad and you will miss them. It could also represent the relationship between him and his father which was a disaster like the hurricane. His father and him could never find chemistry with each other which led to a horrible relationship that was challenged throughout the book.

I though that Paul Volponi did a fantastic job with this novel. He really gave me a clearer picture of what happened in Hurricane Katrina. The first person Point Of View is great. Miles helps the reader see how tough it is to cope with a terrible storm like this. We also learn how much damage was done to the city, and how much emotional damage was done to the citizens. They came out of the Super Dome to see all their valuables destroyed, and to some peoples family members who were killed. I am glad that I read this book because I now have a more vivid perspective of Hurricane Katrina, and I learn to think, "Be happy with what I have, and don't be selfish!"