Sugarcane Academy

by: Michael Tisserand

Published by: Harcourt Books

Reviewed by Dara O’ Sullivan

Subtitled: How a New Orleans Teacher and His Storm-Struck Students Created a School to Remember

Most of us, American or otherwise, can never forget the shock and growing horror at the scenes of total devastation when the levees burst in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina had initially seemed to have left the city relatively unscathed. The atmosphere of chaos, lawlessness and anarchy that so quickly enveloped the ruined city was widely reported on. But most of us have no idea what it was like on an individual level, for those thousands of ordinary families and households whose lives were changed forever by this event.

Sugarcane Academy goes some way towards addressing this lack. In a simple, undramatic manner, Michael Tisserand tells the story of how he, his family, their circle of friends and their families, coped during and particularly after the storm.

The people involved in this account are a group of average middle-class families who were not even living in the worst-hit parts of New Orleans. However, the physical and psychological effects of the hurricane and its aftermath on them and on their children are very poignantly detailed in this book. The families, along with the unorthodox and talented teacher Paul Reynaud, establish a temporary ”˜school in exile’ for their children that helps to carry them all through the trauma of the first few months after Katrina. The school, nicknamed ”˜Sugarcane Academy’ because of the sugarcane fields near its first location in New Iberia, becomes a cathartic experience for all concerned, and through its activities and field trips, the children are enabled to work through the loss and upset that has turned their lives upside down.

This book tells a compelling story, and in its focus on children, gives an unusual insight into the effect of tragedies like Katrina on children, and their means of dealing with such events. In style, the story can ramble here and there, and can also be rather confusing due to the sheer number of names and characters that are mentioned. However, it is a fascinating tale, and one that would be of particular interest to social workers and educators.

Armchair Interview says: An interesting and valuable read.

Author’s Web site: http://www.MichaelTisserand.com