Books like Nine Lives by Dan Baum

Nine Lives is a multivoiced biography of New Orleans told through the intersecting stories of nine remarkable characters. Over four decades, the book spans two epic hurricanes—Betsy and Katrina—illustrating how disaster and the city’s vibrant, chaotic culture intertwine. From outsider artists and Mardi Gras kings to jazz‑playing coroners and transsexual barkeeps, each figure reflects a distinct layer of New Orleanians’ social fabric. Baum’s reporting brings vivid color and crystalline detail to their individual dramas, while also chronicling the city’s evolution as a place of both corruption and refuge. The narrative culminates in Katrina, where acts of heroism and loss converge, underscoring New Orleans itself as the enduring heroine of the story. The book offers a poignant portrait of a city whose spirit and people endure even in the face of relentless calamity.

First publish date: 2009