Book TV: Ethan Brown, "Shake the Devil Off: A True Story.."

Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder that Rocked New Orleans

Zachery Bowen was an Iraq War veteran living in New Orleans who with his girlfriend Addie Hall weathered Hurricane Katrina and were featured by many news outlets as the undaunted image of the city. On October 17, 2006, Zachery Bowen leapt to his death from the roof of a building and a note in his pocket lead police to his apartment where they found the dismembered body of Addie Hall. Mr. Brown argues that Zachery Bowen's service in Iraq and subsequent undiagnosed post traumatic stress disorder as well as the affects of Hurricane Katrina contributed to his mental unraveling. This event was hosted by Octavia Books in New Orleans.

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[jrmridgley]

Katrina was a cake walk compared to the tsunami in Japan, or the earthquake in Haiti. Those people, reached a helping hand to one another..... and didn't blame anyone. You didn't see clips on T.V. with Japanese people running around with Flat-screens, playstations or cases of alcohol they just stole. Let's be real here, it was an opportunity to get free shit and blame it on someone else....

[jrmridgley]

I understand what it means to lose friends, family and possessions. But if you looked around and really soaked it in, I think you could have credited the pampered lifestyle, selfishness and greed that has become so common in our country, for the way events unfolded "post Katrina." It had nothing to do with President Bush or the sheer numbers of minorities in N.O. But rather the total lack of respect for others portrayed by those who were turning a natural disaster into a civil disturbance.

[jrmridgley]

......and narrow minded. Live one day in the life of a U.S. Soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan, then tell me how bad it was in New Orleans after Katrina. If I know Zach, he took a look around and thought, "this aint shit, bombs were dropping all around people in OIF and they were still waking up every day and operating their produce stands in the streets surrounded by death and destruction. You guys had a flood. Stop whining.

[jrmridgley]

My name is Jeremy Ridgley. Yes, the same one from the book. I'm perplexed that there are people reading this book, and focusing on what life was like in New Orleans after Katrina.  That's not why Todd, SSG Behrman, myself or any others that served with Zach in the Military had opted to oblige Ethan in his request for information. We wanted to make it clear who Zach was and what he meant to everyone prior to this horrific incident. I hope future readers are a little less dense.

[chriskoob]

as someone who lived in new orleans before, during and after katrina i can agree with the author, having read his book , when he describs new orleans post katrina , as a kinda no man's land, if you could imagine a cross between HBO's The Wire and a mad max movie you still couldnt come close to what that city as like in that time period