Works by
Wade Rathke
(Writer)

The Battle for Lower Ninth: ACORN and the Rebuilding of New Orleans (2008)
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, urban planners, pundits and corporate power-brokers wrote off the iconic Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans as uninhabitable for its African-American community, who were denied the right of return to the homes they had lived in for generations. Two years on the Lower Ninth, the touchstone for every debate about the city's future, has become a unique example of success in a city still struggling to reconstruct itself. In this agenda-setting new book, Wade Rathke tells the story of this popular struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds, from the perspective of those at the heart of the fight to save New Orleans for its people. A critical turning point in the reconstruction of this devastated American city, The Battle for Lower Ninth is an inspiring account of how communities can take on corporate and political interests and win.