[StBernard] Wells' latest book could hit close to home

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Thu Sep 25 23:20:47 EDT 2008


Wells' latest book could hit close to home

By Laura McKnight


Published: Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 5:02 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 5:07 p.m.
HOUMA - Bayou Black native Ken Wells knew little about St. Bernard Parish
when he stepped off a Black Hawk helicopter into the Katrina-ravaged parish
in the storm’s wake.

He didn’t know the guy standing among the wreckage in jeans and a ball cap
either, but when he saw the man’s telltale white boots, Wells felt like he
did.

“I felt immediate kinship to the guy,” Wells said.

The shrimp-booted man, Ricky Robin, and his cousin, Ronald Robin, would
later become the lead characters in Well’s latest book, “The Good Pirates of
the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of
Hurricane Katrina.”

The work of narrative nonfiction was released Sept. 2 by Yale University
Press, marking Wells’ sixth book, including four novels and two works of
nonfiction. The former Wall Street Journal writer and editor now serves as
senior editor and writer for Condé Nast Portfolio magazine.

More than 100 books have been penned about Hurricane Katrina and its
aftermath, but Wells’ newest book veers from the path taken by most of these
authors.

Instead of focusing on New Orleans or government failures, Wells’ work
delves into bayou country to follow the fates of two St. Bernard shrimp-boat
captains and their neighbors.

“Honestly, it’s the only book I wanted to write,” he said.

In doing so, Wells takes local readers on a tragic adventure that despite
its St. Bernard setting, could seem quite close to home.

“I think they’ll really identify with these characters,” he said.

Wells is scheduled to make several local stops to sign and read from his new
book. For this schedule, visit Wells' Web site at www.bayoubro.com.

For the complete story, see Friday's edition of Big Fun on the Bayou,
included in Friday's Courier and Daily Comet newspapers and on the
newspapers' Web sites.




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