Description
Book SynopsisIn a small Texas neighborhood, an affluent group of mothers has been repeatedly rocked by catastrophic floodingthe 2015 Memorial Day flood, the 2016 Tax Day flood, and sixteen months later, Hurricane Harvey. Yet even after these disrupting events, almost all mothers in this neighborhood still believe there is only one place for them to live: Bayou Oaks. In Too Deep is a sociological exploration of what happens when climate change threatens the carefully curated family life of upper-middle-class mothers. Through in-depth interviews with thirty-six Bayou Oaks mothers whose homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey, Rachel Kimbro reveals why these mothers continued to stay in a place that was becoming more and more unstable. Rather than retreating, the mothers dug in and sustained the community they have chosen and nurtured, trying to keep social, emotional, and economic instability at bay. In Too Deep provides a glimpse into how class and place intersect in an unstable physical environment and underlines the price families pay for securing their futures.
Trade Review“In Too Deep should help shape how community leaders can help less well-off residents improve their reactions and response to disasters. Additionally, it shines a light on why people stay in places they know are disaster-prone, which can offer food for thought for community planning in the future.” * Space City Weather *
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Choosing Bayou Oaks
Are We in Pleasantville?
2. Storm Preparations
I Had It All Planned Out before
It Even Happened
3. During the Storm
Get These Babies Out of the Water
4. Storm Recovery
You Can Feel Sorry for Yourself When
the Work’s Done
5. Family Impacts
This Past Year Has Really Been So Wretched
6. To Stay or Go
Does Anyone Think This Is Crazy?
Conclusion
Methodological Appendix
Notes
References
Index
