The Combination (The Neighborhood Story Project) - Softcover

Nelson, Ashley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933368284 ISBN 13: 9781933368283

Publisher: Soft Skull Press/Red Rattle Books, 2005

Synopsis

In The Combination, Ashley Nelson paints a beautiful, nuanced portrait of life in one of downtown New Orleans’s oldest public housing complexes, the Lafitte. Nelson, who grew up in the project, begins with her own family, merging their often painful history, including her parents’ drug use and her mother’s death from cancer, through the daily life of the community. A brilliant, lyrical observer, Nelson’s interviews let the reader hear from voices rarely engaged: a woman who collects cans for a living, the owner of the corner store, neighborhood drug dealers, the project’s Residential Council, and other members of the community more often profiled in grim statistics than actually listened to. She writes about and photographs much of Lafitte and the Sixth Ward, from second lines to ward signs, from the Wild Side to the Real Side, from Dooky Chase to Southern Scrap, stories and images now weighted with an almost unbearable poignancy.

About this title

About the Author

The Neighborhood Story Project is a community documentary program based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. In the weeks leading up to Hurricane Katrina, we celebrated the release of five books written by our students at John McDonogh Senior High. The books were the second best sellers in the city and stand as a testament to New Orleans' community spirit and as a map back from disaster. Through interviews, photography, and story-writing, these New Orleans teenagers explored their families, their neighborhoods, and their city.

About this edition

• Publisher: Soft Skull Press/Red Rattle Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1933368284
• ISBN 13: 9781933368283
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128