HBO's Treme and the Stories of the Storm: From New Orleans as Disaster Myth to Groundbreaking Television [Paperback]

This book analyses the HBO program Treme from multiple perspectives and argues that the series depictions of music, culture, cuisine, and identity are innovative and represent unique televisual storytelling strategies. The location, themes, and characters create a compelling story arc, and highlight the city's culture and cuisine, jazz musicians and musical performances, and Mardi Gras Indians. The program challenges initial reporting of Hurricane Katrina and in doing so rewrites the disaster myth coverage through which the city has been framed. Recommended for scholars of communication, media studies, music studies, and cultural studies.Robin Andersen is professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University.

Andersens book has many strengths, particularly its wide scope and its thoughtful response to Tremes critics. . . Andersens chapters all serve to strengthen the books thesis about Tremes accomplishments. . . . Andersen helps to build the television programs goodwill through evenhandedly analyzing the program itself and its context and adding to the critics discourse. Through this work, Andersen supplements how a person may watch and enjoy Treme. International Journal of Communication

A hard, but important truth to tell. This book does it well while going up and down in and out and around the complexities of bewildering complications of forms of communication like New Orleans jazz. Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, Rutgers University, Professor Emeritus

Robin Andersen brings her considerable expertise in social justice, media economics, and cultural analysis to this definitive treatment of HBOs Treme. That fictional series dramatized the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina and institutionalized racism on the Black residents of New Orleans. It also celebrated Black families, Black social networks, Black art, Black cuisine, Black English, Black history, and Black music. For all of these reasons, Treme matters to AmericanlS„