Signs of Life Book's photostream

SIGNS OF LIFE: SURVIVING KATRINA is a moving collection of photos of the hand-made signs that appeared in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. Profits from sales of the book will go to two organizations still working in the area: Common Ground Relief & Hands On Network.

Hand-made signs—spray painted on houses, on cars, on refrigerators—were some of the first "signs of life" to appear after the flood waters receded. The signs range from the sacred to the profane, from defiant to defeated, from frightening and encouraging. The signs reveal a powerful story of those who survived the deluge.

Compiled by Eric Harvey Brown and Lori Baker, New York–based photographers and writers who volunteered in the Gulf Coast after the hurricane, SIGNS OF LIFE shows not only the traces of the violence of the storm, but also that much devastation remains one year later. The pictures in SIGNS OF LIFE come from more than forty photographers—including local residents, relief volunteers, and those just passing through. The images were found on flickr.com and other photoblogs, and have been donated by the photographers for use in the book.

The messages in SIGNS OF LIFE remind us that everyone has a story to tell. “SIGNS OF LIFE is not your typical art book. Yes, the images are poignant, even beautiful,” says author/illustrator Josh Neufeld, who wrote the foreword. “These are documentary photos, a recording of history, giving voice to those who left, those who stayed, and those who were left behind.”

SIGNS OF LIFE: SURVIVING KATRINA is available for purchase at www.lulu.com/signsoflifebook.

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