Fire on the Levee
New book by our Executive Director Jared Fishman with Joseph Hooper
In 2009, Jared Fishman was a young prosecutor working on low-level civil rights cases at the U.S. Department of Justice when a file landed on his desk. That folder contained two items: a story from The Nation magazine examining a mysterious death in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and an autopsy report for a man named Henry Glover, whose charred remains were found in a burned-out car two weeks after the storm. The autopsy report, bafflingly, listed no cause of death. But according to The Nation story, a gravely wounded Glover had last been seen in a car driven by a New Orleans police officer.
Intrigued despite the lack of evidence, Fishman set out to learn what happened to Glover. He flew to New Orleans and teamed up with a rookie FBI agent, and together they started to track down anyone with information about what had happened to Glover on that day.
Fire on the Levee tells the story of a young idealistic prosecutor determined to bring the truth to light. The case would lead to major reforms in the New Orleans Police Department and ultimately change our understanding of race, policing and justice in post-Katrina New Orleans and beyond.
What people are saying
“Jared Fishman moves beyond illuminating what is broken in the American justice system and insightfully points the way to how we can begin to fix it.”
— Shane Bauer, author of American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment and A Sliver of Light: Three Americans Imprisoned in Iran
“A cautionary tale of unchecked police power and failed justice.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Riveting…this is a scathing and timely look at police brutality in America. Readers will be gripped.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A vital and eye-opening account of the quest to excavate the truth and find justice for one of Katrina’s horrors.”
— Ronnie Greene, author of Shots on the Bridge: Police Violence and Cover-Up in the Wake of Katrina
“A true crime whodunit set against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina and where all the prime suspects are police. Mandatory reading for anyone who cares about better policing in the U.S.”
— Gary Rivlin, author of Katrina: After the Flood
“A riveting tale told with care and expertise.”
— David Simon, creator of The Wire, Treme, and We Own This City