Connecting After Chaos tells the story of how people restored their lives and society in the months and years after disaster, specifically focusing on how people used social media to cope with trauma following Hurricane Katrina. In the face of institutional failure, weak authority figures, and an abundance of chaos, the people of New Orleans used social media to gain information, foster camaraderie, build support networks, advocate for or against proposed policies, and cope with trauma. In the efforts of these bloggers, Stephen F. Ostertag finds evidence of the capacity of this and other forms of cultural work to motivate, guide, and energize collective action aimed at weathering the constant instability of extended recovery periods. Connecting After Chaos is both a compelling story of a community in crisis and a broader argument for the power of social media and cultural cooperation to create order when chaos abounds.