“Mixing individual narratives of the townsfolk and a history of the Weather Bureau with terrific descriptions the evolving storm, Larson cooks up an awesome tale.”

 

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

Reading history can be bland and dry but not so when it’s written by Erik Larson who adds that human touch to the story. Still listed as the worst natural disaster in U. S. History, the hurricane of 1900 that decimated Galveston, Texas and is estimated to have taken 6-12,000 lives is the main focus of the work.

The author brought the story to life through extensive research and review of documents and first person accounts. Chosen as the protagonist of this event the author selected Isaac Cline the chief meteorologist at the Galveston, Texas office of the U. S. Weather Bureau who was the central figure in the disaster.

Cline was confident in his reading of the weather signs and equipment and relied on information he received from the bureau’s central office in Washington, D.C. But when it comes to man vs. nature, nature will win every time.

The book gives us not only the story of Isaac Cline and this hurricane but also the government offices and the men in charge of distributing vital information.

At the end of the book recording is an interview with the author. I found this extremely of interest that he was actually doing research on another story he wanted to write involving this hurricane, undoubtedly this book became the bigger event.

The narrator Richard Davidson’s performance was excellent.

I highly recommend Erik Larson’s books they are always thoroughly researched and well written.

 

Reviewed by:

Diana Long

Added 31st January 2018

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Diana Long