Rating: 
Summary: Could have been much better
Review: "City on Fire" is a book that had to be written, for it's the shocking true story about the industrial port city of Texas City, Texas, that was devastated by a pair of ammonium nitrate explosions in April 1947. It's an event that was largely forgotten about until Bill Minutaglio's book came along.That said, "City on Fire" was a disappointment for me. The first third of it dwells on Father Bill Roach, the Catholic priest who crusades for the city's underclass. This is the worst part of the book, for much of it seems utterly made-up. As another reviewer pointed out, there's no way all of this could be factual; how could Minutaglio possibly know what Roach is seeing, thinking and saying? Other characters are treated in similar fashion.
While the book is full of florid characterizations, it has precious little about ammonium nitrate, such as how it is handled, why it is explosive, how it is manufactured and so forth. A map of the city prior to the event would have been helpful, too, as would a diagram of the Grandcamp, the ship that was the first to explode. Minutaglio writes as if he's writing the screenplay for a low-budget TV movie. Another complaint -- far too much italic type, much of which is put there for no apparent reason.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been much better
Review: "City on Fire" is a book that had to be written, for it's the shocking true story about the industrial port city of Texas City, Texas, that was devastated by a pair of ammonium nitrate explosions in April 1947. It's an event that was largely forgotten about until Bill Minutaglio's book came along. That said, "City on Fire" was a disappointment for me. The first third of it dwells on Father Bill Roach, the Catholic priest who crusades for the city's underclass. This is the worst part of the book, for much of it seems utterly made-up. As another reviewer pointed out, there's no way all of this could be factual; how could Minutaglio possibly know what Roach is seeing, thinking and saying? Other characters are treated in similar fashion.
While the book is full of florid characterizations, it has precious little about ammonium nitrate, such as how it is handled, why it is explosive, how it is manufactured and so forth. A map of the city prior to the event would have been helpful, too, as would a diagram of the Grandcamp, the ship that was the first to explode. Minutaglio writes as if he's writing the screenplay for a low-budget TV movie. Another complaint -- far too much italic type, much of which is put there for no apparent reason.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Well Written
Review: "City on Fire" purports to be a work of history, but it is so poorly written that it loses whatever historical value it might have. Much of it is written in the present tense, rarely ever appropriate in a historical work. Additionally, the book contains no notes or bibliography, another major warning sign in a work of history. Given how it is constructed, one has to wonder if the author intended for his work to read like a historical novel, but it fails on that level as well. It's a pity, because the subject itself is quite interesting and deserves a much better treatment.
Rating: 
Summary: city on fire
Review: City on Fire captures perfectly the era in which the disaster occurred. Anyone living at that time remembers how naive we all were about substances which later were shown to be dangerous. The book is engrossing from start to finish, and I especially liked the chapters covering the aftermath. Excellent research.
Rating:
Summary: Reads Like A Novel
Review: City On Fire grabbed my attention on the first page and never let go. Knowing the outcome in advance, as I did, didn't diminish the suspense, heartbreak, and horror I felt as the disaster unfolded and the complexities of this working class town were revealed. Minutaglio writes in a rich, compelling style that reads like a novel. Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: A true page-turner
Review: I absolutely loved this book. My grandparents lived through the Texas City disaster and shared many stories with me. This book gave me an even deeper appreciation for what my family and so many others experienced that tragic day in 1947. I honestly could not put this book down and I highly recommend it to others.
Rating:
Summary: City on Fire
Review: I came to amazon to order a couple of copies for friends even though I haven't yet finished City on Fire. I loved this book -- it's gripping, and the author puts a real human face on a tragedy that hasn't gotten enough attention. Even more amazing is that the technical and political details flow seamlessly with the rest of the story. You'll care about the issues as much as the people who lost their lives.
Rating:
Summary: City on Fire
Review: I could not put this book down. It tells the story of a tragedy in 1947 that destroyed texas city texas. The property damage and death toll was overwhelming. For me, this story parallels the damage done to the World Trade Center in 9/11/01.
The story goes into detail of big business, the government class problems and worker safety or lack there of.
I was a NYC firefighter for 22 years. The problems that occured here, can happen again in any city in our country and put the first responders in a similar situation. 26 of the texas city 27 firefighters were killed.
This book might be to strong for those who lost loved ones on 9/11. I was aware of the texas city story before I read this book. The story is told on the web and has been shown on televisioon in the last few years.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting Read
Review: I read a terrific review of this book in The Washington Post a while back and was eager to check it out. Turns out the reviewer was quite right, this book SHOULD be turned into a movie. The Texas City Disaster was a horrific event not caused by nature but by greed, negligence and misguided efforts. In hindsight there was much to be learned from it that was -- for various reasons -- mostly covered over. Author Bill Minutaglio has taken a complex story and made it visual and energetic. The characters of Father Roach and Curtis Trahan are deeply drawn and riveting, and Minutaglio weaves together the cultural, social and political currents of the time to create a fascinating backdrop. This one's highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Can't wait for the movie
Review: I recently read in Variety that Tom Cruise might be making a movie of this book so I thought I would check it out. Turns out it's an incredible story -- made even more so by the fact that it really happened and hardly anyone knows about it. Once I started I couldn't put it down. This is one powerful book -- and so visually written. I'll be the first one at the theatre when it comes out as a film....
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