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Summary: Still Have A House? The Party Comes After The Hurricane.
Review: Erik Larson's "Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History" is quite an interesting book, especially for those people that believe earthquakes or tornadoes are the most dangerous type of natural disaster. Larson does a good job evoking the vision of a storm that is almost 'too large to see.'Another good book of the genre concerns the worst hurricane (#1 ranking tied with Florida's Labour Day Holiday storm) in recorded history to ever hit the United States Gulf Coast (this time in Mississippi), Hurricane Camille. Contrast the 4-foot storm surge and 135 mph winds of the Texas storm with 24.6-foot storm surge and 200+ mph winds (weather instruments broke and were unable to measure the true force of the storm) of Camille and you can see that high numbers of casualties don't tell the whole story. Elizabeth Spencer's "The Salt Line" gives the reader a clear insight to what Gulf Coast natives feel when they approach the area of their birth. It invokes the personal feelings of those who just feel fortunate that their house is still standing on its own foundation instead of in a neighbor's yard or not at all. Since Camille occurred in 1969, there are several people living that can offer first hand accounts of the storm's fury. "Head on With Hurricane Camille" by George Cory is such a book within the 'nature's wrath' category. It is listed as out-of-print, but Amazon does a good job of locating these titles.
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Summary: Don't Miss This Book!
Review: Once in a blue moon, a special book comes along. You know the kind I mean: You open the cover, read the first few sentences, and find yourself instantly transported into the heart of a bewitching story. And what a story this one is! Having lived on the Texas Gulf Coast for over 20 years and having survived several tropical storms and hurricanes, I thought I knew a little about what to expect from this tale of the massive hurricane that nearly destroyed Galveston in 1900. What I didn't anticipate was the consumate skill and amazing talent of writer Erik Larson. Although it is immediately apparent that a vast amount of research was necessary to tell this story in such a sure & compelling voice, I found myself surprised again & again by the level of Mr. Larson's craft. He is a natural storyteller with a clear and compelling voice. Using meticulous & painstaking detail that could be gained only through hundreds (thousands?) of hours of careful research, he spins out an incredible yarn that draws you inexorably into the heart of those very real days in early September of 1900 when over 6,000 people lost their lives in the worst hurricane ever to strike the United States. Although the tale of a single killer hurricane lies at the heart of this story, it casts a much wider net than that. Larson uses the truth like a wizard, weaving history, science, and fact together to bring us a story so remarkable that even after the book's finished it will live in your mind with such clarity that you may begin to wonder if it's something you read...or something you remember. This is "forensic writing" at it's very best. This book will forever change the way you perceive common weather reports and storm warnings. It will astonish, surprise, and enlighten you. And most of all, it will make you hope that Mr. Larson will write more...and soon.
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Summary: Isaac's Strom Book Review
Review: Russell Monllos
BOOK REVIEW Isaac's Storm written by author Erik Larson was a different book then I had ever read before. It was thrilling, exciting, and suspenseful at the same time. Isaac Cline was a very interesting character because he was a meteorologist and it was he who the people looked to for advice throughout the book. The deadliest hurricane in America made its surprising destruction with no warning which made the book more and more suspenseful. I enjoyed the book but it took a while to get into it. The beginning to me was slow but picked up later around the middle of the book. It was this quote that made we want to continue to read every page until I knew what would happen to Galveston if and when the storm hit. "The storm swells were increasing in magnitude and frequency and were building up a storm tide which told me as plainly as through it was a written message that great danger was approaching." I agreed with this book because another part which made it more interesting and meaningful to me was they included actual letters and messages that were sent back in forth form Galveston to the Untied States Weather Bureau located in that time in Washington DC. To me that made the book more factual and more enjoyable to read. This was a book based on the theme of survival. The hurricane came as a surprise and left thousands dead and destroyed most of the city. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to read a action book based on a true story which will make you amazed on how a town back in the1900's could survive such a huge natural disaster. 285
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Summary: Stirring Account Of A Terrible Disaster
Review: What a great story! This book just raced along full of facts and interesting detail about "a man, a time, and the deadliest hurricane in history." I must admit that when this book was first released in Australia I wasn't overly interested. It didn't sound like something that would interest me in the slightest. How wrong can you be, after picking the book up for the third or fourth time and actually taking the time to see what the story was about I had to read it. The author, Erik Larson, presents a gripping and terrible account of the events leading up to the destruction on Galveston on the 8th of September 1900 by one of the deadliest hurricanes in America's history. Along the way the Larson provides details of man's efforts to predict and control the weather and the often-disastrous results when we got it wrong! The personal accounts offered in this book are often very touching and the human drama really gets you involved in the story. The narrative moves along like an action paced novel and you find yourself up in the early hours of the morning glued to the pages. I really didn't want this story to finish, it was a great account and the only fault I could find was a lack of photographs. On a number of occasions Larson refers to old black and white photographs that he had seen during his research for this book, it would have been nice to share these with his audience. Overall this is a great book and well worth the time to read.
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Summary: Read This Book
Review: If you always thought of history as being too dry, you have to try this book. It reads like a top-notch fictional thriller. It is gripping, suspenseful and difficult to put down. Larson tells the story of one of the worst hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. mainland. In 1900, it devastated the thriving community of Galveston, Texas, very nearly eliminating it from the map and permanently altering its history. Larson tracks the storm from its meteorological beginnings through its fateful, seemingly inevitable, collision with Galveston. At the same time, he describes how the National Weather Bureau, in its infancy and arrogance, grossly misjudged the nature and path of the storm. Through first-hand accounts, Larson also acquaints the reader with the citizens of Galveston and their experiences before, during and after the storm. Larson takes a few liberties with the thoughts and actions of certain individuals. This style probably gives fits to academic-minded historians. His suppositions, however, are grounded in the known facts. They flesh-out some details without effecting the authenticity of the fascinating story that he tells.
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Summary: The High Cost of Ignorance
Review: This book and Weems' A Weekend in September, are well-written accounts that should be read by anyone who lives along or near coasts threatened by hurricanes. The description of what it is like within a killer hurricane should cause even the most unthinking person to define a safety plan for the near-inevitable arrival of such a storm. Larson's book, with its exposition of the bureaucratic workings of the Weather Bureau and its explanation of hurricane science is very satisfying. It is quite simply a terrifying account of a natural phenomenon that WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.
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Summary: I Walked Among The Waters ...
Review: The seas, for me, are the most calming place in the world. I am not unaware, however, of the dangers that lurk just below the cool waters. I am a child of the Gulf Coast, a survivor of the 1983 hurricane Alicia. I know the power these storms evoke, the wrath of nature upon herself, but nothing could prepare me for the truth of Isaac's Storm. I have spent many summer days along the seawall in Galveston, many evenings in all seasons along the Strand. My mind drifted through my most intimate recollections of the fair city while I read this book, casting about for each point of reference, imagining the horrors the people of Galveston faced that day in September a hundred years ago. Erik Larson brings every person, every image to life and throws upon the reader the task of sorting them all out. I found myself cheering for each of the people mentioned, cursing Willis Moore, the head of the Weather Bureau, questioning whether Isaac Cline had actually warned his neighbors of the impending doom. I wondered how the Cubans must have felt upon learning the fate of the residents of Galveston, and I wondered to what degree the inland areas suffered from this massive storm. The truth of the matter is that the upper Texas Gulf Coast has been spared any storm of magnitude since 1983. This book expresses the nonchalant attitude of the inhabitants of Galveston regarding a storm, and I fear that may again be the case, though this time through no fault of the Weather Service. Everyone who lives along the coast should take this book in hand and learn what the REAL dangers of living here are ... storm surge, high winds, etc. Everyone who lives inland should also read the book to learn how unpredictable these storms are and the wide-ranging effects of them ... this one eventually hit New York with 65 mph winds. Larson does suffuse his own observations and opinions into the book now and again, but I didn't find it particularly distractive. I also found some of the background of the Weather Bureau to be boring, but not altogether unnecessary. If you are interested in learning more about this storm, I highly suggest this book.
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Summary: Don't second guess mother nature!
Review: Living in North Carolina and going through hurricanes Fran and Floyd, along with several smaller hurricanes, I found this book fascinating. It tells the story of the development of a super killer hurricane through the eyes of a man who does the best he can with the scientific knowledge available. To see the change in weather forecasting from then until now is amazing. To understand the unpredictability of storms even in this day and age is frightening. The devastation wrought by this storm is so completely thorough,and the author does a superior job of rendering a picture that the reader can grasp. The actual historical perspective, blended with the memories of Isaac should cause everyone to understand that nature has uncontrollable power and deserves our respect. Anyone who lives in an area where there is possible hurricane activity should read this book and then learn to prepare and plan for an eventual hurricane. The devastation of Floyd went way beyond the immediate coastline where most people think the main damage occurs. Since then the National Hurricane Center has realized that new ratings for damage potential and water amounts need to be developed. As "weather smart" as the people of Isaac's time thought they were, are we not as smuggly self assured as they were. Storms can do unexpected things no matter how closely they are monitored. This was an excellent book about how mother nature doesn't have a trip itinerary, but moves as her spirit strikes.
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Summary: WOW - great and scary....
Review: Another one of those tremendous events that most people today know nothing of. More people died in this hurricane than many battles fought and this gets little to no attention.
Go read it.
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Summary: The best book
Review: Students of the 1900 storm that destroyed Galveston "cut their teeth" on older books like "Death From The Sea" and "Weekend In September". But Larson's work has become the definitve.
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