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Summary: They knew just enough to get into trouble
Review: This is fascinating book both for the story of the disaster and for the depiction of life and attitudes in 1900. It is amazing that when they really knew so little about science, they felt they had learned all there was to know, including "the Law of Storms."How is it that at the beginning of the century we had this incredible faith in our grasp of the natural world and our ability to control it and now we realize how little influence we really have? When did the disillusion start?
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Summary: Adding people to natural disasters
Review: This is a wonderful book about the 1900 Galveston (TX) Hurricane, the deadliest in U.S. history. This book gives a detailed account of Isaac Cline, the chief meteorologist in Galveston at the time who initially agrees with the other forcasts, by the time it is too late, he realizes that the hurricane is headed straight for Galveston. He tries to send out the alert but is largely ignored. This book combines accurate and deatailed weather history with a personal touch.
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Summary: an absolute page turner
Review: I went in to work sleepy-eyed quite a few mornings because I'm a slow reader and did not want to put this one down. It's a very clever combination of distilled eye-witness accounts, scientific and historical fact, memoirs and conjecture. I did not find the lack of photographs to be a problem, because the author portrays images wonderfully with words. The narrative builds gradually, like a good suspense novel; in the end, the horror of the event is very much evident in the narrative and the memories of those who survived the hurricane of 1900. The story has essentially the same fascination as that of the Titanic. Disaster occurred, and much of it could have been averted had human beings behaved differently. The difference is that this story has not been told repeatedly and does not focus on prominent citizens of the nation. Isaac's Storm, in the right hands, would make a terrific movie. In many ways, this books succeeds in taking the reader back to the year 1900. History at its best.
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Summary: To Bad We Don't Learn From Mother Nature's Lessons
Review: This is a most interesting tale of the immensely deadly disaster that was the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Told as part of a minibiography of the then current Galveston head of the US Weather Bureau, Isaac Cline, we learn of the development process of both the hurricane, and the Weather Bureau. The hurricane is an example of the bad side of nature, while the fledgling Weather Bureau epitomizes the bad side of bureaucracy. Much of the story is an "edge of your seat" story of the hurricane's fury, covering the experiences of both Galveston's residents, and travelers on ships at sea. Cuban weather experts warn of the approaching danger, but the US Weather Bureau, trying to make a name for itself, says its not a hurricane, and its headed north. And, anyway, why pay attention to those inferior beings living in Cuba. What do they know? You'll learn something reading this book, and be entertained at the same time. Unhappily most of us seem not to have learned anything from this nightmarish event. Americans still build on beaches, and the taxpayer continues to pay for rebuilding what nature periodically destroys. If you really want to learn and not just be entertained, run out and buy *Against The Tide: The Battle For America's Beaches*, by Cornelia Dean. This book brings us up to date on our beach building disasters, and shows how we have literally destroyed our beaches, and continue the folly of trying to build on them. Mother Nature is not amused with our stupidity.
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Summary: Issac's Storm comes up a little short
Review: Overall this was an engaging account of a huge human disaster. The author manages to relate the failings and arrogance of the meteorologists who supposedly were responsible for tracking this storm. Their ability to allow their own sense of importance to overshadow scientific objectivity is unforgivable. The accounts of the human losses and acts of heroism are extremely moving; the description of workers finding the orphans buried in sand tied together with clothesline was particularly upsetting. The book itself is well written but for my taste was rather thin on the science alongside the human story. In the earlier chapters, there are sections devoted to the storm itself, but these disappear as the account develops. Most surprising is the lack of inclusion of any photographs from the time. This, and the lack of a decent map, leaves the reader unable to fully comprehend the aftermath of the storm.
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Summary: The storm that began the Century
Review: Really enjoyed this book, liked the story of the storm and Issac's live. terrible loss of live that could have been prevent except for politics of the time and pride that was detailed very well. A good read as we end the century
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Summary: Isaac's Storm
Review: A moving account of the Galveston, Texas hurricane of 1900. You feel as if you are there. It made me cry!
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Summary: Isaac's Storm
Review: Author Erik Larson opened a door through which one clearly sees the seaside town that was Galveston, Texas, in the year 1900. For anyone who loves history, and is facinated by weather, this is a must-read. Can't understand why this isn't on the best seller lists yet. It's every bit as compelling as "The Perfect Storm". This particular hurricane took on a persona of its own. The descriptions of the approaching storm, and of the town, as the storm submerged it, are unforgettable. More intriguing even, are the explanations of how great storms develop -- often far from those shores upon which they eventually land. Could not put this book down!
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Summary: A must for meteorology enthusiasts
Review: A great book for anyone who is fascinated by the power of weather systems. Without the help of modern weather forecasting equiptment coastal residents were sitting ducks for hurricanes. This book puts the reader in these people's shoes. While Isaac Cline himself is not the most interesting character, his beliefs and actions are typical of the American attitude at the turn of the century. Larson knows this and focuses on the storm rather than Isaac. The brutal descriptions of the scene in Galvaston following the storm are horrifying and add to the power of the storm.
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Summary: What a disaster--not the Galveston Hurricane--this book!
Review: While there is a great story in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, Larson has managed to miss most of it. Instead of concentrating on the storm and the human drama, Larson spends chapters on the relationship between Isaac and his brother and whether or not anybody paid attention to the Cubans forecasters. Either story is an interesting antecdote, but neither was important or central to the tale of the hurricane. While the Galvestonians of 1900 only had to survive 200 MPH winds, the readers of this book will be subjected to Larson's overwrought prose. I'd prefer to face the winds- at least that would be interesting
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