Rating: 
Summary: How law was used to overcome senseless mine failure.
Review: This is a tragically true story of how a big coal company built a totally unsupported mine waste pile in a valley with stream running through it. The dam failed during a storm, flooding the valley and killing 125 poor people living downstream. This book recounts the lawyer's tale of how he used the litigation process to fight an incredibly arrogant and wealthy coal company. Not quite Grisham-esque in his prose, Gerald Stern still does a good job of telling the tale and teaching the lay person how the legal system works for the victims. If you are thinking of becoming a trial lawyer, or just interested in a how a civil suit is filed and moves through all the steps to trial, this is a great introduction.
Rating:
Summary: A horrible disaster
Review: This was, I believe, one of the worst man-made disasters of it's time, and it is a shame that so few people have heard of it. It was, essentially, a man made dam built from slag refuse from a local coalmine that collapsed during a large thunderstorm. The resultant floodwaters killed scores of people in the Buffalo Creek Area, destroying homes and private property as well. What makes the tragedy so much worse, however, is the conditions the people were forced into before and after the flood. If you want to read a heartbreaking true story of tragedy, poverty, and the cold, uncaring face of Big Coal in West Virginia, then you must read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A horrible disaster
Review: This was, I believe, one of the worst man-made disasters of it's time, and it is a shame that so few people have heard of it. It was, essentially, a man made dam built from slag refuse from a local coalmine that collapsed during a large thunderstorm. The resultant floodwaters killed scores of people in the Buffalo Creek Area, destroying homes and private property as well. What makes the tragedy so much worse, however, is the conditions the people were forced into before and after the flood. If you want to read a heartbreaking true story of tragedy, poverty, and the cold, uncaring face of Big Coal in West Virginia, then you must read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthless
Review: We were sent a reading list the summer before we began law school. This book was on the list. It's a piece of junk. Nothing more than a sniveling plaintiffs attorney trying to justify his robbery. All the pieces are there - poor people, evil corporations, etc. Basically, it's a boring, dated, tired, overused theme.
Rating: 
Summary: A gripping story of human disaster and corporate ineptness
Review: Wow! What a book. Can you imagine having a wall of water suddenly appear on a Saturday morning and totally engulf your house and drown members of your family? Can you imagine escaping to the roof of your house as it was carried along by flood waters, crashing into bridges and other houses? Can you imagine having a young child ripped from your arms by rampaging flood water? These horrors actually occurred in 1972 in a small valley in West Virginia. Eventually 125 people lost their lives in what is still the greatest disaster of its kind in the U.S.Stern tells the story of the Buffalo Creek disaster. He describes how an inept corporation used coal slag to construct illegal dams across Buffalo Creek, a small stream in West Virginia. As would be expected, water accumulated as lakes behind the dams. During a heavy rainfall, the largest of the dams burst, sending millions of gallons of water rushing down the valley toward 16 small communities built along the creek's banks. The loss of life, property damage, and mental anguish were extensive and traumatic. Stern, who was the lead attorney for a law firm that represented the survivors of this disaster, tells the story of the victims and relates the legal intrigues that formed litigation against the coal corporation responsibile for the disaster. Also described are problems with West Virginia authorities, including the governor, who historically had close political ties with coal companies. The most gripping parts of Stern's book are the words from the survivors. Their stories of death and injury are made even more horrific when you realize that this disaster need not have occurred if the coal corporation had been less callous and more socially responsible. This book is an evening's read and is highly recommended for anyone concerned about social justice, political intrigues, and corporate responsibilities.
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