Rating: 
Summary: Good read, good history
Review: What a great book. Drye takes the reader along on a fascinating tale of the most powerful hurricane to hit the mainland US and the political tempest that followed the actual storm. Effortlessly blending the story of the power and devastation of the hurricane, the personal stories of those who lived through the storm and political investigations and hearings that followed, Drye is able to keep the reader engaged throughout. Drye's analysis of the decision-making processes of the camp administrators, the role of the weather bureau and the actions of the Key's natives is thorough and thoughtful. Drye's vivid story telling brings life back to this mostly forgotten slice of national and natural history.
Rating: 
Summary: Good narrative, faulty conclusion
Review: Willie Drye has selected a difficult topic to cover because of the myriad threads that must be woven to permit the reader to follow the many individuals and locations that experienced the Labor Day 1935 hurricane and in this context he has done a good job. That said I find some serious defects with this book. First, there are no references. It is not possible for the reader to know whether the quotes, or Drye's suppositions, are the result of direct statements made at the time, something made years or decades later or something filtered through a third party. Second, the book demands a map showing the progress of the hurricane as understood by those involved based on the weather bulletins they received. According to the author one of the men on the Keys did this so it is relevant to the narrative. Third, since this may well be the only book documenting the tragedy more pictures of the devastation should have been included and there should be an appendix listing the known victims many of whom are identified in the narrative. Finally and most importantly, Drye overlooks the inaccuracies and vagueness of the weather reports when he blames the veteran's camp director for not acting quickly enough to evacuate the men.
Rating: 
Summary: The Politics of a Weather Disaster
Review: Willie Drye's "Storm of the Century" treads in the same footsteps as Erik Larsen's classic "Issac's Storm" from a couple of years ago. Both are historical and social accounts of deadly hurricanes the struck the United States and took a much larger toll on human life than they should have because of regrettable human mistakes. Larsen's book told the tale of the Glaveston Hurricane of 1900 that was the deadliest in U.S. history. Drye's account, meanwhile, is of the Labor Day storm of 1935 that struck the Florida Keys and is suspected of being the strongest hurricane to make landfall in U.S. history. Drye does not content himself with merely retelling the story of the strom and the mayhem it caused. Instead he focuses on the lives of the islanders, most particularly on an unfortunate group of World War I veterans left destitute by the Great Depression and hired to build the highway that would eventually connect Key West with the mainland. A large number of the veterans were trapped on the low level island and drowned as a hapless rescue train sent to retrieve them was blown of the tracks. Their story and that of the bureaucratic bungling that left them to their fate is the book's most compelling part. On the downside, Drye lacks the deft storytelling touch that helped make "Issac's Storm" so memorable. The book is a bit over long for its subject at over 300 pages, lengthened considerably by a deteailed account of the ultimately futile investigations of the officals responsible for the veteran's welfare. This part is not as compelling and at times displays a political bias against Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Overall, a decent historical account of a horrific weather releated disaster.
Rating:
Summary: The Politics of a Weather Disaster
Review: Willie Drye's "Storm of the Century" treads in the same footsteps as Erik Larsen's classic "Issac's Storm" from a couple of years ago. Both are historical and social accounts of deadly hurricanes the struck the United States and took a much larger toll on human life than they should have because of regrettable human mistakes. Larsen's book told the tale of the Glaveston Hurricane of 1900 that was the deadliest in U.S. history. Drye's account, meanwhile, is of the Labor Day storm of 1935 that struck the Florida Keys and is suspected of being the strongest hurricane to make landfall in U.S. history. Drye does not content himself with merely retelling the story of the strom and the mayhem it caused. Instead he focuses on the lives of the islanders, most particularly on an unfortunate group of World War I veterans left destitute by the Great Depression and hired to build the highway that would eventually connect Key West with the mainland. A large number of the veterans were trapped on the low level island and drowned as a hapless rescue train sent to retrieve them was blown of the tracks. Their story and that of the bureaucratic bungling that left them to their fate is the book's most compelling part. On the downside, Drye lacks the deft storytelling touch that helped make "Issac's Storm" so memorable. The book is a bit over long for its subject at over 300 pages, lengthened considerably by a deteailed account of the ultimately futile investigations of the officals responsible for the veteran's welfare. This part is not as compelling and at times displays a political bias against Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Overall, a decent historical account of a horrific weather releated disaster.
Rating:
Summary: The Politics of a Weather Disaster
Review: Willie Drye's "Storm of the Century" treads in the same footsteps as Erik Larsen's classic "Issac's Storm" from a couple of years ago. Both are historical and social accounts of deadly hurricanes the struck the United States and took a much larger toll on human life than they should have because of regrettable human mistakes. Larsen's book told the tale of the Glaveston Hurricane of 1900 that was the deadliest in U.S. history. Drye's account, meanwhile, is of the Labor Day storm of 1935 that struck the Florida Keys and is suspected of being the strongest hurricane to make landfall in U.S. history. Drye does not content himself with merely retelling the story of the strom and the mayhem it caused. Instead he focuses on the lives of the islanders, most particularly on an unfortunate group of World War I veterans left destitute by the Great Depression and hired to build the highway that would eventually connect Key West with the mainland. A large number of the veterans were trapped on the low level island and drowned as a hapless rescue train sent to retrieve them was blown of the tracks. Their story and that of the bureaucratic bungling that left them to their fate is the book's most compelling part. On the downside, Drye lacks the deft storytelling touch that helped make "Issac's Storm" so memorable. The book is a bit over long for its subject at over 300 pages, lengthened considerably by a deteailed account of the ultimately futile investigations of the officals responsible for the veteran's welfare. This part is not as compelling and at times displays a political bias against Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Overall, a decent historical account of a horrific weather releated disaster.
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