Isaac's Storm : A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

by Erik Larson | Science |
ISBN: 0609602330 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 9/9/2012
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2 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Sunday, September 9, 2012
I found this fair-condition hardcover at the Used Book Superstore. It's about the 1900 hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, and also about the man who headed the Galveston branch of the weather bureau at the time. It includes a brief summary of the history of weather-predicting and of its state in 1900, with the attendant flaws of a system where people thought they had all the answers.

There are lots of fascinating little touches, tidbits of information about life at the turn of the last century, when the rapidly-approaching technological age was just starting to kick in. And the book also paints a picture of Galveston as it was before the hurricane, when it was a strong contender to edge out Houston as the premier city in Texas, the "New York of the Gulf". The hurricane put an end to all that in a single day...

This story reminded me of the tale of the "Titanic" in a way, as hubris played a role in the disaster. Some of the senior, know-it-all folk in the weather bureau not only thought they understood how storms were formed and where they'd go, but also refused to listen to warnings from observers outside their own circle. While a little more humility might not have saved Galveston, it could certainly have provided a lot more warning and saved many lives.

Cutting between technical explanations of storms, practical descriptions of the weather bureau's procedures, and personal glimpses into the lives of selected Galveston residents, the author reminds the reader that, whatever the cause, this was a very personal disaster: "Suddenly the prospect of watching their children die became very real. Whom did you save? Did you seek to save one child, or try to save all, at the risk ultimately of saving none? Did you save a daughter or a son? The youngest or your firstborn? Did you save that sun-kissed child who gave you delight every morning, or the benighted adolescent who made your day a torment - save him, because every piece of you screamed to save the sweet one? And if you saved none, what then? How did you go on?"

Journal Entry 2 by wingGoryDetailswing at Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Released 11 yrs ago (9/11/2012 UTC) at Nashua, New Hampshire USA

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I'm adding this book to the I Hate SF bookbox, which will soon be on its way to BCer grubsneerg in Pennsylvania. Hope everyone enjoys the selection!

Journal Entry 3 by grubsneerg at Greensburg, Pennsylvania USA on Sunday, September 30, 2012
GoryDetails, I <3 you for including this, and several other wishlist books, in the "I Hate SF Bookbox." Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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