false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173024661m/239186.jpg 239186 18 On September 8, 1900, a massive hurricane slammed into Galveston, Texas. A tidal surge of some four feet in as many seconds inundated the city, while the wind destroyed thousands of buildings. By the time the water and winds subsided, entire streets had disappeared and as many as 10,000 were dead--making this the worst natural disaster in America's history.<p> In <I>Isaac's Storm</I>, Erik Larson blends science and history to tell the story of Galveston, its people, and the hurricane that devastated them. Drawing on hundreds of personal reminiscences of the storm, Larson follows individuals through the fateful day and the storm's aftermath. There's Louisa Rollfing, who begged her husband, August, not to go into town the morning of the storm; the Ursuline Sisters at St. Mary's orphanage who tied their charges to lengths of clothesline to keep them together; Judson Palmer, who huddled in his bathroom with his family and neighbors, hoping to ride out the storm. At the center of it all is Isaac Cline, employee of the nascent Weather Bureau, and his younger brother--and rival weatherman--Joseph. Larson does an excellent job of piecing together Isaac's life and reveals that Isaac was not the quick-thinking hero he claimed to be after the storm ended. The storm itself, however, is the book's true protagonist--and Larson describes its nuances in horrific detail.<p> At times the prose is a bit too purple, but Larson is engaging and keeps the book's tempo rising in pace with the wind and waves. Overall, <I>Isaac's Storm</I> recaptures at a time when, standing in the first year of the century, Americans felt like they ruled the world--and that even the weather was no real threat to their supremacy. Nature proved them wrong. <I>--Sunny Delaney</I> 1605 1999 Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History total:2187|5:582|4:974|3:519|2:94|1:18| 2187 8569 3076 464 3 6 false false Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Mon Sep 17 11:06:27 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 17 11:06:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jan 30 10:01:25 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 30 10:02:48 -0800 2008 5 1 false false Sun Nov 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Sep 22 11:37:01 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 30 10:18:07 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 02 14:41:44 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 14:42:52 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 14:46:36 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 15:01:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 26 20:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 20:00:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jun 02 18:55:58 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 19:06:08 -0700 2009
Without going off on a tangent about the others, this book is able to waver back and forth between Isaac and everything else in such a way that they all stay important. No part gets short shrift, and it's a solid accounting of...more...]]> 0 1 false false Mon Nov 03 18:48:01 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 20 07:17:44 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 14:43:26 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 14:48:17 -0700 2009
I think the more accurate rating for this book would've been 2 1/2 stars. Didn't really like or dislik...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Nov 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 01 16:57:55 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 12:25:00 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Nov 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 18:13:55 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 21 15:34:32 -0800 2009 Cline is an employee of the U.S. Weather Bureau and a pioneer in early atmospheric study. The year 1900 is an odd one for hot temperatures and unusual natural occurrences from Africa to Cuba and ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 23:34:34 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 10:56:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 10:37:47 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 10:43:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 17:04:28 -0700 2009 Sat May 02 09:48:41 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed May 06 17:32:37 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 17:38:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 19:40:09 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 19:44:52 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 14 11:21:04 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 11:34:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Nov 12 13:45:22 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 13:49:18 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 19:47:57 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 20:00:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed May 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 10:02:34 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 11:35:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=239186