Death Rides the Sky: The Story of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado

by Angela Mason

On an ordinary spring day in 1925, folks in the Midwest were going about business attending school, preparing the fields, mining coal, and tending their stores. Little did they know that between 1 and 4:30 p.m. on March 18, their lives would be changed forever in an event that defined the weather in the central U.S. From the hills of the southeastern Ozarks to the plains of the Hoosier heartland and across the developing communities of southern Illinois, the Tri-State Tornado destroyed cities, devoured whole farms, and set the record for the most deaths, injuries, and monetary damage, a record which remains standing to this day. This is the story as told directly by nearly four dozen survivors and eyewitnesses, in the most comprehensive account of the Tri-State Tornado ever to be compiled. Many of the survivors were only children when that killer storm swept down from the sky and carved a path through the lives of thousands of individuals linked by this singular event.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

350 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2011

Reviews

[Mary K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good reference book, which is why I read it, skimming some of it because the writing can be grating. What looks like entire conversations are recorded verbatim, even to the point of including a stutter. Ugh. That’s fine with fiction but not with this kind of book. So many of the stories were utter repetition and would have been better consolidating; the author was undoubtedly trying to allow each person their own story but it didn’t work well and ended up feeling like the point was to get a bunch of names in. Still, there’s some good information if that’s what you’re looking for.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author isn’t a writer and that’s quite clear: I finally gave up on reading it and just skimmed the last half of the book. It’s a shame because this material had the potential to be very interesting.

[Frank Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book! My grandmother was in this tornado and she rarely spoke of this terrible day. After discovering this book I had to find out all I could about this tragedy. The author does a great job of introducing the reader to each interviewee and describing their emotions as they told their story. My grandmother is gone now but I have a much better understanding of what she went through on that terrible day. I would highly recommend this book!

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrifying and amazing the tri-state tornado threw the eyes of the children and young adults that survived. I couldn't put it down even when I didn't want to hear anymore.

[Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am fascinated by tornadoes and when I heard that there was one that burned through 3 states, I had to find out more. Death Rides was one of the books I found. I appreciated her painstaking attention to the chronology of events. The first half of the book tracks the storm. The second half feels like vignettes on different topics related to the storm. I think my favorite section was the science around the storm. Instead of plopping it near the end of the book in a separate chapter, she could have helped develop the build-up by sharing the science with the reader throughout the chronology of events. I did not like the constant repetition. She could have found a different way to tell the story rather than simply repeat the words of survivors--many of whom experienced very similar phenomenon. Also, why include little italicized sentences and phrases that are already in the text of the chapter? I presume these were to draw attention to some grizzly or interesting piece of the story but instead they became cumbersome and annoying. Some of her language was really outdated. Calling Black or African American folks "negroid" was obnoxious. This one phrase in the book stood out for two reasons: 1) the inherent racism; and 2) there was virtually no reporting on the experiences of Black folks. What a missed opportunity. Apparently, only white folks are impacted by twisters. Anyway, at the end of the day, I'm still looking for a better written and organized book. This was a good effort and there are some definitely chilling moments and good information but it could have been so much more.

[Courtney McKnly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can tell a lot of research went into this book. Amazing job by the author.

[pianogal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book, but man did it get uber-depressing by the end. I know this was a story of survivors, but it still felt like everybody died. It might have also been so poignant because the survivors were just kids when the storm hit, so that prob made it scarier.

Over and over again the survivors said they had no idea a storm was coming until it was right on top of them. I'm blown away by this (ha...get it). I grew up being completely aware of weather - plus the meterologists then were not in the habit of warning the public. You think something like this can't happen today, and then we have a Joplin or an El Reno.

Tornadoes can be mean and if we have any doubt of this, we just need to remember March 18, 1925.

[Judith Krigman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad recounting, but the idea that a housewife is driving along with her kids in tow talking to family members who were small children at the time leads to very uninformed and questionable reporting.

Overall she is not a bad writer, just was hoping for a bit more meat.

[Christine Borah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read about an amazing storm that we hope never to see again. Well documented and written with some good photographs.