| Plot Summary of Isaac's Storm |
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"The story of the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history -- and the people whose lives were affected by it. A fascinating read, and a fascinating glimpse in the American outlook and way of life."
James Keenley, Resident Scholar
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"On September 8, 1900, a storm roared into Galveston, Texas that killed between 6,000 and 10,000 people.
How the magnitude of this storm could have been so tragically misread is something that is still debated among meteorologists, but Mr. Larson shows quite clearly the confluence of human error, arrogance and politics that created an environment ripe for just such a catastrophe. Competing weather bureaus, the concern about causing "undue panic" only to have the storm be less severe than predicted (observers weren't even allowed to use the word "hurricane"), among other things, all added up to the inaccurate forecast.
Along with the individual stories taken from oral histories of the survivors, which left me torn between tears and anger, I got a thorough, yet concise history of how hurricane prediction grew from mere observation of storms as they happened, to understanding of conditions that were conducive to a storm's creation.
As much as I hate to use the phrase "reads like a novel," this book truly does. It is accurate without being dry, and moving without being exploitative. It sheds much needed light on Isaac Cline and his storm, and I'm glad that Erik Larson was distracted from his original research and led down the path to Galveston.
Word of warning - some of the stories are necessarily speculative, given the amount of time that has passed, but Larson explains his reasons and the credibility of his choices in his extensive notes. Also, natives of Galveston and descendants of the survivors will likely take issue with the less than stellar portrayal of Isaac Cline. I suspect Larson's take on Cline's actions on September 8 is relatively close to the truth, but I don't think it will sit well with some. "
Graceann Maciolek, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Isaac's Storm |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history:
- 20th century
- 19th century
History of disaster/tragedy?
Yes
Kind of disaster:
- Hurricane/Storm
Nationality?
- American--South
Subjects of this Historical Account
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Somewhat sympathetic
From a certain profession/group?
- bureaucracy
Intelligence of subject of
history:
- Smart
Main Adversary
From a certain profession/group?
- scientists
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a substantial amount
Nationality?
- American
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Ice Caps/Sea?
Yes
Where?
- Ocean
Water?
Yes
Water:
- drowning
Big City?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
How much gore?
- 5 (an average amount)
How fast-paced is the book?
- 9 (quite a lot)
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
- explicit references to deaths
Book makes you feel...
- frustrated
How much focus on stories of individuals?
- Focuses mostly on the people/nation level
How much romance?
- 1 (None)
Minor characters feature lots of:
- scientists
- businessmen
- blue collar types
Is this a kid's book?
- Ages 16-Adult
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A handful
Maps necessary?
- Necessary maps provided
Length of book
- 300-350 pages
How much emphasis on small details?
- 7 (a good amount)
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