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

This is a very well-written, engaging look at a hurricane (yes, a hurricane) and the late 19th century attitudes on class, gender, and bureaucracy. This is Larson's best book & one of my favorites-I honestly couldn't put it down! The details of how the hurricane caused so much destruction are fascinating & Larson makes the story even more interesting by weaving in the story of Isaac and others in Galveston. In other words, Larson makes the hurricane personal via their stories & a map of the city that provides a visual of where the hurricane hit the island. Great, great, great book!

I really like Larson's writing style - adding a novelistic element to prose. This was a truly horrifying and compelling story about the September 1900 storm that all but leveled Galveston, TX.

Of course, it was also about a period of time and the men and science of that time. Meteorology was in its infancy, and the bureaucracy was bloated and full of distrust . . . ultimately creating a situation where warnings could've been given but weren't.

And the resulting fallout was . . . both personally and on city-wide scale cataclysmic.

Though from it people learned. Galveston was raised. A seawall was built, and though future hurricanes hit the city (As a Houston resident, I remember watching Alcia hit in 1983) and led to *some* destruction, it was never on the scale of 1900.

I simply could not put this book down. From the author of the Devil in the White City comes an historical novel about the turn of the century hurricane that hit Galveston and the people involved. Their egos and protection of turf in the weather bureau had a profound impact on the turn of events. Riveting!

Wow the detail and vivid descriptions of the storm and the people and experiences. It just chills you to the core to realize how little they knew about the weather back in 1900, but they thought they understood it. This is a wonderfully written book about the hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900.

Sept 8, 1900--The Hurricane that leveled Galveston Island hit. This is the story of U. S. Weather Bureau Meteorologist Isaac Cline and the monster hurricane that devastated Galveston. Historical accounts of the devastation, the before and aftermath are all included here. Fascinating and tragic. If you have an interest in weather, hurricanes, turn of the century Galveston--this book wil thrill you. The sheer magnitude of the force iof nature and the human element are quite suspenseful. Larson really brings history to life! Fascinating!

Excellent book! Detailed account of the events leading up to the Galveston hurricane. If you enjoy books along the line of Perfect Storm, this is a great addition.