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The
Circus Fire: A True Story Of An American Tragedy |
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Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum By Edward T. O'Donnell Broadway An excellent book about the General Slocum disaster, a 1904 steamboat fire that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly women and children on a church outing. Absolutely mesmerizing from start to finish. NNNNN - Mesmerizingly Morbid! |
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Triangle Fire By Leon Stein Cornell University Press The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 146 young women, mostly immigrant girls, in one of the worst factory fire disasters in American history. (Of course, as the book points out, this sort of thing still occurs all the time, it just happens in Thailand, China, Korea, Hong Kong, etc. and we don't care about it.) Anyway, this book was okay... The first part, about the actual fire itself and how the design of the building (with exit doors that pushed inward, locked exits, one inferior fire escape, and narrow stairways) created a firetrap that resulted in numerous women (and some men too) plunging to their deaths onto the New York sidewalk below, is a compelling read. However, I just couldn't get in to the second section of the book at all, which deals with the prosecution of the company owner's for contributing to the deaths through their negligence, the protests and unions that formed in the aftermath, and the new laws that were enacted to protect others. That part had me yawning nearly non-stop. But that's just me... Perhaps you might find all that very interesting as well. In any event, I've given the book two 1/2 skulls on my Library Eclectica rating system. NNN - Half-Baked |
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Johnstown Flood By David McCullough Simon & Schuster This is a fascinating account of the most devastating inland flood in American history. Thousands of people drowned when Johnstown, PA was wiped out in seconds by a wall of water and debris that was unleashed when a dam belonging to an elite hunting and fishing club failed. In addition to being a rivetting account of the flood and its aftermath, including stories from numerous survivors who witnessed horrifying things on that cold rainy day in 1889, the tale of the dam and how it got to be so dangerous is fascinating as well. It amounts to the usual story of rich white men refusing to shell out the money to keep the dam in good condition, and completely ignoring the concerns of the mayor of Johnstown below, with devastating consequences. Truly, a tragedy and a scandal for the ages. NNNN - Awash With Morbidity! |
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Hurricane By David G. Brown International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press I haven't read this one yet, though it is sitting on my shelf waiting to be devoured, so I'll let the Amazon.Com description speak for me: "As ships left port on Friday, November 7, 1913, a deadly atmospheric disturbance was already churning Lake Superior and spreading east. By Sunday night, Lake Huron was battered by winds up to 90 miles an hour, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous 35-foot waves. The White Hurricane became the worst Great Lakes storm on record: twelve ships sank, and thirty-one more were stranded on rocks and beaches. At least 248 sailors lost their lives, and the city of Cleveland faced the worst natural disaster in its history." (Not Yet Reviewed) |
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In Yellowstone By Lee Whittlesey Roberts Rinehart Publishers A wonderful compilation of death from misadventure within America's first national park. My favorite is the guy who jumped head-first into a boiling hotspring to save a dog. Suffice to say, he was cooked, and died a miserable death just a few hours later. "That was a stupid thing I did," he said. Well, judging by this book, you're not the only one, buddy! NNNN - Deadly Captivating! |
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Thin Air By Jon Krakauer Anchor Books I picked this up at the San Francisco airport when I was sitting through a long-delayed wait for my brother and his family's arrival, and I was absolutely annoyed when their plane landed and I had to put the book down. I'd never given much thought to Mt. Everest or the conditions that those who climb it must endure, but this book, about the doomed 1996 Everest expedition, had me hooked from the first page to the last. Of course, I wouldn't necessarily take Krakauer's word at face value (see Anatoli Boukreev's book The Climb for an alternative perspective on the tragedy), but that doesn't make his story any less compelling. Anyone want to join me in a climb of Everest to look at the bodies??? NNNN - A Shivering Delight! |
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Breath: Cautionary Tales From The Limits Of Human Endurance By Peter Stark Ballentine Books I read this book in nearly its entirety on a flight home from NY. What a compelling can't-put-down read! I HIGHLY recommend it! This book contains fictionalized tales of real life experiences that humans have gotten themselves into when pushing themselves to the limits in the dangerous outdoors. There are chapters on hypothermia, heat stroke, dehydration, falling, drowning, high altitude sickness, avalanche, scurvy (a particularly nasty chapter - which has inspired an upcoming Malady Of The Month), predators, malaria, and the bends. It's one of those extremely rare books that really make you appreciate the comfort of sitting in those cramped, poorly designed aircraft chairs. This one rates five skulls! NNNNN - Compelling In The Extreme! |
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By Hunger By George Stewart Mariner Books This is one of those books that is very hard to put down once you begin. It details the tragic overland expedition undertaken by the Donner-Reed party in 1846. The group made a very bad decision in taking the infamous "Hasting's Cutoff" trail - which they had heard would shave time off their trip to California, but in actuality caused them to lose valuable time due to having to traverse extremely treeacherous terrain. The consquence was that they were unable to make it over the Sierra Nevada mountains before a powerful snowstorm hit, trapping them in the mountains for the winter, and resulting in the death of many of the emigrants from starvation. And, of course, the living then survived off the dead - the most infamous part of the story. And there are even more adventures than that as various men take off to find Sacramento and get help for their families, only to end up dying of exposure or falling prey to injuries along the way. Compelling stuff. NNNNN - You'll Hunger For More! |
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The Edge: Death In Grand Canyon By Michael P Ghiglieri and Thomas M Myers Puma Press LLC Originally recommended by Derek: "It tells the stories of the 550 people who met their untimely end in the 7th natural wonder of the world. From river accidents, to fools clowning around on the edge, to murder, this book promises to tell it all." Well, I must say that I purchased this book and was not disappointed one bit! In fact, it kept me highly entertained for a few cross-country flights. (Yes, I am a slow reader - I like to absorb the morbidity as I go. You wanna make something of it???) The stories are simply written, but absolutely compelling, such as the idiot who jumped off the wall, pretending to fall backwards, and but for a slip backwards, would have enacted a brilliant practical joke on his daughter. Instead, she ignored him, walked home, and then thought, "Hmmmm... I wonder where Dad is?" Um, maybe at the bottom of the canyon? Bingo! And the tales of the macho men who think they can swim across the treacherous, deadly waters of the Colorado are very amusing too. And imagine this: Walking along the shore of the river only to come across a bikini clad skeleton half buried in the sand. That actually happened to some lucky soul, and it turned out to be a girl who had been swept away to her death years earlier. So... anyone up for a stroll along the Colorado with me? No pictures, sadly, or the book could have rated a five skull. Instead, it gets a mere four. NNNN - A Captivating Collection! |
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Crossing: The Glorious Tragedy Of The First Man To Swim The English
Channel By Kathy Watson (J. P. Tarcher) Recommended by Nicole: "It's a book about Matthew Webb, the first person to swim across the English Channel. Webb's life later became a heartbreaking attempt to remain in the public eye by swimming in other risky situations. He was foolishly attempting to swim under Niagara Falls when he died. Essentially, Webb was crushed to death by the weight of the water. A sad end for a man who only wished for fame, and unfortunately could never regain his glory days as the first man to swim the Channel." |
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Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 By Stephen Puleo (Beacon Press) Recommended by Bruce. The Amazon synopsis: "In this volume, Puleo, a contributor to American History magazine, sets out to determine whether the collapse of a molasses tank that sent a tidal wave of 2.3 million gallons of the sticky liquid through Boston's North End and killed 21 people was the work of Italian anarchists or due to negligence by the tank's owner, United States Industrial Alcohol. Getting into the minds of the major players in the disaster-USIA suits, victims, witnesses, North End residents, politicians-he re-creates not only the scene but also the social, political and economic environments of the time that made the disaster more than just an industrial accident. While the collapse's aftermath is tragic, the story itself is not exactly gripping. More interesting are the tidbits of Boston's and America's history, such as the importance of molasses to all U.S. war efforts up to and including WWI, which Puleo uses to put the tank collapse in the context of a very complex time in U.S. history. The most striking aspect of this tale is the timeliness of the topics it touches on. Describing Americans being persecuted because of their ethnicity, a sagging economy boosted by war, and terrorism on U.S. soil that results in anti-immigration laws and deportations, Puleo could just as easily be writing about current events as about events in 1919. Overall, this is another piece in the jigsaw puzzle that is Boston's long and rich history." |
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Face Of Disaster By Donald Robinson (Doubleday & Co., 1959) Recommended by Candy: "Have you ever seen the book 'The Face of Disaster' by Donald Robinson, published 1959 by Doubleday & Co.? It is a small book, 240 pages in hardcover, about 35 of those pages photos. I have no idea whether it was ever issued in paperback but I doubt it. "It covers a great deal of flooding in the Nederlands, tornados in the Midwest, fires, explosions and other natural and man-made disasters. The chapter headings are indicative of content: Disaster Strikes They Won't Listen The Shock is Too Much The Brave & The Damned In The Line of Duty The Problems That Can Arise Picking Up the Pieces If H-Bombs Fall etc... "And it also features a lively bibliography, with listings and descriptions for many other old out of print tragedy and disaster books. "The chapter on H-Bombs is ironically hysterical, with warnings that New York could suffer as many as 2 million casualties, along with assurances that Air-Raid shelters could take care of most of the population, if they know where to report. "From the prologue: "'A Maryland munitions factory explodes in a sheet of flame. Charred bodies are strewn about the streets. A shipload of nitrates blows up and smashes a Texas port to shreds. A tornado devastates a Midwestern town, leaving hundreds in hospitals and morgues. A tidal wave is unleashed on the naked Louisiana coast. "We have too many dead here to count," authorities report. The North Sea shatters Holland's dikes and drowns hundreds of sleeping Dutch villages. Bombs fall on London. On Berlin. And on Hiroshima.' "Gosh, why don't they write like this anymore? "Anyway, I thought I would give you the heads up to look out for this book. I found it in a box of books that our thrift shop was - get this - throwing away!" "Just a warning though, being published in 1959, it is kind of racist in some of the accounts, of Negroes poisoned by bad alcohol and the like, but take the good and leave the bad, and it is overall an enjoyable read." |
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Of A Voyage To Senegal By Alexander Correard (Marlboro Pr) In this true story, one of two survivors of a gruesome shipwreck (with attendant cannibalism, insanity, etc.) presents his account in delightfully morbid detail (if you like that sort of thing), all presented in the charming, flowery language of English-translated-from-the-French several centuries previous to this one. Recommended by Tiffany: "The best part is actually a political and personal one, rather a shocker, and I won't give it away. you really must read this one. I've been simply *dying* to share this with someone who might truly appreciate it. I stumbled upon it whilst researching a trip to Senegal. Mine, fortunately or not, neither involved ships nor cannibalism." |
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