Book Thoughts: "Isaac's Storm," by Erik Larson

I love reading about hurricanes, and I love reading about the lives of fairly ordinary people who endure a lot. This book had both of those things. A great account of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, told not only through the thoughts of weather man Isaac Cline, but through the recorded experiences of others that survived as well.

First off, here's what you won't find here. You won't find a lengthy scientific discussion of the Galveston Hurricane. There's some of it, and Larson does talk a bit about what drives hurricanes and hurricane hazards, but this isn't really a science book or weather book.

Instead it's a very human account of a great catastrophe. It's an account not of famous people and what they thought of the event, but the accounts of everyday residents of Galveston Island. It talks about what they saw, thought, heard, and smelled.

Larson is probably one of the best descriptive writers I've had the privilege to read. His vocabulary and power to evoke an image is utterly astounding. As he writes about the city in the aftermath of the storm, he gives a description of what can only be described as the closest possible thing to hell on earth. Pyres of thousands of bodies that raged all over the island in the weeks after the storm. Think of the sights, the sounds, the smells. Larson portrays it all.

This is a great book for a weather fan, someone who's interested in the power of hurricanes, or someone that just likes a good story. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.