The History Book Club discussion

This is the thread to discuss and post books about the Weather, Meteorology, Natural Disasters, Storms and other Weather Events as well as those who study them.

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

by Erik Larson

Synopsis:

September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged in a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over six thousand people in what remains the greatest natural disaster in American history--and Isaac Cline found himself the victim of a devestating personal tragedy.

Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Riveting, powerful, and unbearably suspenseful, Isaac's Storm is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature.

What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley

by Kim Cross

Synopsis:

Immersive reporting and dramatic storytelling set you right in the middle of the horrific superstorm of April 2011, a weather event that killed 348 people.

April 27, 2011, marked the climax of a superstorm that saw a record 358 tornadoes rip through twenty-one states in three days, seven hours, and eighteen minutes. It was the deadliest day of the biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history, which saw 348 people killed, entire neighborhoods erased, and $11 billion in damage. The biggest of the tornadoes left scars across the land so wide they could be seen from space. But from the terrible destruction emerged everyday heroes, neighbors and strangers who rescued each other from hell on earth.

With powerful emotion and gripping detail, Cross weaves together the heart-wrenching stories of several characters--including three college students, a celebrity weatherman, and a team of hard-hit rescuers--to create a nail-biting chronicle in the Tornado Alley of America. No, it's not Oklahoma or Kansas; it's Alabama, where there are more tornado fatalities than anywhere in the US, where the trees and hills obscure the storms until they're bearing down upon you. For some, it's a story of survival, and for others it's the story of their last hours.

Cross's immersive reporting and dramatic storytelling sets you right in the middle of the very worst hit areas of Alabama, where thousands of ordinary people witnessed the sky falling around them. Yet from the disaster comes a redemptive message that's just as real: In times of trouble, the things that tear our world apart also reveal what holds us together.

Land on Fire: How Extreme Wildfire Is Reshaping the West

by Gary Ferguson

Synopsis:

The wildfires of 2015 were the most devastating on record; more than 9 million acres burned across North America and the United States spent more than 2 billion dollars fighting and suppressing the fires. 2016 is expected to be even worse: by May, more than 1.6 million acres had already burned. Wildfire season is burning longer and hotter, affecting more and more people, especially in the west. Land on Fire—by bestselling nature writer Gary Ferguson—explores the science behind this phenomenon and the research being done to find a solution. You'll learn about the heroic efforts of those responsible for fighting fire, how years of fire suppression and chronic drought have combined to make the situation more dire, and how nature reacts in the aftermath of flames. Color photographs throughout reveal the beauty and terror of fire and the stunning effect it has on the landscape. Land on Fire is for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of our time of fire.

F5: The Devastating Tornado Outbreak of 1974

by Mark Levine

Synopsis:

On April 3, 1974, all hell broke loose in the central United States and southern Ontario. In the next 40 hours of the "Super Outbreak," 148 record-breaking tornadoes tore through 13 states, from Michigan to Alabama. The twisters killed more than 300 people and left over 5,000 others injured. F5 recounts the nearly unbelievable destruction wrought by a "perfect storm" system that experts calculate could occur only once every 500 years. A truly riveting read.

Thank you so much Michele

Climate change:
Death of the 'grandfather of climate science'
By Matt McGrath - Environment correspondent


Wallace Broecker, the US climate scientist who helped popularise the term "global warming" has died in New York at the age of 87.

Wallace Broecker, the US climate scientist who helped popularise the term "global warming" has died in New York at the age of 87.
Prof Broecker was among the first to connect emissions of CO2 to rising temperatures back in the 1970s.

He also studied the ocean conveyor belt, linking oceanography to climate change.

Scientists the world over have paid tribute, calling Prof Broecker a "genius and pioneer".

Remainder of article:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-envi...

Source: BBC News

More:

by Amitav Ghosh

by Amitav Ghosh

by Joseph Romm (no photo)

In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette (Greenland is mentioned)

by Hampton Sides

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides returns with a white-knuckle tale of polar exploration and survival in the Gilded Age

In the late nineteenth century, people were obsessed by one of the last unmapped areas of the globe: the North Pole. No one knew what existed beyond the fortress of ice rimming the northern oceans, although theories abounded. The foremost cartographer in the world, a German named August Petermann, believed that warm currents sustained a verdant island at the top of the world. National glory would fall to whoever could plant his flag upon its shores.

James Gordon Bennett, the eccentric and stupendously wealthy owner of The New York Herald, had recently captured the world's attention by dispatching Stanley to Africa to find Dr. Livingstone. Now he was keen to re-create that sensation on an even more epic scale. So he funded an official U.S. naval expedition to reach the Pole, choosing as its captain a young officer named George Washington De Long, who had gained fame for a rescue operation off the coast of Greenland. De Long led a team of 32 men deep into uncharted Arctic waters, carrying the aspirations of a young country burning to become a world power. On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds in the grip of "Arctic Fever."

The ship sailed into uncharted seas, but soon was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew abandoned the ship. Less than an hour later, the Jeannette sank to the bottom,and the men found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies. Thus began their long march across the endless ice—a frozen hell in the most lonesome corner of the world. Facing everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition battled madness and starvation as they desperately strove for survival.

With twists and turns worthy of a thriller, In The Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding tale of heroism and determination in the most unforgiving territory on Earth.

LITERARY AWARDS:
Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Nonfiction (2015), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for History & Biography (2014)

Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather

by Mike Smith (no photo)

Synopsis:

Experience the most devastating storms of the last fifty years through the eyes of the scientific visionaries who took them on and tamed them. Science and politics collide in this thrilling account of America's struggle for protection against the deadly threat of violent weather. Warnings tells the dramatic true stories of the unsung weather warriors who save innocent lives, often by risking their own.

Interesting televised documentary from the PBS show American Experience:

Mr. Tornado: One man's pursuit to understand the deadliest storms.

The Super Outbreak of 1974 was the most intense tornado outbreak on record, tearing a vicious path of destruction across thirteen states, generating 148 tornadoes from Alabama to Ontario, damaging thousands of homes, and killing more than 300 people. Meteorologist Tetsuya Theodore “Ted” Fujita spent ten months studying the outbreak’s aftermath in the most extensive aerial tornado study ever conducted, and through detailed mapping and leaps of scientific imagination, made a series of meteorological breakthroughs.

His discovery of “microbursts,” sudden high wind patterns that could cause airplanes to drop from the sky without warning, transformed aviation safety and saved untold numbers of lives. Mr. Tornado is the remarkable story of the man whose groundbreaking work in research and applied science saved thousands of lives and helped Americans prepare for and respond to dangerous weather phenomena.

Watch Mr. Tornado (currently free to stream, not sure if that is temporary or permanent).

Thank you very much for your wonderful adds; extremely interesting.

Storm of the Century: New England's Great Blizzard of 1978

by Christopher J. Haraden (no photo)

Synopsis:

The most comprehensive account of the Great Blizzard of 1978 in New England, this book contains more than 130 dramatic photos from all across the region. Pictures range from the devastating flooding along the coast to the mountains of snow that paralyzed inland communities, including the 3,500 vehicles stranded on Route 128.

The record-setting storm's impact on the area is explored through first-hand accounts from survivors, relief workers and former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, among others.

Painstakingly researched and profusely illustrated, this book will stir memories of those who lived through the storm and will educate those too young to remember it.

Thank you Michelle.

An upcoming book:
Release date: November 18, 2025

The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind

by Simon Winchester

Synopsis:

What is going on with our atmosphere? The headlines are filled with news of devastating hurricanes, murderous tornadoes, and cataclysmic fires affecting large swaths of America. Gale force advisories are issued on a regular basis by the National Weather Service.

In 2023, a report was released by atmospheric scientists at the University of Northern Illinois, warning that winds—the force at the center of all these dangerous natural events—are expected to steadily increase in the years ahead, strengthening in power, speed, and frequency.

While this prediction worried the insurance industry, governmental leaders, scientists, and conscientious citizens, one particular segment of society received it with unbridled enthusiasm. To the energy industry, rising wind strength and speeds as an unalloyed boon for humankind—a vital source of clean and “safe” power.

Between these two poles—wind as a malevolent force, and wind as savior of our planet—lies a world of fascination, history, literature, science, poetry, and engineering which Simon Winchester explores with the curiosity and vigor that are the hallmarks of his bestselling works. In The Breath of the Gods, he explains how wind plays a part in our everyday lives, from airplane or car travel to the “natural disasters” that are becoming more frequent and regular.

The Breath of the Gods is an urgently-needed portrait across time of that unseen force—unseen but not unfelt—that respects no national borders and no vessel or structure in its path. Wind, the movement of the air, is seen by so many as a heavenly creation and generally a thing of essential goodness. But when it flexes its invisible muscles, all should take care and be very afraid.

You are totally right about Simon Winchester, Jerome!. And my overweight, unmanageable TBR List grudgingly thanks you for a fantastic review.
Regards,
Andrea