From my bookshelf: Isaac's Storm

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Isaac's Storm is one of those books that reads documentary style.  Based on historical facts, public record, and interviews, Erik Larson inserts an additional commentary layer that transforms all of this factual information into a story with character depth, suspense, and more.

Isaac's Storm weaves together 3 main "story lines":

• The life of Isaac Cline.  He was a medical student, scientist, Sunday school teacher, family man, and respected man of society.  But he was also a proud man that did not understand the limits of his knowledge, especially when it comes to weather.
• The history of American weather forecasting and the politics that go with it.  Science, gut feelings, and human ego were all involved when developing a forecast.
• The tragic hurricane that it Galveston in September of 1900.  Upwards of 8,000 people were killed.  

While I have never been particularly interested in the weather and science of forecasting before, I found it fascinating in this book.  This book gave me a new appreciation for all that we know about the weather... and all that we do not.

It also made me never want to live in a coastal town.  Hurricanes are definitely scary and unpredictable, but the politics that go into what is and is not communicated to the public is even scarier.

And the storyline surrounding the actual hurricane and its devastation is haunting.  Larson is gifted in telling us enough about the historical characters that you feel like you know them and therefore feel their losses.

This was a very easy read.  Educational and suspenseful, I read it cover to cover within a couple days.  I really, really liked it.  I felt like I got a great story and learned something in the process.  I would definitely recommend it to others... but maybe not during hurricane season.