Isaac's Storm

Erik Larson

The story of a devastating hurricane that hit Galvaston Texas on September 1, 1900. Gleaned from historical documents and countless survivor testimonies, this nonfiction work brings together the story/history of the US Weather Bureau, the life/personality of meteorologist Isaac Cline who lived/worked in Galvaston at the time, and the way in which this devastating storm unfolded not only in terms of weather but also in terms of the people who negligently tracked it. The story moves kind of slowly until the middle when Larson puts us in the center of the storm and moves us through the accounts of the people trapped in it. It's a powerful account of a horrific tragedy where six thousand people died.