Book Recommendations

Two Books by Erik Larson

For Those Who Enjoy American History

Larson has several books to his credit, and I'm looking forward to those I haven't read as yet. But here are two of those that I have.

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

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005PRJNCY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 

My husband and I spent a few months in southeast Texas a number of years ago, and spent some free time in Galveston. There we took a tour of the house of some wealthy citizens who lived in Texas when the hurricane hit in 1900, and learned a great deal about what transpired.  

Who was Isaac? He was a weather analyst at the dawn of this emerging new science, stationed and living in Galveston with his young family.

We history lovers know some of the most interesting stories are true accounts, and need only a good story teller to make them come alive. Galveston never recovered economically from this horrific event.  The irony of such a tragedy is that much is learned from the suffering of others, and that under such conditions the best in some individuals shows itself as it may never have before.

 

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania



The title describes the story, of course. And since we were educated in a time before politically correct history presented itself in the classroom, we probably all know the sinking of this ship pushed the United States into WWI.  

This book is full of personal accounts and attention to details. It is another manifestation of Larson's dedication to research and his gift for telling a broad spectrum of the events as they unfolded to their fateful conclusion.


There's a reason why he's one of my favorite writers of history.  Larson makes the reader feel a real connection to the events and the people who lived them.

 Footnote: I cannot give you a link to Dead Wake, because here on blogger.com I have to use google links. For some reason, once again the google link says this book is not currently available. Well, if you go directly to Amazon or any of your preferred detail sites, you can purchase this book in any format.

 

Comments

  1. Here's your Amazon.com link for Dead Wake: https://amzn.to/3lGfLKX

    I bought it five years ago, probably when it was on sale. I grew up in Houston, so I grew up hearing the story of the 1900 hurricane in Galveston, where we often went during my childhood. Later, returning to visit friends and family, I'd often drive down to Galveston during the day to grab some beach time while friends were working. The Gulf Coast has had bigger, stronger storms, but this one was such a killer because no one knew it was coming . . . so no one prepared.

    On another note? I managed to snag your last two recommendations from my library. I was able to download one immediately, and I had an email this morning that the second one is ready to download.

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    1. Thanks Carole! Of course I could put the link up too, but sadly you cannot access it directly from here.
      I hope you enjoy those books, and give feedback.

      We can certainly see the advances in meteorology over the past decades resulting in warning systems for big storms that have saved many, many, more lives.

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  2. Issacs's Storm is on my stack to read next. I read the summary just last night!
    I'll look into Dead Wake. Thanks!
    Have you ever checked out Bookfinder.com for used/new books? It lists multiple book sources.

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    Replies
    1. I will definitely go to Bookfinder! You and Carole have given us great tips for new finds.

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  3. Friend Phyllis wrote me a private note, saying she stopped reading Erik Larson due the the graphic detail in his book The White City. Part of that story is about one of the first known serial killers, who used the Chicago World's Fair to find his victims, which was interesting but not too pleasant. The fair coming into being was fascinating history, but because of the other side to the story I chose not to recommend it.
    Happily, Phyllis says she is now interested in trying Erik Larson's work again.

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