Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
2.5 stars. The beginning of this novel is hard to get through. I don't really care about how competitive the meteorology field is in Oklahoma or how much the meteorologists don't get along--it doesn't affect the storm whatsoever. It's fine to say that they are good at their jobs. It's fine to see them reporting during the storm. I do not think their life story, however, is pertinent here. Yes, the study of meteorology works here as well as how tornadoes form, however the novel kept repeating itself and it got old fast. This should have been a study simply about the one storm and the players involved during it. This just had too much needless information when all I really wanted to get into was the storm.
Once we got to the storm the novel picked up very fast. The first casualty shown, though, probably should have been, tastefully, anyone except the seven-month-old baby. We get the stakes through any death. The author did not have to be needlessly cruel too.
Once we got to the storm the novel picked up very fast. The first casualty shown, though, probably should have been, tastefully, anyone except the seven-month-old baby. We get the stakes through any death. The author did not have to be needlessly cruel too.
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
"The Mercy of the Sky" kept my heart racing throughout the entire book. I thought it was so intriguing to here about how tornadoes effected Moore, OK from the start of tracking storms, until the May 20 tornado that devastated the town. I've also dreamt of being a storm chaser since I was a kid, so maybe I'm biased.
Fun note: this book covers the town that the movie "Twister" (Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton) is based on!
Fun note: this book covers the town that the movie "Twister" (Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton) is based on!
I love a good story about a tornado. I found this book to be really insightful in regards to the tragedy that was the Moore tornado. I like how it addressed multiple perspectives from many of the survivors as well as the giving some information on the storm chasers, news casters, and the history of tornado studies. It was just overall an emotional and informational read and worth it if you're into weather.
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I have to say that there is an great deal of information here that I didn't really need to know, like the life story of Gary England. I'm sure if you live in the midwest, it would be a different reading experience. Also, to be fair I was alternating it with a book on 9/11 and this seemed, I don't know, a little bit "Disaster Lite" in comparison? That sounds awful, I know, but maybe I'm just diastered out and should give this the reverence it deserves with a later reread.
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
At times harrowing and horrifying, “The Mercy of the Sky” does a wonderful job at crafting a clear picture of what the May 20 Moore tornado was. Vignettes of notable individuals within the town litter the book, giving us a well-rounded look at the various views of this monstrous storm. It’s gut-wrenching to read, but is an important read to understand the power that these storms have. Growing up on the west coast, I’ve never had to fear a tornado, and this book certainly makes me never want to live within tornado alley.
I knew about this event but did not know all the details of that horrific day. It's amazing to think how much life can change in less than an hour.
It's hard for me to review the writing because I lived in Oklahoma City in this time period, and had reason to be in Moore and S. OKC in the days after 5/20. There were things I didn't know, like the feud between KFOR and KWTV (we were a Rick Mitchell/Damon Lane household). Reading this was an immersion back into that time in my life. I also understand more clearly why Gary England was so revered in OKC. Also why OKC's weather coverage is so different from everywhere else. (Now living somewhere else also prone to severe weather, I really miss knowing which intersection a tornado is at!)
I wish she would have said a little more about the tornadoes on the 19th and the tornadoes/flooding on the 31st, because that was all part of the wildness of May 2013 in OKC. (A missed opportunity to talk about the issues of culture/language in disaster management).
The way I held my breath reading certain sections as the tornado ground across the metro reminded me of how much tensions and emotions I still hold from that month.
I wish she would have said a little more about the tornadoes on the 19th and the tornadoes/flooding on the 31st, because that was all part of the wildness of May 2013 in OKC. (A missed opportunity to talk about the issues of culture/language in disaster management).
The way I held my breath reading certain sections as the tornado ground across the metro reminded me of how much tensions and emotions I still hold from that month.