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mondovertigo's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Classism and Racism
Minor: Excrement
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
"In Cantore you have science and show business all wrapped up in one spiffy Gore-Tex package."
I live in Florida, but I did not grow up in Florida. While I've seen the gamut from tropical storms to category 5 hurricanes up close, I didn't have the same born-and-bred knowledge many lifetime residents have about what came before. This book helped fill in the gaps nicely, and was an incredibly entertaining read.
The early chapters of the book cover the basics of hurricane history, from early encounters with these freakishly powerful storms to the beginning advances into meteorology and storm prediction. Sprinkled amongst the science are rather detailed accounts of individual storms, from accounts written in the 1500s all the way through Sandy (with a nod to Dorian in the epilogue). There's sad stories, absurdly funny stories (in a gallows humor sort of way), heroic stories, and more government bureaucracy than you can shake a stick at. I really appreciated the detailed look at some of these storms that have impacted us in the past.
I will say, however, that if you're looking for anything in-depth in terms of science, you'll probably want to look elsewhere. While basic terms and concepts are covered, it's in an accessible way, and anyone with prior knowledge in the field will likely already be familiar with what's presented.
Highly recommend for anyone living in a hurricane-prone region, or anyone interested in an incredibly engaging book about these monster storms.
I live in Florida, but I did not grow up in Florida. While I've seen the gamut from tropical storms to category 5 hurricanes up close, I didn't have the same born-and-bred knowledge many lifetime residents have about what came before. This book helped fill in the gaps nicely, and was an incredibly entertaining read.
The early chapters of the book cover the basics of hurricane history, from early encounters with these freakishly powerful storms to the beginning advances into meteorology and storm prediction. Sprinkled amongst the science are rather detailed accounts of individual storms, from accounts written in the 1500s all the way through Sandy (with a nod to Dorian in the epilogue). There's sad stories, absurdly funny stories (in a gallows humor sort of way), heroic stories, and more government bureaucracy than you can shake a stick at. I really appreciated the detailed look at some of these storms that have impacted us in the past.
I will say, however, that if you're looking for anything in-depth in terms of science, you'll probably want to look elsewhere. While basic terms and concepts are covered, it's in an accessible way, and anyone with prior knowledge in the field will likely already be familiar with what's presented.
Highly recommend for anyone living in a hurricane-prone region, or anyone interested in an incredibly engaging book about these monster storms.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting but a bit of a slog. Mostly anecdotes about each hurricane with a smattering of how the hurricanes were being tracked or understood over time. There was an attempt at a through-story that didn't quite work. A detailed story on a single hurricane probably would have worked better, but reading three of those would be tedious. Some science but not enough. Readable but not great.
kaycee_king's review against another edition
4.0
This was informative and interesting! I really liked it.
mverdoorn's review
5.0
This is a very accessible history of hurricanes in the US. It would be great for anyone interested in the subject that doesn’t want it to get too technical.
amielizabeth's review against another edition
3.0
An overwhelming amount of information, at times a bit dry but offered a comprehensive history.
abookolive's review against another edition
4.0
An accomplished and effective chronicle of the major hurricanes that have struck North America in the past 500 years of recorded history and the way we've improved the methods by which we've predicted and responded to these terrifying storms.
I think the (understandable) choice to organize this book chronologically buried the lede a bit in terms of the information about hurricanes (the development of radar and increased news coverage didn't fully come onto the scene until the 1950s, for instance, so we don't hear about those things until over halfway through the book), but I think Dolin does a great job of communicating the power of tropical cyclones without going overboard and making clear the human impact by telling the stories of real people in the path of these storms. A must read, especially if you're interested in weather.
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
I think the (understandable) choice to organize this book chronologically buried the lede a bit in terms of the information about hurricanes (the development of radar and increased news coverage didn't fully come onto the scene until the 1950s, for instance, so we don't hear about those things until over halfway through the book), but I think Dolin does a great job of communicating the power of tropical cyclones without going overboard and making clear the human impact by telling the stories of real people in the path of these storms. A must read, especially if you're interested in weather.
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!