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A review by adamsw216
A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin
informative
tense
4.25
A Furious Sky is exactly what the title says, a five-hundred year history of America's hurricanes. Sensibly, this also includes the history of weather forecasting in the United States, as well as many stories from those who survived a hurricane's wrath.
Dolin presents us with a well-researched history that does a great job of blending anecdotes with facts and statistics into a compelling story. It is a common fact that weather has often been influential to the course that history takes, and America's hurricanes are no exception. These behemoths of winds, rain, surging water and flying debris have caused billions of dollars in damage and cost countless lives. This book is the story of some of these hurricanes, the people who lived through them, and the organization/government response to them.
One thing to note is that Dolin likes to take you down adjacent roads to give you background information on a subset of the history. For example, he leads us through a history of early telecommunication in a bit of a tangent, but brings it all back around when he explains that these innovations were essential in the early birth of hurricane forecasting. These tangents did not really bother me, and I quite enjoy these little historical asides. Then again, I am a fan of Bill Bryson's even less focused works like At Home, so maybe it's just me.
Hurricanes are not going away. If anything, experts predict that global warming will cause them to become more frequent, become more intense, or both as time marches forward. In the last few decades, we have become far better at predicting hurricanes, but mitigating their effects and responding to the aftermath has left a lot to be desired. As the effects of climate change continue to shape our future, hurricanes are one more important aspect that I recommend people read about. Recommended!
Dolin presents us with a well-researched history that does a great job of blending anecdotes with facts and statistics into a compelling story. It is a common fact that weather has often been influential to the course that history takes, and America's hurricanes are no exception. These behemoths of winds, rain, surging water and flying debris have caused billions of dollars in damage and cost countless lives. This book is the story of some of these hurricanes, the people who lived through them, and the organization/government response to them.
One thing to note is that Dolin likes to take you down adjacent roads to give you background information on a subset of the history. For example, he leads us through a history of early telecommunication in a bit of a tangent, but brings it all back around when he explains that these innovations were essential in the early birth of hurricane forecasting. These tangents did not really bother me, and I quite enjoy these little historical asides. Then again, I am a fan of Bill Bryson's even less focused works like At Home, so maybe it's just me.
Hurricanes are not going away. If anything, experts predict that global warming will cause them to become more frequent, become more intense, or both as time marches forward. In the last few decades, we have become far better at predicting hurricanes, but mitigating their effects and responding to the aftermath has left a lot to be desired. As the effects of climate change continue to shape our future, hurricanes are one more important aspect that I recommend people read about. Recommended!