Reviews (2)

Only interesting to survivors
This book was totally uninteresting to anyone trying to learn anything factual about the tornado. Personal accounts are interesting, but there are too many of them. This book is for you if you are a survivor of the tornado and can't remember anything about it. My mother and grandmother are survivors and both found it lacking.

Interesting content; poor delivery
Whew! Try reading one of O'Toole's run-on, rambling sentences aloud! Great picture collection; but editor was asleep at the wheel. The drama would flow much more smoothly and the prose be far more digestible if O'Toole would decrease his convoluted sentence length by an average of two-thirds. His writing style does not leave one with the impression that he has taken many writing seminars; (from what literary institution does he hail! ) Whereas a skilled writer draws one into his prose, a clumsy one deters his reader. ... Read more

Book Description

What causes an earthquake? When will another big shock shake Tokyo or Los Angeles? Can people create deserts? How are the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect interlinked? Is global warming a force of nature—or of man? This compelling and informative book, illustrated with marvelous photographs and specially commissioned artwork, explains the latest scientific insights into these questions. Each force of nature is separately fitted into the jigsaw puzzle of global environmental change. The revised edition of this widely praised book draws on the dramatic evidence of recent years to evaluate the state of the planet—and man's effect on it—in the new century. 275 illustrations, 135 in color. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

action-packed, riveting
My daughter started with the Tornado book in this series (Wild Weather), which she really liked, and so we got this one on Hurricanes. It's even better. The opening chapters about the hurricane pilot had her riveted, and this is the first chapter book she has gotten through completely in one sitting. My only beef was that the scientists are men in both books, but then I found the Flood and Lightning books, which both feature women scientists. We plan to get Blizzards next, since we live in blizzard country.

My son loved this book
My four year old has had me read Hurricanes to him again and again . Ms. Hopping presents scientific facts in such an engaging format that he really enjoys the story. I recommend this and her other Wild Weather stories.

This book is a winner for kids
Hurricanes, by Lorraine Hopping, Is the third book I have bought for my grandchildren in the Wild Weather series. They have looked forward to each new title and reread the ones they now have. The book helped them to understand what was going to happen with hurricane Floyd. ... Read more

Book Description

The fury and power of extreme weather is explored along with itsdevastating effects on earth's climate.Modern scientific methods of predicting andpreparing for storms are featured. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A twister unraveled
So much has been written about this storm over the years and so much erroneous. Major tornado histories have stated there was no funnel cloud but as we know from this book that was true at the start of the storm but later in its path there clearly was a funnel--the book even describes its location at cloud level AND ground level--and then multiple funnels were evident. This contemporary account from more than a century ago still provides riveting reading. Perhaps one day someone will likewise document the Sept. 29, 1927, tornado which similarly has been misreported over the years (no funnel in that one, too, reportedly except I've spoken to people who SAW it).

A wonderful reprint of a rare piece of history.
Bravo to the Southern Illinois University Press for reprinting this wonderful historical account of a horrific natural disaster. The pictures alone tell an incredible story of destruction. Interviews with people show the biases of the time, and it is written in melodramatic tones typical of the 1890s. It is hard to read this book without picturing yourself as being a part of the event then, or picturing such an event happening today. This event changed thousands of lives a century ago, but its significance has faded with passing years. It is a valuable reality check to have this account reprinted, so that we can be reminded that battling nature, overcoming devastation, and exercising a will to rebuild are common themes which reach back far beyond our world today. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great Book!
It's obvious this guy is a weatherman, not a professional writer being paid to turn an ordinary life into something that sells books. The book isn't weighed down with lots of pretty words or meteorology lessons. It's simply written as a story of Gary England's life, and what a life that has been! As a young girl I was always fascinated by tornadoes, and at one point seriously considered being a meteorologist. After reading England's book I'm convinced I couldn't have handled the politics and pressure. I hated turning each page because it only brought me closer to the end of the book. I'm sure Gary has lots more stories to tell, and I hope he writes many more books to tell them! I'll gobble them all up.

One of the neatest things about reading this book is that now when I see Gary England on TV clips saying those now-famous words during the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma City Tornado, "You NEED to be underground to survive this one!" I look at him with a knowledge of his life story and how he got to be where he is, and I'm filled with such respect. Thank you, Gary, for suffering through petty politics to be able to save so many lives.

Great resource of meteorological knowledge
I have not read the book as yet but I would like the opportunity to relate how Mr. England's reputation is in Oklahoma. I worked in the railroad industry for 15 years in Oklahoma which is greatly affected by weather extremes. Our supervisors used to tell us to watch Gary England for weather updates as his was the best in the state. Mr. England never failed us.

Weathering 2 Storms
As a youngster growing up in Seiling, Oklahoma, Gary England had an idol in television meteorologist Harry Volkman. Flash forward 40 years. As a youngster growing up in Oklahoma City, I had an idol in Gary England. This is the first time I have known the entire story of what England has gone through in his 20+ years at KWTV. I have met with and talked to England on several occasions, and I will never know how he keeps his sanity while weathering 2 storms...the weather itself, and the world of television news.

A true perspective in the television industry.
After reading this book, I felt that I was no longer alone in dealings with news directors. I have only been in television weather for 6 years and have had my fill of television business. My hats off to Gary for being able to stave off over a dozen new directors. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to venture into the "glamorous" life of television news, especially any aspiring meteorologist.

What a great book!
Contrary to what some other reviews say, this book is not just full of sensation. I live in Oklahoma, I have seen England work, this stuff is real and his book is accurate. The book is informative and very interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read! ... Read more

Book Description

Tornadoes are among the strongest storms in the world. These rapidly rotating columns of air are incredible destructive and can be lethal when they touch the ground. Since the first tornado forecast in 1948, weather forecasters, research meteorologists, and storm chasers have been fascinated by these storms and have studied them intensively in order to gain a better understanding of how they form and to learn how to predict them. Discussing storms from as far afield as Canada, Vietnam, Russia, Australia, and even the U.K., "Tornadoes" describes with vivid illustrations the mechanics and consequences of their destruction and how humans have responded.

Also Recommended: "Volcanoes."

Discover the world's animals and the physical world in the WorldLife Library from Voyageur Press. This highly acclaimed series brings you the latest research from leading naturalists, along with stunning color photographs of your favorite animals and our fascinating natural world. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fine First Introduction to Tornadoes
When I was six, our family visited our relatives in Illinois who lived on a farm. While there, my cousin and I wandered off to play. When the sky got black and lightning began striking, he headed off as fast as he could run. I dawdled along. By the time I got home the wind was howling, and we could see a tornado in the distance. In minutes, we were all in the storm cellar. Down there, it sounded like an express train was roaring by. When we came out, a 100-year-old oak tree lay across the top of the house, ripped out by the roots. To this day, I've never had as intense an experience as that one. I also didn't really understand what happened that day. Now, thanks to this book, I do understand the forces behind that experience.

Tornadoes is that rare book that combines dramatic, vivid photography with scientific material to explain what you are seeing. In most cases, I was able to follow what was said. Some descriptions were a little puzzling, such as what an "anvil" is which is not defined in the glossary at the end. Despite that, I can now look at thunderstorms with greater understanding, and appreciate their potential for harm through tornadoes. I was fascinated by the statistics on the harm that tornadoes routinely do in various parts of the world.

My only reservation about the book is that it seemed a little high priced for a 72-page paperback, but the quality of the images softened that reaction for me. Such excellent photographs and exhibits are expensive to acquire and reproduce.

If you would like to know a little more about tornadoes that what you hear on television, get this book!

Where else do dangerous phenomena fascinate in the same way? Only large fires probably are as appealing to the eye. What is it about these dangers that draws us to them? I know few people who love looking at earthquakes while they happen. Perhaps it is the ability to see them from what seems like a safe distance that turns them into fascinations, while an earthquake captures us in its danger while it is happening.

For Tornado-philes of all ages
The widespread fascination with tornadoes, particularly in North America, results in a high proportion of weather-topic books written on the subject for both children and adults. Few of those
really grab my attention as many are simply vehicles to publish dramatic tornado photographs and say little new about tornadoes.

"Tornadoes" by Michael Mogil is one book that grabs me from the first page. It very well illustrated with a large number of full-page-sized tornado photographs, but even more appealing are the top quality explanatory drawings. These are very attractive and yet convey much to-the-point information. The book's striking illustrations balance Mogil's well crafted text. His writing is strongly scientific yet clear enough to convey the complexities of the formation and life cycle of tornadoes and the thunderstorms which spawn them.

Mogil begins the book with a strong introduction to thunderstorms as a background for tornadic storms. In fact, the book could easily have been titled: "Thunderstorms and Tornadoes." The author then segues into the title topic through a discussion of the US National Weather Service Program for severe storm watches and warnings.

H. Michael Mogil's "Tornadoes" will be the benchmark to which I will compare future "children's books" on tornadoes and similar phenomena. It should be a part of every school or home weather
library. I also take the "and up" part of the recommended audience seriously. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to older audiences looking for a quick introduction to thunderstorms and tornadoes. ... Read more

Book Description

With wind speeds of 419 km/h or more, F5 tornadoes are so powerful they can rip roofs off houses and toss cars and trucks around like toys! Now kids can get a close-up look at these violent winds as they follow storm chasers hot on the trail of a tornado, see amazing photos of tornadoes and the damage they leave behind, and read about some of the most destructive tornadoes of the last century! Features activities. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

High-interest and low level
This is a great high-interest and low-level reading book and series. The books are small with large print and about 50 pages long with lots of pictures. They aren't exhaustive for the topics covered, but they give a great deal of information by being concise when you consider the book's size. Special features are Did you know... fact insets, a map, glossary, list of other resources, and an index. After an attention-getting introduction, the chapters start off with a atory about a particular incident and then go into the content of the chapter. Difficult words are also explained in parentheses besides being in the glossary. In this book, the three chapters cover how tornadoes form and what types there are, how tornadoes move and measuring them, and studying tornadoes to be able to predict them and give warnings. The map in this book shows the worst tornadoes in US history. Elementary and middle school students will benefit from these books. Even high school students might find them a nice change of pace from the thick books they normally use for research. ... Read more

Book Description

Wallace Akin was two years old when the Tri-State Tornado picked up his house-with him and his mother inside-and dropped it atop two other collapsed buildings. Across town, his father lay unconscious near his auto shop, close to death, and Akin's brother managed to crawl from beneath the collapsed shop. All survived. Many others were not as fortunate: Earlier that afternoon, a supercell thunderstorm had spawned a tornado so deadly that it set records against which we still measure all other twisters. The storm ripped through southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and southwest Indiana, killing 695 people and wounding 2,000, in a record-breaking 219-mile, three-and-a-half-hour path of destruction. Akin's hometown was the worst hit, losing 243 people to the tornado.

Using first-person accounts from his family and neighbors, newspaper stories, and diaries, Akin offers a blow-by-blow account of the storm from its first sighting to its final minutes. He also attempts to explain how it began-and how it changed his life.

As a young adult, Akin realized that the weather service could have warned its victims; research on tornado prediction had ceased for no apparent reason. This, combined with his upbringing in a town traumatized by weather, led him to choose a career in geography, specializing in climate. In The Forgotten Storm he explains in clear language why tornadoes happen and how we may now be making these storms more severe and more frequent. The result is a book both thrilling and horrific, one that adds to our understanding of the battle between humans and nature. (6 x 9, 224 pages, photos)

Wallace Akin was for many years a professor of geography at Drake University. He received a research Fulbright in 1961 at the University of Copenhagen and has traveled widely studying climate and related human activities. He is the author of several academic books that include material on weather and climate. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A good summary of a terrible storm.
Akin is a survivor of the Tri State tornado. He was only 2 at the time, but his experiences resulted in him taking a lifelong interest in geography and weather. This book sets out to explain this March, 1925 tornado and its devastating effect on cities and communities in the three states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.
I found this book entertaining and informative about tornadoes and this particular disaster. This is a summary read, since the book only explains the disaster and how tornadoes form. I think Akin does a great job in detailing tornadoes and the 1925 Tri State tornado. I have not seen any other books about this particular disaster, so I am unsure why some of the previous reviewers have been harsh on this particular book. I found this a great and interesting read. At a little over 150 pages, a good reader can read this entire book in five or six hours.

An appalling disaster remembered
It has been extremely difficult to obtain a quality book on this massive weather event, and the present text solves that dilemma. I would have preferred a few more pictures from areas other than Murphysboro, Illinois, and the discussion of meteorological factors was somewhat attenuated. These quibbles aside, the book is a feeling, sensitive chronology of the most terrible tornadic event ever to strike the United States. The stories of human suffering and courage in the face of this awesome convulsion of nature will sometimes reach to your marrow.

I liked the organization of the book, beginning with a few general introductory remarks, and then tracing the course of the tornado during its three and one half hour passage from Missouri to Indiana, narrating the horror of its fury at each point. The author's own experiences in the storm. and its effects on his family and town, added flesh to the book, but did not overwhelm it. I liked that.

I note that some reviewers have complained that the author has simply recycled old news accounts, but what better way to show how the neighboring towns, and the outside world, viewed this stupendous catastrophe? I believe any readers interested in regional history of the Midwest in the early part of the last century, weather buffs, and many persons who simply enjoy a gripping account of man being outmatched by the elements will enjoy this book.

Truly the Perfect Storm
Although author Wallace Akin describes the Tri-State Tornado as "the forgotten storm," that title is a bit of a misnomer. Meteorologists and those like myself who are interested in severe weather have never forgotten this tremendous, seemingly unique convulsion of nature. And, having happened in 1925, the Tri-State Tornado is still just within living memory.

Akin does a workmanlike job of tracing the path of this enormous tornado and telling the stories of the people and towns affected along the way. He himself is a survivor of the storm although, being two years old at the time, he has no conscious memories of the disaster. His recollections of the aftermath and growing up in the area in the 1920s and 30s are a useful and often moving addition to the book.

One place the book is thin is in covering the scientific mystery of this storm. Was it truly one tornado or a family? What caused it to remain so powerful for such a long period? Why does it appear that the tornado was near the front of the storm - a very unusual position? Akin does not discuss these questions in depth, unfortunately, for the Tri-State Tornado is a meteorological puzzle that continues to inspire research and debate (and, of course, the inevitable, if usually unspoken question - was this a "hundred year" storm? A "thousand year" storm? Could it happen again this year, or next?).

Another reviewer has argued that Akin has recycled material previously available. This is true (and what author does not recycle material? That is, after all, what research involves), but most of the books that have been published on the Tri-State Tornado have been out of print and hard to obtain for some time. Akin's book is a very readable addition to the literature on this horrible storm.

The Forgotten Storm... simply forget it!
This book is nothing more than a rehash of already available literature which has been available for years in other publications.
I have researched this tornadic event for over twenty years and I found this book to be typical among written accounts. The meteorological information included at times contradicts passages in other portions of the book. Most of the physical evidence was gleaned from papers written over 20 years ago, some much older than that. The idea that this storm was sustained somehow by it's close association with a synoptic scale low pressure system has no basis in fact. There is no law in physics that support this theory. The idea presented in this book that this tornado "picked up" water from the Mississippi River and "carried" it several miles to be pushed down a city street as a wall of water is simply absurd.
The author would have been much better served using survivor stories and portraying the human side of this great tragedy as opposed to proposing his case as to what actually caused and then sustained this storm on it's record path. The facts simply do not add up and this book adds to the mass of confusing information being passed off as truth concerning this greatest of natural disasters.

Not Exactly "Forgotten"
The title of "The Forgotten Storm" is a bit misleading as any weather buff will tell you. Nobody (amature or professional) with a passion for meterology is unaware of the 1925 Tornado's impressive resume as the deadliest twister in U.S. history. It is "forgotten" only in the sense that because there are no survivng photographs, it tends not to get mentioned whenever tornados are featured on weather-related television programs.

That said, author Wallace Akin, who was a child when the storm virtually destroted Murpheyboro, Illinois, has documented the accounts of that harrowing day for history. Akin faithfully recalls the events as they happened, throwing in a helpful amount of weather-related science to help the less informed reader. Akin tracks the storms progress from touchdown as it crossed parts of three states, spreading destruction and misery in its wake.

The book's main drawback is Akin's limited abilities as a storyteller. The first hand accounts in the book are mostly matter-of-fact, and rarely come alive for the reader. Combined with the fact that the book is barely 150 pages of large type narrative in length, and it feels like a pretty slight effort. The overall impression you get as a reader is that the story would have made a better long magazine article that a full length book. ... Read more

Book Description

"This is a must-read for students and meteorologists." --David Thurlow, Host and Executive Producer of The Weather Notebook radio show

A fascinating look at extreme weather and the men and women who are risking their lives to give us a better understanding of this meteorological phenomenon. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Informative but Ho-Hum
"Eye of the Storn" is not nearly as exciting as its cover or title would suggests. It is essentially a history of storm forcasting going all the way back to Ben Franklin's time. And while it is informative, it lacks the type of thilling narrative in its weather stories that one would expect. Most of the stories are taken from other books or magazine/newspaper articles. And unfortunately, the author makes at least one serious error by repeating the long standing falsehood that meteorolgist Issac Cline rode up and down the beach on horseback to warn residents of Galveston of the approaching 1900 hurricane. This is a myth, dispelled by the far superior book "Issac's Storm," that just won't die.

Overall, "Eye of the Storm" has plenty of historical information, but the reading is unlikely to have the pulse quickening effect of even a mild spring thunderstorm.

Great reading on a stormy day
What great timing! As we watch in awe pictures of the damage and destruction caused by the Spring tornadoes in Oklahoma, the "EYE of the STORM" comes along to explain the painstakingly detailed develpoment of scientific research of these powerful storms. In a well documented and entertainly written study, one can gain a better understanding of the weather about us and from whence it comes. ... Read more

Book Description

After reading The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, did you ever wonder what it's like to be struck by lightning? To run with the bulls in Pamplona? To ride the crushing swell of an avalanche? Extreme Encounters describes these adventures and 37 others with endlessly addictive "you-are-there" second-person narratives-so you chill to the numbing effects of frostbite, you hear the 110-decibel roar of a grizzly bear, and you feel the stomach-lurching drop of an elevator freefall. Extreme Encounters is a moment-by-moment, blow-by-blow account of what happens to you physically, emotionally, and scientifically during life's most perilous experiences. Like a cross between The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook and Into Thin Air, these heart-racing stories take readers where few have gone before. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

brutal, and i mean it as a compliment!!!
wow! this book is unbelieveable!! it actually feels as if you're being dragged into these scenarios that you don't wanna be in, but it's fun because it is just like going in a roller coaster ride, you just feel so much tension when you're reading it, you don't know what'll happen next, will you die in the end? or will you not? is everything gonna be ok? will you rot in pieces? will you start splouting out blood!? i really think this is a fun read, come check it out for yourself!!!

Entertaining Lightweight
This book dedicates two or three pages to each of about fifty ways to depart this life. Some of the entries are quite interesting, but very little is done in the way of developing a story that might be of interest to the reader beyond the morbid. While a more narrow subject, Peter Capstick's stories of death by maneating animals are much more visceral and downright frightening.

Good, but not exceptional
These are some good stories. A few of them--literally--do make you feel a little queasy. An enjoyable read, but not as good as Last Breath, since the tales aren't developed quite as well.

I laughed, I cringed, I got a bit nauseous -- a fun read
It's weird to say that it was enjoyable to read a lighthearted book about terrible ways that people have gone through pain, but it was. Beyond doing a lot of research, the author has a good sense of humor. I read it pretty quickly, but it also seems like it could be a good book to keep next to the toilet: you can read one or two of the descriptive vignettes when you go.

What? No impalement on pungi sticks?
In the forward of EXTREME ENCOUNTERS, author Greg Emmanuel indicates that the muse for his book came knocking after his own near death experience in a rollover auto accident on a New York parkway. Happily, my second-string Review Muse doesn't need such a drastic kick start.

EXTREME ENCOUNTERS is all about situations and events that result in dire physical or mental injury, often ending in death. Its 40 chapters are divided into six sections: attacks by other species, outdoor misadventures, medical emergencies, crime and punishment, ordinary daily accidents, and in-harm's-way by choice. My favorite from each section was respectively: death by fire ants, abduction by tornado, death by Ebola, interrogation by "Chinese water torture", pain by hydrofluoric acid, and over Niagara Falls via barrel.

The author can describe these vicarious thrills after having interviewed survivors and those otherwise knowledgeable about such things. He spices each chapter with relevant facts. (Did you know that the Philippines is the only country besides the U.S. to have executed with the electric chair, or that 30,000 wounded limbs were amputated in the Union Army during the Civil War?) He brings the immediacy of the experience home to the reader by use of the second person. So, it's:

"You land face first in the shallow water, putting more of your flesh into the feeding zone." (Piranha buffet)

Or, "You try to angle your body so you can kick at the lid." (Buried alive)

And, "Your foot kicks against the metal faucet, completing the circuit, and the current goes straight through your body." (Blow dryer into the tub)

I'm giving EXTREME ENCOUNTERS 4 stars because of the novelty of the theme and the examples chosen to illustrate it. Otherwise, at 173 pages, it's simply a fast and absorbing read that allows one to move quickly on to the next book on the shelf. ... Read more