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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I am a smidge too young to remember the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, but I have visited the mountain many times since childhood and read whatever I can get my hands on about it. This, hands-down, is the best book on the subject. It adequately skims the technical nitty-gritty geology of the eruption (which I also enjoy, but is easily found in many other sources) in favor of placing the eruption in its social and political context, stories generally untold elsewhere.
Much of the first portion of the book tells the history of the Weyerhaeuser company, which owned the mountaintop at the time of the eruption, and which was a major player in land management before and after. Full disclosure: my interest in this section may have been enhanced because I am currently working on a project at a portion of the former company headquarters...other readers could find it goes into more detail about the Weyerhaeuser company and founders than strictly necessary.
Stories of the victims and witnesses to the eruption are well told and vividly recreated, well researched and not oversensationalized. The heartbreaking failure of the exclusion zone to be expanded to the north and west--which turned out to be in the immediate path of the eruption--is well explained, as is the initial victim-blaming by the power players that persists to this day.
My only tiny complaint about the book is that there are not enough photos or maps. Those that are included feel like the bare minimum; I found myself frequently reaching for Google to look up a location or photograph referenced but not included. Still, that was all stuff easily located online and in my opinion a fascinating book that sparks curiosity to go find out even more is a book well done.
Much of the first portion of the book tells the history of the Weyerhaeuser company, which owned the mountaintop at the time of the eruption, and which was a major player in land management before and after. Full disclosure: my interest in this section may have been enhanced because I am currently working on a project at a portion of the former company headquarters...other readers could find it goes into more detail about the Weyerhaeuser company and founders than strictly necessary.
Stories of the victims and witnesses to the eruption are well told and vividly recreated, well researched and not oversensationalized. The heartbreaking failure of the exclusion zone to be expanded to the north and west--which turned out to be in the immediate path of the eruption--is well explained, as is the initial victim-blaming by the power players that persists to this day.
My only tiny complaint about the book is that there are not enough photos or maps. Those that are included feel like the bare minimum; I found myself frequently reaching for Google to look up a location or photograph referenced but not included. Still, that was all stuff easily located online and in my opinion a fascinating book that sparks curiosity to go find out even more is a book well done.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Classified as a nature book, this book covers the natural history of southern Washington state but also politics, industry, daily life etc before, during and after. Fascinating reading to this BC native who was a child at the time of the big eruption. Fascinating reading! I’m heartened to learn that government, industry and individuals learned from the tragedy of a lack of preparedness for a natural disaster of this scale. Still sad that 57 people lost their lives on May 18, 1980 and grateful to the scientists who continue to study volcanoes and geology in the area.
You can read my full review on my blog: http://allthebookblognamesaretaken.blogspot.com/2019/12/book-review-eruption-untold-story-of.html
I really enjoyed the majority of the book, which focused on the eruption as well as the before and after. I skimmed some of the parts early on related to the logging on the mountain. Full review to come.
I really enjoyed the majority of the book, which focused on the eruption as well as the before and after. I skimmed some of the parts early on related to the logging on the mountain. Full review to come.
It's an epic story, the eruption of a volcano in the Pacific Northwest and the aftermath.
I was expecting a more linear story about the May 1980 once-in-a-lifetime event, but this book was much better than that.
It goes back and forth from the buildup to the event to some of the back history of the area, the important people there, and the issues that came to a head in 1980.
There's a lumber company that didn't do enough, a too-colorful governor that abdicated responsibility, and dozens of people who got caught in the blast zone and died, from scientists to civilians.
There is so much here, and precious little politics and agenda. This lets the remarkable story come through. It was much better than I was expecting, and I'm glad.
I was expecting a more linear story about the May 1980 once-in-a-lifetime event, but this book was much better than that.
It goes back and forth from the buildup to the event to some of the back history of the area, the important people there, and the issues that came to a head in 1980.
There's a lumber company that didn't do enough, a too-colorful governor that abdicated responsibility, and dozens of people who got caught in the blast zone and died, from scientists to civilians.
There is so much here, and precious little politics and agenda. This lets the remarkable story come through. It was much better than I was expecting, and I'm glad.
Listened to the audio book. I was too young to really remember/understand what was going on when Mount St Helens erupted. This was a great account with lots of research into the history of logging, politics, and people. The author did a good job of making you feel connected to the people and situation.
This book has something for everyone: history, science, human drama, and VOLCANOES.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I agree with other people that the author focuses a little too much on the logging history, but I also found it to be good context for the story. The author goes into great detail about how much land was dedicated to logging and how much profit the lumber turned. With the way Weyerhauser didn’t want to pull workers from around the volcano, if the eruption had happened a different day it could have been way worse.
Wished it had spent more on the people, geology and less on the logging industry. Took 2 hours of audiobook to get to good part.