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jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
The parts of the book that were actually about Mount St. Helens, the scientists who studied it, and the explosion that put it into public consciousness, as well as the parts that were about conservationists who helped preserve the area in the aftermath of the eruption, were interesting. I very much enjoyed reading these parts and learned so much. But so much of the book was about the Weyerhaeuser company and family, the history of the railroad, and logging. The book would have been much better served by excising these things. They were completely unnecessary and really detracted from the story of the volcano.
caffeine_books's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
A wonderful story not only about the mountain itself and its famous explosion on May 18th, 1980 but also tells the story of the Pacific Northwest in the hundred years or so before the explosion occurred. The author did a thorough job researching the logging and other economic impacts on the region as well as political that resulted in the human disaster that occurred on May 18th. Does a wonderful job of exploring the after effects as well and the lessons to be learned from that beautiful, dreadful day.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
2.0
I learned things about this eruption, but it wasn't exactly the story I thought I was getting because it spends an awful long time talking about how the lumber industry was responsible in a way to get a response involving that instead of the topic at hand.
qu33nofbookz's review
5.0
While the subject of this book is Mount St. Helens about a little over half of it is the history of timber and the Weyerhaeuser Company founded in the late 1800's by Friedrich (Frederick) Weyerhäuser. It shows the progression from a tiny mill to a company that owned over a million acres of forest including that surrounding Mount St. Helens. It goes over the way the land changed from the original purchase by a railroad tycoon to Weyerhaeuser up to the eruption. While the history of lumber in the US was interesting the best parts are the chapters pertaining to St. Helens. It goes into detail about the beginning of it all with the first earthquake in April that got everyone's attention. An interesting thing I learned was how the government failed to protect the people living, working and just in the vicinity of St. Helens then after the eruption blamed the victims for their own deaths. (Now some of it I believe is partly their choice since they rushed to see the exploding volcano for kicks) But the fact that the governor at the time ignored scientists warnings, told people that the volcano was safe to be on and did nothing to help police when they wanted to stop and ticket people for going into a restricted zone (something the governor believe was garbage). I think this should be a must-read for the history of the state and also it's a tool for teaching.
ocurtsinger's review against another edition
4.0
A rich and multifaceted historical analysis of the Mount St Helens blast and its political and environmental implications. I am too young to remember the eruption, but I have lived in the Northwest for ten years and had never heard about most of the political details and personal histories that came out of what Olson and many others have called the most important historical event of the Pacific Northwest. I had only heard of Harry Truman and his stubborn refusal to leave his cabin; Olson gives voices here to at least twenty other personal accounts that are so fraught with peril that my hair stood on end while reading them. This is a book that showcases Olson's talent for being not only a great historian, but a detective, journalist, and environmental writer.