Historical Disaster Book Review & Discussion
Paper due date: Wednesday, November 10
Discussion dates: Wednesday, November 10 and Friday, November 12
Maximum grade: 150
Your assignment is to read one of the books about a historical natural disaster from the attached
list of books and write a book review in the style you might expect in the Sunday New York
Times, the New Yorker, or another magazine. In addition, we will have a graded discussion of
the books on Wednesday and Friday November 10 and 12.
While reading the book, you should pay particular attention to the causes of the disaster, both
direct and indirect and the relationship between humans and the environment. This relationship
may involve humans trying to control nature, humans misunderstanding their environment, or
simply the vulnerability of humans to natural events.
In writing your review, you are not required to do outside research on the book but you are
welcome to supplement information about the disaster of interest with material from your
textbook or other sources. If you use any outside sources, you must cite them (both within the
text of your paper and in a reference list at end of paper.) Plagiarism will result in a zero for the
paper and possibly the course.
Your book review should be organized as you see fit, should provide a clear summary of the
book, and should address the following issues:

The role did humans play in this disaster. Should or could this disaster have been
prevented? In what ways did people’s decisions mitigate or exacerbate this disaster?

The significance of the geographic/geologic context of the disaster. What about the
geography, geology, or general setting caused the disaster to occur there?

The historical context of the disaster. How did the historical context affect the severity,
mitigation or other aspects of the disaster? What could have been done (given the
technology and resources of the time) to prevent or mitigate this disaster?

Modern perspective on the disaster. Describe the likelihood of something of this
magnitude happening today.

Thumbs up or down? What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
Would you recommend the book to someone else? Why or why not?
The paper is to be 1000-1500 words (4-6 pages, double-spaced, 1” margins, 11- or 12-point
Times Roman font). The paper should have a title but does not need a cover page.
Disaster Book Choices (mark your top 3 choices: 1, 2, 3) Return to me by Monday 8/30
I would like 3-4 people per book. The books can be ordered through Amazon or through
Barnes and Noble (college bookstore). I have a Listmania list on Amazon with links to all
of the titles. http://www.amazon.com/Geo-106-Natural-DisasterBooks/lm/1N41TZXZ5LHDA/ref=cm_srch_res_rpli_alt_1
Tsunamis
1. Wave of Destruction: The Stories of Four Families and History's Deadliest
Tsunami by Erich Krauss, 256 p. Stories from the 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake and tsunami
Volcanoes
2. No Apparent Danger/ Victoria Bruce, 239 p. Stories of two Colombian volcanoes- 1980’s
mudflows and volcanic explosions.
Tornadoes
3. F5: Devastation, Survival, and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the 20th Century/
M. Levine 336 p.
Hurricanes
4. The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina--the Inside
Story from One Louisiana Scientist/ Ivor van Heerden and Mike Bryan 336 p.
5. Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik
Larson, 336 p., 1900 Galveston hurricane, deadliest hurricane in US history
6. Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938/ R. A. Scotti, 304 p.
Floods
7. The Johnstown Flood/ David G. McCullough,304 p.
Sea-level rise
8. Island in a Storm: A Rising Sea, a Vanishing Coast, and a Nineteenth-Century
Disaster that Warns of a Warmer World/ Abby Sallenger, 286 p.
Landslides/Volcanoes/Floods (3 stories)
9. The control of nature/ John McPhee 272p. (Three stories of disasters and human
attempts to control nature in California, Iceland, and Mississippi.)