JOHNSTOWN FLOOD

Rating:
Summary: Shame goes down in history
Review: I first became familiar with the Johnstown Flood by the book _In Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden_ by K. Cambor. Intrigued furthur, I bought this book and was not disappointed.

Carefully researched and brought to life in words, the event is just incredibly horrible. Even worse is the reality that this was preventable, and had it not been for immensely self-centered, wealthy men (Mellon, Carnegie, Frick) the damn dam would never have been inadequately restored and improperly maintained. For the benefits of so few (rich), so many people lost their lives. Towns virtually disappeared, wiped off the face of the earth along with livestock and every tree, bush and flower for miles down-river. The human impact stories are over whelming. Children were torn from their parent's arms in the crush of water that swept through their homes. Families were separated, their relatives buried in mud leaving their bodies unrecoverable for eternity.

The shame is undeniable. What makes it worse is the fact that the richest men tried to make amends by contributing blankets to the survivors.

Just blankets.

This is a clear cut, tell it as it should be told book.

Rating:
Summary: Still the best disaster history published!
Review: I first heard about the Johnstown flood from a TV episode of The Time Tunnel. Intrigued, I later tripped over this book, and it's been a favorite ever since. The unspeakable arrogance of the robber barons is richly described; it was also normal behavior at that time. Some of the era's scientific and technological arrogance later contributed to the Galveston hurricane and Titanic sinking, which makes the story even more fascinating to a disaster fan. And to think that over 80% of US dams are still earth and in not that great a shape. Do we never learn? I don't recall whether McCollough won the Pulitzer Prize or not, but he certainly should have with this book. It's a keeper, an excellent addition to anyone's book collection.

Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, and I knew that there was a big flood in Johnstown, but after reading this book, I'm ashamed at how little I actually knew about it. I moved far from the area about 6 months ago, and I was recently in a bookstore and saw this book about the flood, and got excited, because I didn't expect to see anything about western PA where I'm living. So, I bought the book, and then thought to myself "ok, why did I buy a book about the Johnstown flood? I'm never going to read it."

Well, I did read it the other day, and it's very interesting. It's probably confusing for people that didn't grow up in the area, but even then, it's fascinating to find out what really did happen, and what actually caused the flood. I'm not a big history reader, but I really liked this book. I'd recommend it to anyone that enjoys learning about history, and especially anyone from western Pennsylvania.

Rating:
Summary: Another winner from McCullough
Review: I have enjoyed all of Mr McCullough's books. This one is a bit shorter than his others, but it is a wonderful read. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Another Great McCullough Book
Review: I have traveled to Johnstown the past two years for a Baseball Tournament. You can't visit the city without seeing and hearing about the Great Flood. Being a fan of McCullough, I knew I would get to the details of why and what. An impressive book and can't wait to go back and visit some of the small towns up river from Johnstown. An amazing story well told.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I knew nothing about the Flood, and have never been to Pennsylvania, but it seemed like an interesting story. I was not disappointed. It was a great read. There was just enough detail and there were no boring spots. McCullough did a great job and this is a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I knew nothing about the Flood, and have never been to Pennsylvania, but it seemed like an interesting story. I was not disappointed. It was a great read. There was just enough detail and there were no boring spots. McCullough did a great job and this is a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent narrative and history lesson
Review: I liked the way McCullough focused on the individuals involved, from the young engineer Parke to the members of the exclusive South Fork club. The amount of detail he was able to amass after almost 100 years was amazing. Personally I was astounded by the cavalier way the dam was maintained, or rather not maintained, how corners were cut, not only to save money but keep the fish from leaving the lake via the spillway...a contributing factor in the dam breaking. Read it and wonder if history could repeat...

Rating:
Summary: Accidental Terrific Read
Review: I originally purchased this book for my father, who has a cabin near Johnstown and became very interested in the history of the area. I had just finished the excellent book "Swimming to Antarctica" by Lynne Cox and was looking for a good adventure story. In a pinch, while waiting for my book on the Donner Party to arrive, I picked up my father's gift book "The Johnstown Flood" and started reading it. This book turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read. I could not believe how well it was written and am now in pursuit of other books by McCullough. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves history and the ability to reach back in time and connect with past humanity. It is a gripping story that sent chills right through me. I also loved the indexing in the back of the book to help the reader find references to people/places/things throughout the book. Very, very helpful. Loved this book. Just had to share.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: I was born in Johnstown and lived in Western PA until I graduated from college. I then moved to Washington, DC. About 4 years later, a coworked told me that he always wanted to visit Johnstown. At the time I couldn't understand why, so I asked. He went on to explain how he was reading "The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough in Iowa in 1977 when he heard a radio announcement about the 1977 Johnstown Flood. I lived through the 1977 flood, and knew about the 1939 Johnstown Flood that my father lived through, but I knew little about the 1889 Flood. I bought this book the day after this friend recommended it and read it straight through cover to cover - I couldn't put it down. That weekend, I drove back to Johnstown and visited the Flood Memorial and the Flood Museum. I couldn't hold back the tears at these sites.

This book completely changed my opinion of the Johnstown area and its history. I can't believe how many natives of Johnstown have never read this book. I have recommended this book to many people and not one has ever told me he or she didn't sink themselves into the book and become part of the story.

I now work in Johnstown again. Every workday I drive by the stone bridge that was described so prominently in the book. In my mind I can picture the victims and the debris piled up against the structure. Sometimes I can even hear the water, the flames, and the cries for help. This book is that well written!

If you're from Johnstown and you haven't read this book . . . Shame on you! If you're not from Johnstown, still read this book. Then . . . come to Johnstown and see for yourself what David McCullough brought to life through his writing!

This is definitely a book you'll never forget.

Don't stop here. Read David McCullough's other books. And, if you get a chance to hear him speak, don't pass it up. He spoke at my commencement 13 years ago and I recently heard him speak again. He's a facinating man with a gift for making readers (and listeners) travel back through time to relive the past.