A Killing Wind: Inside Union Carbide and the Bhopal Catastrophe

by Dan Kurzman

Recounts the industrial accident in Bhopal India that claimed eight thousand lives, analyzes how Union Carbide handled the disaster, and discusses the legal, political, and social result's of the case

297 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1987

About the author

Dan Halperin Kurzman was an American journalist and writer of military history books. He studied at the University of California in Berkeley, served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946, and completed his studies at Berkeley with a Bachelor degree in political science. In the early 1950s, he worked in Europe and in Israel for American newspapers and news agencies and was then correspondent of the NBC News in Jerusalem.

Reviews

[Edward Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read so many stories as of late in regard to man-made disasters in Chernobyl, Love Canal, Fukushima, and sadly it all comes down to the same thing: money over people. Whereas the other books have been straightforward, this one relies too much on what the author believes would have happened to the people affected by the incident.

One story, in particular, is of a woman and her daughter who died on the train back to Bhopal when it got close to the station and into the cloud of MIC gas. He writes as if there was an eye-witness there who copied down their thoughts and comments, and then disappeared to allow them to their dire fate. I know that writers are supposed to lend voice to the victims, but don't try to push emotional plight on the dead, use the voice of the living to tell the story.

Going away from disasters for a bit, need to regain my footing in fantasy and horror :)

[Shuraih · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently in my industrial disaster reading phase, and this book delivered exactly what I was looking for. Kurzman does an excellent job exposing how both the corrupt Indian government and cash-hungry capitalists completely failed the people of Bhopal. The corporate machinations and political maneuvering are laid bare in disturbing detail.

My main criticism is that the writing can be quite terse at times. Despite this, it's a valuable read for understanding one of the world's worst industrial disasters and the systemic failures that enabled it.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A global company that didn't care about safety. Workers that didn't care about safety. Lawyers who were out for the most money possible. Survivors who were victimized by everyone. Need I say more.