5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado

by Randy Turner, John Hacker

Death and destruction for as far as a person could see. The EF5 tornado that ripped a six-mile swath through Joplin, Missouri May 22, 2011, killed 161 people and changed the city forever. This book, written by veteran reporters Randy Turner and John Hacker and including stories written by survivors, is the original version. An expanded, updated 10-year anniversary edition was published in April 2021.

Genres: History, Nature, Nonfiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2011

About the author

Randy Turner is a retired middle school English teacher and spent more than two decades as a journalist, earning more than 100 awards, including 30 for investigative reporting. He has written 16 books, including three novels and 13 non-fiction books,

Reviews

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had set myself the goal of reading this book before the 10th anniversary of the tornado, which is tomorrow. I am happy I met my goal. I actually read the 10th Anniversary Edition, but for some reason I cannot leave a review for that. I loved this book. I loved reading everyone's stories. I know that sometimes if its brought up I spill out my story at perhaps inappropriate times. It made me feel closer to everyone, closer to the city in which I was born and raised, to know that we all have those stories of an event we will never forget, weather we want to or not. I'd like to thank the authors for writing this: John Hacker, and of course Randy Turner, my favorite teacher at South Middle School in the 03-04 school year, who always encouraged my writing and interest in journalism. Thank you.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

On May 22, 2011, in Joplin Missouri, 161 people lost their lives when an EF5 tornado hit the town.
The book is a collection of short stories telling the stories of survivors and about loved ones lost.
The stories are not edited so some read choppy and others are all over the place and did not give a cohesive story. All stories where raw to read, I felt all the emotions, this is why I am giving it three stars.
Pictures are sprinkled in here and there. At the end of the book is a list of all 161 loved ones lost, some have a complete obituary, and others have information about them and their lives. That was a very nice touch, just wish there were pictures too.

[Taylor King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a hard read. It goes through the hardships of those who suffered through the tragic Joplin EF5 tornado.

[Amanda Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am SOBBING over this book. The absolute devastation that caught an entire town by surprise and rewrote the future is heartbreaking.

[Coraline Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stories, just wish it were more organized.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

'5:41' by Randy Turner and John Hacker is a collection of stories and interviews from survivors of the EF5 tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. The tornado struck at about 5:41pm, hence the name of this book.

These stories were all quite insightful and generally good to read. I find it difficult to rate books like this, which are an amalgamation of stories that may or may not form a coherent story. This book falls in the middle of the pack for me - some stories are truly gripping, particularly the ones centered around St. John's Regional Medical Center, the white building widely photographed with every single window blown out. Some stories felt off-kilter from the topic at hand, and didn't exactly translate to the other stories in the book.

Three stars for a book that does provide a glimpse at some heart-wrenching and uplifting stories from this disaster, but also struggled to find a cohesive theme or story to build around. If these stories were intertwined with a broader overview of Joplin, the meteorological aspect of the tornado, and the rebuilding process (similar to Douglas Brinkley's 'The Great Deluge'), I believe it would be the definitive text on this tornado. However, it is generally a smattering of stories and interviews.

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. Lots of little stories and excerpts of speeches included with the authors' work.

[Lisa Roth Burkes]

Has interesting first hand accounts of the Joplin tornado in 2011.

[pianogal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not the best, and I don't say that lightly. This was a very traumatic event that the author experienced first hand, and he tried to honor his friends and family. But unfortunately, the workmanship is not there. This is more like a scrapbook of things that were basically copy and pasted together. Some of the copy is very poorly written. There are tons of typos and layout issues. And the photos are poor quality black and white and are not labelled. I'm not from Joplin. I don't know what I'm looking at. Not to mention, the back half is just reprints of obituaries.

There was a great opportunity here to tell Joplin's story. Unfortunately, it is an opportunity lost due to lackluster production. Unless you were there and this scrapbook is about your life, I'd skip this one.