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Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries
Natural and man-made disasters have the power to destroy thousands of lives very quickly. Both as they unfold and in the aftermath, these forces of nature astonish the rest of the world with their incredible devastation and magnitude. In this collection of ten well-known catastrophes such as the great Chicago fire, the sinking of the Titanic, and hurricane Katrina, Brenda Guiberson explores the causes and effects, as well as the local and global reverberations of these calamitous events. Highlighted with photographs and drawings, each compelling account tells the story of destruction and devastation, and most especially, the power of mankind to persevere in the face of adversity.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
15 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Z. Guiberson
38 books12 followersBrenda Z. Guiberson has written many books for children, including Cactus Hotel, Spoonbill Swamp, Moon Bear and Disasters. As a child, Brenda never thought she wanted to be a writer—her dreams tended more toward jungle explorer. She graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in English and Fine Art. She started thinking about writing for children when her son went to elementary school, and she volunteered in his class and in the school library. After taking exciting trips that involved a fifty-foot cactus, hungry alligators and sunset-colored spoonbills, she wanted to create books for children that would be like a field trip. Her books are full of well-researched detail, and Brenda sees this research as an adventure—one that allows her to be a jungle explorer at last. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 14, 2022
Yes indeed, what Brenda Z. Guiberson factually presents in the ten presented chapters of her 2010 Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries has been interestingly and sufficiently engagingly penned and is also (and for me importantly) always academically backed up with and by both footnotes and appreciated separate bibliographies for each of the featured and presented disasters (which I always do tend to find better and more suitable for easy and efficient supplemental research than having one large all encompassing list). And I equally and appreciatively find it refreshing that Guiberson in Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries often and truthfully points out how even many natural disasters often become much more horrible and lastingly painful due to human behaviour or probably more to the point due to human misbehaviour, because of inherent nastiness and selfishness (like how many natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes as well as large fires are often made considerably worse and more destructive by poverty, greed and social strife, and sadly how with the smallpox virus, European settlers and soldiers actually used it as a way of engaging in biological warfare against Native Americans and Canadians).
However, I do have to admit that I personally find it majorly problematic, frustrating and more than a bit ridiculously one-sided how mostly United States of America centric Brenda Z. Guiberson’s presented text tends to be. Because while there are chapters in Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries on the Titanic, the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, not only are ALL of the other disasters entirely set in and affecting only or at least mostly the USA (and furthermore, both the Titanic shipwreck and the Spanish Flu pandemic also seriously affected the United States anyhow), but I definitely consider it a huge and even unforgivable faux pas that in Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries, Brenda Z. Guiberson somehow thinks she should be completely ignoring the prehistoric eruption of the Toba volcano (which almost drove humanity into extinction), the Black Death, the Irish Potato Famine, the Halifax Explosion and last but not least WWI, WWII and the Holocaust (and that yes and therefore, these in my opinion pretty massive omissions by Brenda Z. Guiberson, they not only make me consider only a two star rating for Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries, they also make me really hesitate recommending Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries except with pretty far reaching caveats and reservations).
And of course, if Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries were ever to be considered for an update, not only would I be both expecting and needing Brenda Z. Guiberson to include both the international climate change crisis and the covid 19 pandemic, I do hope that she would also consider adding the not included disasters mentioned by me above.
However, I do have to admit that I personally find it majorly problematic, frustrating and more than a bit ridiculously one-sided how mostly United States of America centric Brenda Z. Guiberson’s presented text tends to be. Because while there are chapters in Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries on the Titanic, the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, not only are ALL of the other disasters entirely set in and affecting only or at least mostly the USA (and furthermore, both the Titanic shipwreck and the Spanish Flu pandemic also seriously affected the United States anyhow), but I definitely consider it a huge and even unforgivable faux pas that in Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries, Brenda Z. Guiberson somehow thinks she should be completely ignoring the prehistoric eruption of the Toba volcano (which almost drove humanity into extinction), the Black Death, the Irish Potato Famine, the Halifax Explosion and last but not least WWI, WWII and the Holocaust (and that yes and therefore, these in my opinion pretty massive omissions by Brenda Z. Guiberson, they not only make me consider only a two star rating for Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries, they also make me really hesitate recommending Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries except with pretty far reaching caveats and reservations).
And of course, if Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries were ever to be considered for an update, not only would I be both expecting and needing Brenda Z. Guiberson to include both the international climate change crisis and the covid 19 pandemic, I do hope that she would also consider adding the not included disasters mentioned by me above.
March 1, 2013
Read aloud in grades 5-8.
19 million Native Americans died from smallpox. 12 straight days of dust storms destroyed nearly half of the wheat crop in Nebraska. 300,000 people left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Each chapter in this book details a disaster, providing insight into why these events occurred and how they could have or even can be been avoided. The Johnstown Flood occurred because wealthy members of a private club like Andrew Carnegie ignored warnings about appropriate upkeep of the 900-foot dam that backed up their lake. Neglect of the dam resulted in six towns being swept away in a matter of minutes. The chapter on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire includes current information about sweatshops around the world and how to avoid buying clothes made in these places. Many nonfiction chapter books are difficult to read, but Guiberson’s writing style with thoroughly researched, gripping details makes the text easy for students to understand.
Review I wrote for IRA Reading Today, May 2011
19 million Native Americans died from smallpox. 12 straight days of dust storms destroyed nearly half of the wheat crop in Nebraska. 300,000 people left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Each chapter in this book details a disaster, providing insight into why these events occurred and how they could have or even can be been avoided. The Johnstown Flood occurred because wealthy members of a private club like Andrew Carnegie ignored warnings about appropriate upkeep of the 900-foot dam that backed up their lake. Neglect of the dam resulted in six towns being swept away in a matter of minutes. The chapter on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire includes current information about sweatshops around the world and how to avoid buying clothes made in these places. Many nonfiction chapter books are difficult to read, but Guiberson’s writing style with thoroughly researched, gripping details makes the text easy for students to understand.
Review I wrote for IRA Reading Today, May 2011
August 16, 2014
Loved it! Each chapter is self-contained, so it could make a powerful anchor text for showing students how to write effective nonfiction. It includes both narrative and analysis--most chapters have a section about who was at fault. This will be a terrific choice for book clubs for grades 6-8. Kids love reading about disasters. I particularly loved that it had chapters on recent disasters such as Katrina.
October 25, 2017
Guiberson discusses and divulges information about 10 well-known and terrible natural disasters, including the sinking of the Titanic, the Great Chicago Fire, and Hurricane Katrina. Each of the ten disasters are broken down into ten chapters with subheadings. Each heading addresses the exact causes and result of various disasters, like disease, fire, and earthquakes. The author analyzes the most likely cause of each disasters and she assesses the response to each disaster.
Guiberson also review some of the wives-tales and misconceptions about certain events and disasters. For example, it is concluded that Mrs. O'Leary's cow did NOT, in fact, start the Great Chicago Fire. The final notes and bibliography direct reads to valuable resources for further research. Overall, the story is simple to read and vocabulary is explained. This text is good for interesting reading and research.
Guiberson also review some of the wives-tales and misconceptions about certain events and disasters. For example, it is concluded that Mrs. O'Leary's cow did NOT, in fact, start the Great Chicago Fire. The final notes and bibliography direct reads to valuable resources for further research. Overall, the story is simple to read and vocabulary is explained. This text is good for interesting reading and research.
December 26, 2014
disappointing read - picked it up hoping it would be better than it was....
October 31, 2019
I have recently read this book called Disasters by Brenda Z. Gulberson. The book was about disasters around the world and it gives information to the reader about the disasters. I did like the book until I noticed that the book had pages that were filler to keep the reader interested in the disaster that it was talking about. Out of the 206 pages of the book there were about 75 to 76 pages that's all it was...filler. Some of the "disasters' the book was talking about was "The Great Sinking Of The Titanic"and "The Pandemic Flu Of 1918".
The most popular chapter in this book in my opinion is 6 or The Titanic aka the one that blabs the most about in this book(and with the most filler pages in any chapter).It does go into great detail but lacks it the feeling of this tragedy, almost thrown at the wall and shot down with a pun every 2-3 sentences.Chapter 7/ The Pandemic Flu,it's one of those things that was not given time from the author, very bland to a point where it's just throwing random facts that you don't really care about.like she went on Wikipedia.It felt like she was on repeat and realize that she should change some of the words to sell the book.
Overall the book was "good" with minimal drawbacks. If you want to read this I mean hey it's something different to read. The amount of time I put into the book I wish I could get it back and put into a different book.
The most popular chapter in this book in my opinion is 6 or The Titanic aka the one that blabs the most about in this book(and with the most filler pages in any chapter).It does go into great detail but lacks it the feeling of this tragedy, almost thrown at the wall and shot down with a pun every 2-3 sentences.Chapter 7/ The Pandemic Flu,it's one of those things that was not given time from the author, very bland to a point where it's just throwing random facts that you don't really care about.like she went on Wikipedia.It felt like she was on repeat and realize that she should change some of the words to sell the book.
Overall the book was "good" with minimal drawbacks. If you want to read this I mean hey it's something different to read. The amount of time I put into the book I wish I could get it back and put into a different book.
May 9, 2019
I thought this informative book was great! It tells the stories of the greatest catastrophes in human history, whether or not humans caused them.
This book is a wonderful and respectful retelling of the greatest disasters in history such as the Great Chicago Fire and the Titanic sinking. It is respectful of the dead while leaving minimal commentary over the events. Guiberson's thoughts were succinct enough to keep my attention yet long enough to be informative.
I enjoyed this book very much. A series of short stories summarized up is the best way to keep attention. She gives the who, what, when, where, why, and how these things began. More often than not, it's the arrogance of others that lead to these disasters. Really, if you'd like a read that's informative and short enough to digest, this is for you.
This book is a wonderful and respectful retelling of the greatest disasters in history such as the Great Chicago Fire and the Titanic sinking. It is respectful of the dead while leaving minimal commentary over the events. Guiberson's thoughts were succinct enough to keep my attention yet long enough to be informative.
I enjoyed this book very much. A series of short stories summarized up is the best way to keep attention. She gives the who, what, when, where, why, and how these things began. More often than not, it's the arrogance of others that lead to these disasters. Really, if you'd like a read that's informative and short enough to digest, this is for you.
December 4, 2017
To start I finished this book so quick that I didn't even update it on Goodreads. Disasters is a book by Brenda Z. Guiberson and is about natural and man made disasters including the Titanic, Great Chicago Fire, and the Smallpox Epidemic. It talks about 10 different events In total and covers them pretty well. I believe the one about the Flooding of Jamestown gives a lot of info to quickly to fully understand and the one about the Titanic Should give more about how people were rescued but overall it was decent. Gave this book 3/5. I would have given it 4/5 but a good 1/6 of the pages is the publishing company answering questions and its just a waste of pages. I wouldn't really recommend this book to people unless they like history and disasters.
January 31, 2013
Disasters Natural and Man-Made Catastrophies Through The Centuries
By: Brenda Z Guiberson
Historical Fiction/Non-Fiction
206 pages
Smallpox:
Smallpox is a very harmful virus. Smallpox can be transmitted through contact with an infected person or the objects that have been touched by an infected person. Smallpox first struck the Native Indians. Smallpox was unknown in North America. Smallpox causes very dangerous and painfull rashes. Smallpox spreads to lymph nodes and travels through the blood stream. Eventually it sickens the lungs,spleen,eyes,liver-so many important parts of your body.
Great Chicago Fire:
Chicago burned on October 8,1872, in what the local newspaper called "a calamity without parallel in world's history." The 1872 print by W.O. Mull places Mrs.O'Leary in the barn with a cow kicking over a lantern, which resulted in a fire. It was later discovered that Mrs.O'Leary was in bed at the time. In just one week in October, there were 27 fires. On 10/7/1871 there was a huge fire that burned for 16 hours and devoured 4 blocks. The fire started and spread so easily because everthing was so dry and imflammable because it had barely rained in 3 months.
Johnstown Flood: One day, 2 rivers rose steadily,inch by inch, through the streets of Johnstown, flooding places that they had never reached before. Schools sent there students back to their home. There was a dam in Johnstown. On one side was a private club. They ignored to fix the dam. Finally, the dam exploded and gallons and gallons of water rushed into Johnstown. The people inthe private club knew it would happen but didn't care or didn't send someone to inspect the dam.
San Fransico Shaking:
In 1847, only a few hundred settlers lived around the vast wetlands,sand dunes,and oak trees of San Fransico Bay. In 1848, James W. Marshall, a carpentar, found gold in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. This started a giant gold rush. When all the gold was gone, San Fransico continued to grow as it developed a reputation for sunshine and good farmland. Every year, dozens of earthquakes werre felt because the city sits over what is called the San Andreas Fault. At 5:12 A.M.,Wednesday, April 18,1906. the bumping of the 2 plates of the Earth suddenly made a severe shift. While 300 miles of land tried to settle, the shaking sent out waves traveling at almost 6,000 mph and strong enough to be felt in other states.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire:
A fire started in a rag bin on the eighth floor of the factory. As the fire started, cutters threw pails of water on the flames. Others hauled in a fire hose, but it was rotten. Quickly the fire spread because everything was made of wood or cloth. Then the fire department was notified. When the fire department arrived, the told the women to jump into the nets. Everyone survived expect for a few girls who jumped because they thought they were going to die.
Titanic:
The Titanic recieved a telegram that said watch for icebergs. By 2 P.M., 4 more iceberg warnings came. The Titanic was going too fast to make the turn. The Titanic hit an iceberg and water started to pour into the lower part of the vessel. They tapped out distress signals but the closest ship was 4 hours away. That ship was called the Carpathia and it came to help. Many people were saved but twice as many people died. Then the ship sunk.
Blue Skin and Bloody Sputum:
The deadly strain broke out at 3 port cities at once. Victums were struck so suddenly that thay toppled of their horses or collapsed in their kitchen. Many people started to wear mask because they thought that they would be protected. This influenza caused many deaths and lowered the population of the world.
Dust Bowl:
It had not rained in a long time. There was barely any water and people were starting to get sick. Then, on May 10,1934, a monstorous dust cloud(1500 miles long, 900 miles across and 3 miles high)dumped 12 million tons of soil in Chicago. That black blizzard darkened Atlanta and blocked the sun. In the next 3 months, there were 49 sand storms. There was starting to lose food, water and money.
Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves:
On December 26, 2004 there was an earthquake with a 9.3 on the Richter scale. Then everyone saw a tsunami. The tsunami was over 150 feet tall. It swallowed many people up as soon as it hit the coast. Kids and parent died and so did the animals. Homes,hotels,restaraunts,schools and hospital were destroyed and demolished.
Hurricane Katrina:
The constant flooding of New Orleans was a problem for the people living there. A particular massive flood killed hundreds and left 600,000 homeless. Upstream, 1300 dams were built by the U.S. Army. New Orleans now sits in a bowl-shaped terrain several feet below the level of the water around it. Wetland were also lost as 8000 miles of canals were carved out for oil and gas companies. Katrina started out small then ramped up into a Category 3 hurricane. Then it revved up even more into a Category 5 hurricane(150-175 mph). Many people tried to evacuate but it was really crowded.
I really disliked this book. First it was long a boring. Second, out of 206 pages, 75 were useless facts like this also happened during that time and pictures were really gross and weird or both. I have to admitt that it had some good information.
By: Brenda Z Guiberson
Historical Fiction/Non-Fiction
206 pages
Smallpox:
Smallpox is a very harmful virus. Smallpox can be transmitted through contact with an infected person or the objects that have been touched by an infected person. Smallpox first struck the Native Indians. Smallpox was unknown in North America. Smallpox causes very dangerous and painfull rashes. Smallpox spreads to lymph nodes and travels through the blood stream. Eventually it sickens the lungs,spleen,eyes,liver-so many important parts of your body.
Great Chicago Fire:
Chicago burned on October 8,1872, in what the local newspaper called "a calamity without parallel in world's history." The 1872 print by W.O. Mull places Mrs.O'Leary in the barn with a cow kicking over a lantern, which resulted in a fire. It was later discovered that Mrs.O'Leary was in bed at the time. In just one week in October, there were 27 fires. On 10/7/1871 there was a huge fire that burned for 16 hours and devoured 4 blocks. The fire started and spread so easily because everthing was so dry and imflammable because it had barely rained in 3 months.
Johnstown Flood: One day, 2 rivers rose steadily,inch by inch, through the streets of Johnstown, flooding places that they had never reached before. Schools sent there students back to their home. There was a dam in Johnstown. On one side was a private club. They ignored to fix the dam. Finally, the dam exploded and gallons and gallons of water rushed into Johnstown. The people inthe private club knew it would happen but didn't care or didn't send someone to inspect the dam.
San Fransico Shaking:
In 1847, only a few hundred settlers lived around the vast wetlands,sand dunes,and oak trees of San Fransico Bay. In 1848, James W. Marshall, a carpentar, found gold in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. This started a giant gold rush. When all the gold was gone, San Fransico continued to grow as it developed a reputation for sunshine and good farmland. Every year, dozens of earthquakes werre felt because the city sits over what is called the San Andreas Fault. At 5:12 A.M.,Wednesday, April 18,1906. the bumping of the 2 plates of the Earth suddenly made a severe shift. While 300 miles of land tried to settle, the shaking sent out waves traveling at almost 6,000 mph and strong enough to be felt in other states.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire:
A fire started in a rag bin on the eighth floor of the factory. As the fire started, cutters threw pails of water on the flames. Others hauled in a fire hose, but it was rotten. Quickly the fire spread because everything was made of wood or cloth. Then the fire department was notified. When the fire department arrived, the told the women to jump into the nets. Everyone survived expect for a few girls who jumped because they thought they were going to die.
Titanic:
The Titanic recieved a telegram that said watch for icebergs. By 2 P.M., 4 more iceberg warnings came. The Titanic was going too fast to make the turn. The Titanic hit an iceberg and water started to pour into the lower part of the vessel. They tapped out distress signals but the closest ship was 4 hours away. That ship was called the Carpathia and it came to help. Many people were saved but twice as many people died. Then the ship sunk.
Blue Skin and Bloody Sputum:
The deadly strain broke out at 3 port cities at once. Victums were struck so suddenly that thay toppled of their horses or collapsed in their kitchen. Many people started to wear mask because they thought that they would be protected. This influenza caused many deaths and lowered the population of the world.
Dust Bowl:
It had not rained in a long time. There was barely any water and people were starting to get sick. Then, on May 10,1934, a monstorous dust cloud(1500 miles long, 900 miles across and 3 miles high)dumped 12 million tons of soil in Chicago. That black blizzard darkened Atlanta and blocked the sun. In the next 3 months, there were 49 sand storms. There was starting to lose food, water and money.
Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves:
On December 26, 2004 there was an earthquake with a 9.3 on the Richter scale. Then everyone saw a tsunami. The tsunami was over 150 feet tall. It swallowed many people up as soon as it hit the coast. Kids and parent died and so did the animals. Homes,hotels,restaraunts,schools and hospital were destroyed and demolished.
Hurricane Katrina:
The constant flooding of New Orleans was a problem for the people living there. A particular massive flood killed hundreds and left 600,000 homeless. Upstream, 1300 dams were built by the U.S. Army. New Orleans now sits in a bowl-shaped terrain several feet below the level of the water around it. Wetland were also lost as 8000 miles of canals were carved out for oil and gas companies. Katrina started out small then ramped up into a Category 3 hurricane. Then it revved up even more into a Category 5 hurricane(150-175 mph). Many people tried to evacuate but it was really crowded.
I really disliked this book. First it was long a boring. Second, out of 206 pages, 75 were useless facts like this also happened during that time and pictures were really gross and weird or both. I have to admitt that it had some good information.
April 2, 2020
My first read of the great stay home. It helped me understand the last global pandemic.
October 13, 2022
I really liked this book because it informes us about a lot of disasters that happened. It helps us understand how lucky we are to live in a modern world.
SPOILER
I really liked when the author told us about the Titanic. We all know this story but in his book the author tells us more details about this disaster. For example the Titanic didn't have enough life boats for all the people on the boat.
SPOILER
I really liked when the author told us about the Titanic. We all know this story but in his book the author tells us more details about this disaster. For example the Titanic didn't have enough life boats for all the people on the boat.
January 7, 2020
Disasters
By Brenda Z. Guiberson
For my second book I read a book called “Disasters” by Brenda Z. Guiberson. This book was about the heart breaking events that affected many people, and how these people persevered through this difficult time. I really enjoyed reading this book because every chapter was written with details that went in depth.
This book is about the heart breaking events that occurred over the decades. An example of an event was the Pandemic Flu of 1918. The flu virus that was quickly spreading around this time was 25 times more deadly than an ordinary flu. Nearly half the world got this flu and an estimated 50 million died. Another devastating event was the Great Chicago Fire that happened in October 8, 1871. A drought in Chicago made it easy for fire to spread and eventually a fire left 100,000 homeless and nearly 300 people died. Although it was difficult to recover from the fire, the people of Chicago worked together to get their city back.
I really liked this book because the author is consistently informative. Even though there were many things going on in this book, I felt like the main message was always persevere even though things aren’t going your way. In nearly every event people had to persevere to help others and themselves. I recommend this book to people that are into historical books.
By Brenda Z. Guiberson
For my second book I read a book called “Disasters” by Brenda Z. Guiberson. This book was about the heart breaking events that affected many people, and how these people persevered through this difficult time. I really enjoyed reading this book because every chapter was written with details that went in depth.
This book is about the heart breaking events that occurred over the decades. An example of an event was the Pandemic Flu of 1918. The flu virus that was quickly spreading around this time was 25 times more deadly than an ordinary flu. Nearly half the world got this flu and an estimated 50 million died. Another devastating event was the Great Chicago Fire that happened in October 8, 1871. A drought in Chicago made it easy for fire to spread and eventually a fire left 100,000 homeless and nearly 300 people died. Although it was difficult to recover from the fire, the people of Chicago worked together to get their city back.
I really liked this book because the author is consistently informative. Even though there were many things going on in this book, I felt like the main message was always persevere even though things aren’t going your way. In nearly every event people had to persevere to help others and themselves. I recommend this book to people that are into historical books.
March 12, 2016
I would love to bundle this book with The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, The Great American Dust Bowl, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, and Fever 1793. I think if kids dig those books they'll really enjoy Disasters. (Even if they only read about certain disasters and not the whole book.) Guiberson does a wonderful job of pulling out the details that would interest kids as well as talking on their level without talking down to them.
I'm so, so glad I read this - I'm going to recommend it as much as possible!!
I'm so, so glad I read this - I'm going to recommend it as much as possible!!
January 2, 2015
It is human nature to be fascinated by disasters and catastrophes; accidents and calamities draw us like flies. Guiberson compiles 10 stories of devastation: people fighting against the odds to survive. She covers gruesome diseases, fires and floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, the dust bowl and the Titanic. The book examines the whys and hows of the catastrophes and uses first person accounts, photos and illustrations to bring the stories to life. Occasionally there are odd digressions: The fact that most American steel is now produced in mini-mills and that Bill Gates has given much of his fortune away is really ancillary to the Johnstown flood. Disasters is full of compelling anecdotes: the origin of vaccines, what the first female cabinet member has to do with the triangle shirt-waist fire, and does a good job contextualizing each horrifying event. Unless one has a relentless appetitite for catastrophy, Disasters functions best dipped into like a magazine.
August 17, 2010
This book had nice short chapters and gave good information without bogging the reader down or making it too light on facts. Interesting read.
Product Description
Natural and man-made disasters have the power to destroy thousands of lives very quickly. Both as they unfold and in the aftermath, these forces of nature astonish the rest of the world with their incredible devastation and magnitude. In this collection of ten well-known catastrophes such as the great Chicago fire, the sinking of the Titanic, and hurricane Katrina, Brenda Guiberson explores the causes and effects, as well as the local and global reverberations of these calamitous events. Highlighted with photographs and drawings, each compelling account tells the story of destruction and devastation, and most especially, the power of mankind to persevere in the face of adversity.
Product Description
Natural and man-made disasters have the power to destroy thousands of lives very quickly. Both as they unfold and in the aftermath, these forces of nature astonish the rest of the world with their incredible devastation and magnitude. In this collection of ten well-known catastrophes such as the great Chicago fire, the sinking of the Titanic, and hurricane Katrina, Brenda Guiberson explores the causes and effects, as well as the local and global reverberations of these calamitous events. Highlighted with photographs and drawings, each compelling account tells the story of destruction and devastation, and most especially, the power of mankind to persevere in the face of adversity.
March 28, 2011
Fascinating book made up of short chapters, each one examining a different historical disaster. It includes a lot of photographs and other images (woodcuts etc) that give the reader a much better feel of the time. I learned a lot about each event and still remember (4 months later) most of what I learned. The chapters on the Jamestown Flood and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire were particularly interesting.
The only thing I didn't appreciate was how the author continually inserted her view that the actions of people are what make disasters so awful. Although it is true that people can have a great impact on the world, I believe that we do not have that much control--whether you believe they are "natural" disasters or "acts of God," surely we are kidding ourselves if we believe our actions could completely prevent disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
The only thing I didn't appreciate was how the author continually inserted her view that the actions of people are what make disasters so awful. Although it is true that people can have a great impact on the world, I believe that we do not have that much control--whether you believe they are "natural" disasters or "acts of God," surely we are kidding ourselves if we believe our actions could completely prevent disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
September 25, 2010
Maybe it is in the human DNA, but people of all ages are attracted to disasters, and this book takes the reader through a chronology of natural and manmade disasters. The book has a few international catastrophes like the tsunami of December 2004, the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, and the Titanic, but the other seven are specific to US history. Although geared for those ages 12 and up, these 206 pages of text are not difficult to read. To support research, it also has a Notes section, an Index and bibliographic citations. Unfortunately, because there is not a wealth of photos or graphics, most students will give it a pass
December 14, 2010
Good, and would be beneficial to any middle/high school student for a report/project- had some small grammatical and spelling errors that could have been fixed with a good copy editor, but nothing that took away from the enjoyment of the text.
I really enjoyed some of the earlier accounts, including the 1918 influenza outbreak and the Great Chicago Fire, though I wish there had been a bit more depth added to all of the accounts.
I really enjoyed some of the earlier accounts, including the 1918 influenza outbreak and the Great Chicago Fire, though I wish there had been a bit more depth added to all of the accounts.
July 26, 2012
Non Fiction
Each of the book's 10 chapters presents a notable disaster from history: outbreaks of smallpox in North America, the Great Chicago Fire, the Johnstown Flood, the San Francisco earthquake, the sinking of the Titanic, the 1918 flu pandemic, the 1930s Dust Bowl and more! This is a very readable presentation of historical disasters useful for research and for fun.
From Benicia Middle School Booktalks 2011-09
Benicia Public Library Call Number: X 904 GUIBERSON
Each of the book's 10 chapters presents a notable disaster from history: outbreaks of smallpox in North America, the Great Chicago Fire, the Johnstown Flood, the San Francisco earthquake, the sinking of the Titanic, the 1918 flu pandemic, the 1930s Dust Bowl and more! This is a very readable presentation of historical disasters useful for research and for fun.
From Benicia Middle School Booktalks 2011-09
Benicia Public Library Call Number: X 904 GUIBERSON
July 20, 2015
This is the book I always wanted to write but lack the talent. I am glad [Brenda Z. Guiberson] wrote it so I can share it with my students. I have a fascination with disasters and have since I was young. Unfortunately most of the books about them is not written for a middle school reader. I have had some of the books [Guiberson] used to research on my class shelves for years with few takers. This is just the type of book needed to get them reading non fiction and enjoy it.
April 17, 2016
This book gives accounts of 10 catastrophes and disasters. The book details why and how each event occurred and uses first person accounts to bring each story to life. There are many photographs and drawings in each chapter about each event. Something I took away from reading this book was how people persevere in the face of adversity and disaster.
October 24, 2018
i was very curious and thought very highly of this book. As i began reading this novel, it gave me not only more information on history but on important figures in history and kept me glued to the pages. i could not stop reading about what disaster it was and how it happened whether it was a man made disaster or a natural disaster.
January 27, 2010
Interesting content for this disaster fan, servicable writing. I learned a few things, especially about the Dust Bowl, but nothing really fresh here. As I read this in galley, it will be interesting to see if the photos are better integrated into the text in the finished book.
September 13, 2012
Could have been four or five stars had it not jumped from Johnstown Flood to Andrew Carnegie to Bill Gates! Many details I did not know about these well-known events made this an enjoyable read anyway.
May 17, 2017
I had to do this book for a project at school and it gave me a lot of information so if you have a project on natural disasters you should use this book. But if you just want to read it i still thought it was pretty interesting.
Read
July 15, 2010A compelling book which has interesting descriptions about disasters including the Titanic, Smallpox and Flu epidemics, Tsunamis, and the Johnstown flood.
July 31, 2010
Good longer school-age nonfiction about disasters. Covers the topics well enough for the age group without being too overbearing. Good inclusion of pictures.
October 24, 2010
Lots of great information in a very readable style
January 3, 2011
Though I have read of many of the ten covered in the book I still picked up new bits of information that I never knew or had forgotten.
April 5, 2013
Read for Silver Hills Middle School, Battle of the Books 2013.
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