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The Great Tri-State Tornado
The Deadliest Twister in U.S. History The weather forecast for much of the Midwest on March 18, 1925, predicted "Wind and rain." This prediction was right, but lethally inadequate. Around 1 p.m., a tornado touched down near Ellington, Missouri, and charged relentlessly for three and a half hours across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The destructive storm left schools and workplaces leveled, over 600 dead and 1,600 injured in its two-hundred-nineteen-mile wake--earning it the name, the Great American Tornado. A nation united, doctors and nurses rushed aboard express trains. The Red Cross orchestrated an enduring six-month relief campaign, and people contributed funds and condolences from around the world. Amidst the staggering ruin, volunteers, the Red Cross, and ordinary heroes like Isaac Levy spearheaded awe-inspiring recovery efforts that rivaled the powerful storm.
192 pages, Paperback
Published July 15, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 24, 2025
I bought this book a little over a year ago at a local author event. Mr. Harter was very kind and knowledgeable and even signed my book. I told him then I would review his book on Goodreads, and though it has been a while, today I fulfill my oath.
I found the book interesting in that it taught me about a subject I had previously not known about. It seems odd that I live in Indiana and yet have never heard about the deadliest tornado in U.S. history that went through my state.
The book is very well-researched. You can tell Harter spent a lot of time in small-town libraries and historical society archives. However, the narrative of the book does little more than a play-by-play of the events, failing to put the story in any sort of emotional or larger historical context. An attempt is made at this in the last few chapters, which are the best chapters in the book, but sprinkling such narrative in throughout the book would have made it a more enjoyable read.
One thing he did to try to make his work more literary is add in some flowery descriptions. I appreciate the attempt, but he often didn't do his homework on them.
An example is on page 19, the start of chapter 2. He writes, "Whatever land remained was covered by sweetgum, silver maple, ash, elm, and Bradford pear trees." Of course, he is just trying to describe the landscape in an interesting way. Unfortunately, I am a tree guy. The Bradford pear tree is an invasive species brought in as an ornamental tree from Asia in the 1960s. Even if the term is being used for the broader ornamental pear, they were just introduced in the early 1920s to the American east coast and would not be wild in rural Missouri by 1925. What probably happened is Harter asked a local what kind of trees grew in the area, was told Bradford pear, and he just assumed it was a native tree. Of course, no one who read this book but me probably noticed or cared, but it is little things like that that a more fastidious editor at a larger book company would have caught.
On that note, I noticed three or four grammatical errors, especially in earlier chapters, but that kind of thing is going to happen in a work like this.
Overall, a good first attempt by a burgeoning author. Harter definitely has research skills. He just needs to tighten up the narrative a little. I would try a second book from him.
I found the book interesting in that it taught me about a subject I had previously not known about. It seems odd that I live in Indiana and yet have never heard about the deadliest tornado in U.S. history that went through my state.
The book is very well-researched. You can tell Harter spent a lot of time in small-town libraries and historical society archives. However, the narrative of the book does little more than a play-by-play of the events, failing to put the story in any sort of emotional or larger historical context. An attempt is made at this in the last few chapters, which are the best chapters in the book, but sprinkling such narrative in throughout the book would have made it a more enjoyable read.
One thing he did to try to make his work more literary is add in some flowery descriptions. I appreciate the attempt, but he often didn't do his homework on them.
An example is on page 19, the start of chapter 2. He writes, "Whatever land remained was covered by sweetgum, silver maple, ash, elm, and Bradford pear trees." Of course, he is just trying to describe the landscape in an interesting way. Unfortunately, I am a tree guy. The Bradford pear tree is an invasive species brought in as an ornamental tree from Asia in the 1960s. Even if the term is being used for the broader ornamental pear, they were just introduced in the early 1920s to the American east coast and would not be wild in rural Missouri by 1925. What probably happened is Harter asked a local what kind of trees grew in the area, was told Bradford pear, and he just assumed it was a native tree. Of course, no one who read this book but me probably noticed or cared, but it is little things like that that a more fastidious editor at a larger book company would have caught.
On that note, I noticed three or four grammatical errors, especially in earlier chapters, but that kind of thing is going to happen in a work like this.
Overall, a good first attempt by a burgeoning author. Harter definitely has research skills. He just needs to tighten up the narrative a little. I would try a second book from him.
August 19, 2024
I’m not often a nonfiction reader, but this book is great. The detailed description of this mega tornado reads like a sequel to Twister, and you have to constantly remind yourself that it’s real! After you’re consumed with devastation and loss, the stories of the people helping rebuild you like they did those communities. It may not be a sequel to Twister or Twisters, but if Hollywood made a movie based on this book and the actual stories within, I’d pay to see it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews