Pennsylvania Disasters: True Stories Of Tragedy And Survival

True Stories of Tragedy and Survival

by Karen Ivory

Twenty-two disasters spanning more than a two centuries are brought to life in this engagingly written volume. The stories include Philadelphia's yellow fever epidemic in 1793, a series of coal-mining disasters in the early 1900s, the Centralia fires that started in 1962 and burn even today, the tragic fate of United Airlines flight 93 in 2001, and the Quecreek Mine rescue of 2002.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Johnstown Flood! Tropical Storm Agnes! The MOVE bombing! The blizzard of '96! All these and more in a book that could/should be a standard for PA secondary-school students.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. It's currently being passed around to everyone at work, and some people are already ordering copies for their friends and family. Informational, well-written, succinct, orderly, entertaining...I could go on and on. I couldn't put it down. The chapter on Flight 93 was so heart-wrenching I could have collapsed into a pile on the floor. Please read.

[James Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought that it was very interesting how the author used newspaper articles and other writings from the time that the incident happened. Also they have pictures of what happened so you can tell the severity of what happened. I think you would enjoy this book if you live in Pennsylvania and you are interested in the states history.

[Amelia King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. This book definitely highlighted some interesting disasters. At times, I was a bit annoyed by the author's simplistic writing style. Even so, I must say that I enjoyed reading the stories and learned a lot from this book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across something on a podcast that mentioned the Donora Smog of 1948, and how it opened up the path to environmental and public health. Well written, and some major disasters that add to your knowledge. It makes me want to read about disasters in my own state and others.

[Tom Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick read. Each disaster is covered in a very short chapter. Obviously of local interest.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. Nice to see pictures when available. Fascinating to read about events that happened so close to me in locations I'm very familiar with throughout the state...many events that happened a long time ago that are still discussed today. Just interesting to learn more about disasters, heroes through those, and have names attached to so many of them, especially more recent events and read about what led to the disasters and changes made, when possible, to prevent future events. I enjoyed recognizing names of famous people involved in some of them and the role they played.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Experience the drama of - The Johnstown flood,
- The toxic smog that blanketed Donora
- A baseball outing gone wrong--the terrible train wreck of the Phillies special
- A dangerous underground inferno that has been burning since 1962
- Three Mile Island - the most serious accident to take place at a US commercial nuclear power plant
- The final heart-wrenching minutes of September 11's Flight 93"

I like disaster stories.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about disasters for anyone interested in the history of Pennsylvania.