The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004

Great Historic Disasters

by William W. Lace

On December 26, 2004, a gigantic earthquake ripped apart the floor of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra. The force of the quake, sent a tsunami, in all directions toward unprotected shores and unwarned populations. This title shows how the earthquake and tsunami changed the way nations are tracking natural-disaster warnings.

127 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 2008

About the author

William W. Lace is a native of Fort Worth, Texas, where he is a vice chancellor at Tarrant County College. He holds a bachelor's degree from Texas Christian University, a master's degree from East Texas State University, and a doctorate from the University of North Texas.

Prior to joining Tarrant County College, he was director of the News Service at the University of Texas at Arlington and a sportswriter and columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written more than 50 non-fiction books for young readers on subjects ranging from the atomic bomb to the Dallas Cowboys. He and his wife, Laura, a retired school librarian, live in Arlington, Texas, and have two children and four grandchildren.

His career as an author began in 1991 when, at the urging of his wife, he wrote a biography of baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan. Ryan was then a member of the Texas Rangers Baseball Team, but no biography of him for young readers had been done since 1973. His interest in English history stems from his discovery of an old book once belonging to his father on King Arthur and the viewing on live television of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.