1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 7, 2016 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781681680194
- File size: 247144 KB
- Duration: 08:34:52
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Jonathan Yen lends a lively spirit to this account of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. His jauntiness contrasts with the dark violence of the volcano, but perhaps it is a suitable tribute to the 57 people who were killed while doing what they loved: studying geology, taking photos, hiking, and camping. As Yen narrates the extensive history of the Weyerhaeuser company and its role on the mountain, his occasionally cynical tone reflects the author's antibusiness perspective. Yen voices quotations from a half-dozen American presidents with mostly passable inflections and a couple of misses. Both Yen and the author truly shine in bringing to life the remarkable stories of those who witnessed the eruption at close range, some of whom survived to tell the tale. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine -
July 1, 2016
Fifty-seven people lost their lives on May 18, 1980, when Washington State's Mount St. Helens erupted with catastrophic force. National Book Award finalist (Mapping Human History) Olson tells the story of this tragic event using personal narratives of survivors and other primary documents. Olson solidly builds tension as he places the survivors and victims in their locations prior to the eruption. The actual eruption is brilliantly narrated; the listener is taken from one locale to another as events unfold and tragedy strikes some and others are saved by sheer luck and instinct. The environmental policies, scientific achievements, and geological knowledge gained complete the book. The ideology of environmental preservation and conservation is a major theme throughout, which adds another layer. The decision by Olson to spend nearly a quarter of the audiobook tracing the history of the lumber industry in general and the Weyerhaeuser Company in particular will likely disrupt the narrative flow for most listeners but will not ruin the experience. Jonathan Yen reads expertly. VERDICT Fans of Olson's previous work, geology, natural disasters, and the Pacific Northwest will find this audiobook worthy of their time.--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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January 11, 2016
Olson (Count Down) brings cinematic structure to descriptions of the events surrounding the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, finding in them a lesson for those tasked with mitigating the effects of future disasters. He sets the scene by presenting the history of the U.S. Forest Service and describing the growth of Weyerhaeuser, a forest-products company that owned much of the land around the mountain. Olson also introduces geologists and their attempts to convey the extent of the volcano’s capabilities once it began to rumble in March. A group led by the Forest Service proposed restricting areas, authorized by governor Dixy Lee Ray, but they left land owned by Weyerhaeuser unrestricted despite its proximity to an ominous bulge in the mountain’s side. With the danger clear to readers, Olson follows the individuals who were near the mountain on the night before the eruption, reconstructing the final moments of those who died and the paths that the survivors took to where they could be rescued. He concludes with descriptions of the explosion’s aftermath, the establishment of the national monument, and the scientific advances based on research on the eruption. Making it clear that these deaths could have been prevented by properly established restricted areas, Olson takes a detailed and human-centered look at a terrible disaster. Agent: Raphael Sagalyn, ICM/Sagalyn.
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