Blizzard!: The Storm That Changed America (2000)

Blizzard describes an unbelievebly huge blizzard which hit the U.S. East Coast in the late 1880's.

We tend to criticize the weather bureau today when their forecasts are slightly off, and some storms may miss us, others may possibly impact us unexpectedly, but we're generally aware of what to expect in our region. Blizzard points out what can happen when there's absolutely no warning of a major storm. Today, we'll hear about major storms like Katrina or Hurricane Sandy days in advance. In the late 1880's, as this book points out, forecasts were far from the sophistication of today. When the storm of the century hits, before the days of effective snow clearing or advance warning, you can only imagine the consequences. And if you can't quite imagine the consequences, this book will give you a good idea of the impacts on people's lives.
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A delightful story about a child's experience with a snow day that turns into several days. The snow day starts at school. The snow day goes on through the night and into the next day. The children play while dad works to shovel snow. The snow lingers for days and food is getting scarce in the home. A child gets creative and finds a way out of the snow. He sets out for food (without his parents) to the closest town. The story ends well. A good book to have in a winter bin.

... that changed America." ?áWell, here in Carson City NV we still don't get snowplows on the residential streets. ?áAnd many cities still don't have subways, notably Minneapolis & St. Paul, which get plenty of snow. ?áBut Boss Tweed lost the fight to avoid building an underground transit after this storm. ?áI'd hoped, while reading of all the horrors, all the frozen people, that another "change" would be to find ways to better shelter the poor of NYC, but apparently the time wasn't ripe for that reform.

Anyway, terrific book for all ages about 8 and up. ?áLots of material, but lots of primary document illustrations, too. ?áEngaging writing. ?áIncludes personal author's note, annotated bibliography, and index. ?áEvery school library should have a copy, because everybody needs to learn that Mother Nature will have her way, and we still can't predict her whims, much less control her." ( )

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