F5: Devastation, Survival, and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the 20th Century
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Product Description
It was April 3, 1974. Crime was soaring. Unemployment and inflation were out of control. A costly war had just come to its demoralizing end, and an unpopular President was on his way out of office. Then, over a sixteen-hour period, nature stepped forward with its own display of mayhem: an unprecedented outbreak of 148 tornadoes, covering thirteen states in the heart of the country, from Michigan to Mississippi. Hundreds of people were killed, thousands of homes demolished, and a billion dollars in losses sustained. Sixty-four of the tornadoes would be classified as severely violent; six belonged to the most rare, most deadly category: F5, or "incredible tornadoes." Like the best nonfiction, F5 is a brilliantly crafted page-turner that reads with the immediacy of a novel, telling a harrowing story of natural disaster against the backdrop of the turbulent 1970s. Acclaimed journalist Mark Levine follows the heart-wrenching fate of a rich cast of intertwined characters -- ordinary Americans whose lives are transformed in a terrifying instant. A pair of teenage lovers are caught while driving on a dark country road; a Vietnam veteran is trapped at home with a newborn baby; a sheriff finds himself in the line of fire twice in rapid succession; a black preacher with a past of dire hardship struggles to protect his family. Other figures enter the story from the broader cultural scene, including Hank Aaron, on his way to challenging baseballs home run record amid racist death threats; Patty Hearst, whose image as kidnapping victim is undergoing a radical shift; Richard Nixon and George Wallace, both intent on using the storms to their political advantage; and a memorably eccentric scientist, known as Mr. Tornado, who regards the "Superoutbreak" as the apotheosis of his scholarly life. Gripping and revelatory, F5 braids the story of the shattering outbreak with images of social upheaval and individual heroism in a stunning, unforgettable read.
Spotlight Customer Reviews:
Summary:
Really Great Read
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Comment:
F5 is a really good non-fiction book that reads like the best type of fiction -- action, adventure, thriller, family drama. It's the true-life accounts of what many people lived through in April 1974, when the US suffered the deadliest outbreaks of tornadoes on record.
I read this book in a day, mostly because I didn't want to stop reading once I had started. Mark Levine has truly done his research, but he's written the story of these tornadoes in a way that never seems overbearing or gets so bogged down in pure science that you want to stop reading.
A great book and highly recommended.
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Summary:
real-world human drama
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Comment:
In telling this story of "the most violent tornado outbreak" in known history, Levine manages a unique combination of meticulously-researched reconstruction of events and a novelistic approach to pacing and description. Although there is some fascinating technical detail about the formation and lifecycle of tornadoes, the human dimension is paramount here; Levine puts the reader into the story so convincingly that it's hard to believe that these events played out over 30 years ago. Recommended.
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Summary:
Interesting historical account
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Comment:
I enjoyed this book despite it being a little slow at times. The author does an excellent job of making you feel you know the characters albeit in a detached, history book sort of way. It takes a while to get to the actual event of the tornado which could easily bore anyone looking for an adventure romp. However, if you are looking for an in-depth, comprehensive account of a major weather event you will enjoy this book. It left me feeling very grateful that we have the current warning systems in place against severe weather.
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Summary:
Dreadful
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Comment:
I thought the book was poorly organized and hard to follow, and was more of a political tome than reporting; I was very disppointed. I lived as a young adult during the period when the events in this book took place, but I did not recognize the America that the author described. I thought the book was about tornadoes; I guess the author felt he had to get some things off of his chest. Maybe he does, but I hope next time he works his issues out in private.
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Summary:
A bland disaster?
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Comment:
As a fan of disaster stories, I opened this book with anticipation. A natural disaster I had never read about coupled with a noted author...well, my anticipation was better than the actuality. The book is, frankly, bland. Everything about it - the reporting, the prose, the arrangement - is all ok, but that's all it is. OK. I expected a lot more from this combination. And why the author felt it necessary to spend three pages toward the end of the book talking about the streaker at the Academy Awards that year is totally beyond me. However, that is about the ONLY section of the book that truly engaged my emotions.
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