Galveston and the 1900 Storm
by Patricia Bellis Bixel, Elizabeth Hayes Turner, Elizabeth Hayes Turner

List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $26.08
You Save: $3.87 (13%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $17.95 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Galveston and the 1900 Storm

Book Review: Very interesting, but lacking
Summary: 3 Stars

The photographs, from a variety of sources, are wonderful in conveying to the reader the magnitude of this disaster. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of the story from the actual events during the hurricane and the aftermath and recovery to how Galveston protected the city. I give the book three stars based on the photographs and amount of detail they put into the writing.

Much attention is paid to the role of women and the African American during this time, with some statements and theories that have not been seen in other accounts. It is necessary to check their sources to compare those accounts with others.

Unfortunately, they failed to include any endnotes detailing their obviously extensive research. Instead, as the authors say, "Because this work was written for a more popular, general audience, it lacks the full scholarly apparatus of footnotes, endnotes or bibliography." This is a great disservice to the reader as I found myself wanting to know where some of the information came from. This is my reason for saying the book is lacking.

Summary of Galveston and the 1900 Storm

The Galveston storm of 1900 reduced a cosmopolitan and economically vibrant city to a wreckage-strewn wasteland where survivors struggled without shelter, power, potable water, or even the means to summon help. At least 6,000 of the city's 38,000 residents died in the hurricane. Many observers predicted that Galveston would never recover and urged that the island be abandoned. Instead, the citizens of Galveston seized the opportunity, not just to rebuild, but to reinvent the city in a thoughtful, intentional way that reformed its government, gave women a larger role in its public life, and made it less vulnerable to future storms and flooding.

This extensively illustrated history tells the full story of the 1900 Storm and its long-term effects. The authors draw on survivors' accounts to vividly recreate the storm and its aftermath. They describe the work of local relief agencies, aided by Clara Barton and the American Red Cross, and show how their short-term efforts grew into lasting reforms. At the same time, the authors reveal that not all Galvestonians benefited from the city's rebirth, as African Americans found themselves increasingly shut out from civic participation by Jim Crow segregation laws. As the centennial of the 1900 Storm prompts remembrance and reassessment, this complete account will be essential and fascinating reading for all who seek to understand Galveston's destruction and rebirth.

General Books

• History > Americas > United States > 20th Century
• General
• State & Local > General
• Texas
• Historical Study > Social History
• Nonfiction > Current Events > Disaster Relief
• Social Sciences > General
• Science > Earth Sciences > Hurricanes
• Natural Disasters