Eruption The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens [Paperback]

In Mr. Olsons telling, [the survivors] stories read like urgent fiction&These vignettes lend a human face to an event that has become associated largely with geology.As Steve Olson reminds us in his vividly reported new history&what happened on May 18, 1980, in the primordial thickets of the Pacific Northwest, was an enormous, multi-faceted event&This engaging book maneuvers deftly along the way toward impact.In recreating the history of the region and the social, economic and political moment in which the volcano erupted, Olson also reaches for a deeper, existential meaning in describing the many lives lost to the eruption. In the mundane quality of their activities at 8:31, we see ourselves.Olson intercuts stories of victims including David Johnston, the volcanologist who was monitoring the explosion, with an account of its impact on science?such as popularizing the use of lidar. With 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, this is an urgent reminder of the need for advances in the field.Vividly retells the story of the May 1980 disaster and questions whether more might have been done to keep the 57 people who died out of harm's way.In his evocative and convincing new book, author Steve Olson reveals that the eruptionthe most powerful natural disaster to ever strike the USis much more than a horror show&He has a bigger picture in mind, one of the eruptions role as a touchstone for an evolving society and natural world.A first-class, meticulously crafted piece of reportage that is as exciting as it is informativeand will long stand as a classic of descriptive narrative of the biggest American volcanic eruption of all our lifetimesor so we all hope!Olson and his truly groundbreakingSteve Olson has brought new dimensions to my experience of the mountain. [He] masterfully delineates the personal histories, cultural assumptions, values, visions, and preconceptions that were brought to bear on the mountain that day. He has the gift of claritl³„