While Peary may or may not have made it to the North Pole (there is too much evidence to sift through either way with any certainty), this book makes you feel he truly believed he did. While he is a man who made serious mistakes, even unforgivable mistakes, this book correctly describes what was worthy about the man and his exploits. (Mistakes isn't quite the right word, but crimes (I am thinking of bringing the Inuit to the American Museum of Natural History.) may not be the right word either.)

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PatsyMurray | Nov 28, 2023 |

Death Song: The Last of the Indian Wars por John Edward Weems

Well written book on the messing of two opposites- The plains Indian and the never ending desire of the West seeking settlers. Told in such a fashion that one (me, an Easterner) can not help feel badly for the Indians who had little control over the events of their demise. Very little on battles but with much on the dealings between the Indians and a hostile land hungry Federal Government.
Definitely a must read, if for no other reason to realize how poor the Federal Government interacts with minorities. Four and 1/2 stars , not 5 only because I wanted still more… (más)

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busterrll | Jul 29, 2020 |

A weekend in September por John Edward Weems

It has been some time since I have felt compelled to read a book straight through to the end, and then to require some time to reflect and recover. Such a gripping story so well told. Somehow it made me miss my hometown of Houston in spite of the horror of the experience of the 1900 storm. We always figured Galveston was home by extension. Now I want to go and walk through its streets even more so.

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Pamici | 3 reseñas más. | May 25, 2013 |

A weekend in September por John Edward Weems

The Galveston hurricane of 1900 wreaks havoc before your eyes through the memories of its survivors. John Edward Weems interviewed many survivors of this deadly hurricane before he penned this work many years ago. His narrative covers individual stories interwoven during the time-line of the approaching storm, its full-force assault on the island, and the storm's aftermath.

Daisy Thorne's story stands out. Just a few blocks from the beach, she lives with her mother; while she's enjoying the summer break from her role as schoolteacher, she prepares her trousseau for her upcoming wedding. As the storm approaches, neighbors come to their sturdier building to wait it out. The severity of the storm is frightening as they watch buildings around them disintegrate. Then their own walls gradually start to crumble, forcing all the building's survivors into one central room. By the end of the storm, 22 people had weathered the nightmare standing in what was left of Daisy's bedroom.

Daisy's fiance raced as fast as transportation could carry him from his home in Austin to try to find her and they were the first couple wed after the storm, walking down the muddy aisle of the dilapidated church in borrowed finery. A few days after the storm, Daisy wrote, “I feel that I have been given a marvelous blessing,” she observed, “to have been brought so close to the infinite and to see how small finite things are.”

Mr. Weems does a good job of setting the stage for the storm, addressing the weather observation methods of the day and the things learned from this hurricane. His technique of telling the individual stories, intermeshing them along during the hours of the disaster, made it very real and personal. The cold numbers were: first estimates – 1,000 dead, final numbers were never known – between 6,000 and 12,000, with 8,000 being the most cited figure, and all this from one city.

He also goes on to explain what measures were taken by Galveston to ensure this deadly outcome not be repeated – the seawall which you see there today, and a raising of the island topography itself, by pumping more sand atop it. It was a fascinating telling of a horrible disaster, and the resiliency of a people.… (más)