A very respectful account of a terrible tragedy.
It tells the story by the point of view of the scientific progress born from the cataclysm, while never losing sight of the human tragedy nor slipping into morbid voyeurism. It was not an easy task!
It is chilling how most of the internet sources focus on damage and loss of life in Anchorage, and only secondarily in Valdez, while the village of Chenega, that was completely obliterated by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, lies in the background. The fact that Chenega, as well as its new incarnation founded in the Nineties, is a Native village, and that Valdez (for what I could gather as an ignorant European) seems, at least in part, another native town, makes this shift of focus at the same time obvious and appalling.
Therefore, it goes to the author's credit to have opened and focused the narration of the disaster on the village instead, and moreover on the human side of the villagers' stories. It makes sense by a narrative point of view, as what happened in Chenega and Valdez, and the first-hand recounts by survivors that researchers managed to gather few days after the earthquake, are most important in terms of significance for the establishment of the theory of plaque tectonics, the author states. However, it seemed to me dignified and respectful the choice to focus not only, and not immediately, on the scientific significance of the events in Chenega and Valdez, but first and foremost on the personal stories, the traumatic experience and the loss suffered by the people of Chenega and Valdez, as well as on their efforts and difficulties in rebuilding their community without losing their identity of fishers and hunters, in a rescue and support system that was not prepared to deal with the needs of native Alaskans.
It would have seemed even more appropriate, since this path had been taken, to write at least a further few pages about the events following the re-grouping of what was left of the Chenega community: the founding of a new village in a new spot, the struggles and setbacks, and the creation of the Chenega Corporation. As it is, it feels like the human side of the story lacks a conclusion, as if it had lost interest in the eyes of the writer,as he focused more and more on the implications of the earthquake for modern seismology and plaque tectonics. It is a pity, because the book is otherwise a very well balanced account, ad it totally makes sense that it focus, in this second part, on the work of Plafker and the other researchers who understood what was going on there.
It does not make much sense to delve into the science part of the narration, as one who is not an expert cannot but impoverish the discourse by attempting to summarise what was already popularised. Suffice to say that Fountain (or maybe it was Plafker's point of view?) somehow draws a distinction, ever so gently, between geologic research on the field and data-crunching at a desk, highlighting the risks of the latter and the value of the former, when it comes to understanding the real significance of natural events.
All in all, a very interesting book. ( )

A look at the March 27,1964 Good Friday Earthquake in Alaska which measured 9.2 the second most powerful in the world.This earthquake caused many changes in our understanding of earthquakes and their effects around the world. ( )

This book tells the true story of “Alaska’s Good Friday Earthquake,” registered at 9.2 magnitude on the Richter scale, that took place on March 27, 1964. It also includes the history of continental drift and plate tectonics, as well as minibiographies of scientists such as Alfred Wegener, originator of the continental drift theory, and George Plafker, who arrived on the scene the day after the Alaskan quake.

The first half focuses on the scientific topics and the second on the earthquake itself. Once it gets to the earthquake, it provides a vivid, detailed, and riveting account of the people who survived and some who did not – what they were doing, what they felt, and what ultimately happened to them. This portion is based on interviews. The majority of the 130 deaths were caused by the massive waves that were generated, and traveled south into Washington, Oregon, and California. It obliterated two Alaskan towns.

This was the biggest earthquake in North America has experienced and the second largest in the world. The book should appeal to readers who are interested in earth science, geology, natural disasters, or those interested in this specific enormous quake.
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The story of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake in Alaska, said to have been the strongest earthquake ever to strike North America, and the support it gave for the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics.

The scientific part of the book was well done, mainly focussed on George Plafker and his work in geology and, after the quake, seismology. The human interest part of the book suffered from being too comprehensive, trying to cover the stories of all of the dead and injured in several chapters before the quake occurred and then during and after the quake in later chapters with the result that they all blurred together. ( )

The Great Quake details the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 in Alaska - the largest recorded earthquake in North America. It's filled with stories of how the quake impacted the people of Alaska, and also follows a geologist who works to uncover the mechanics and the cause of the quake. His work helped advance our knowledge of plate tectonics and to solidify it as the prevailing theory among geoscientists.

The book started a bit slowly - after the first chapter I wasn't quite sure where the author would take the story - but then he started telling the stories of the people of Alaska who were impacted by the quake and I was hooked. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The author, Henry Fountain, is an NYT science journalist, and I have to admit I hadn't heard of him before picking up this book, but I was very impressed with his writing style and how he told this story. Erik Larson couldn't have done better.

If you are a fan of history / history of science, or true disaster stories, then I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I did. Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. ( )