Winchester, Simon. Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded August 27th, 1883. HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.
Reason read: one hundred and forty years ago this month a volcano blew its top, killing 40,000 people.
Reading anything by Simon Winchester is like going into a restaurant that has a twenty-plus page menu. So much information and everything looks good. I personally find Winchester fun to read because he is not didactic, dry or stale. His personal anecdotes add flavor and spice to just about any topic he cares to write. In this case, “the day the world exploded,” the day the volcano, Krakatoa, erupted. Winchester delves into the science behind the disaster; what caused the eruption and the deadly tsunami that followed. For example, on the “explosivity index” Krakatoa was a seven; measured by the amount of material that is ejected and the height to which it is spewed through the atmosphere. Rest assured, he will tell you everything beyond the science as well. Death counts, survivor recollections, political implications, even information you didn’t know you needed like the origin story of time zones and anecdotal information about historical characters. He’ll joke about the different ways to spell Krakatoa and emphasize the fact that the original island was blown to smithereens.
My only letdown was that I was disappointed with the inclusion of a black and white photograph of Frederic Edwin Church’s painting of a sunset over ice on Chaumont Bay of Lake Ontario. The whole point of mentioning the painting was the colors most likely caused be Krakatoa. Not helpful as a black and white picture.
Quote I liked, “Krakatoa, after the final majestic concatenation of seismic and tectonic climaxes that occured just after ten that Monday morning, had simply and finally exploded itself out of existence” (p 257). Can you just imagine it? I picture a toddler having a ginormous, ear-piercing, destructive meltdown and then falling asleep without fanfare.
Author fact: I am reading seven books by Winchester. I couldn’t tell you which one has been my favorite thus far. Everyone knows The Professor and the Madman but I think I am looking forward to The River at the Center of the World.
Another small fact: at the time of publication Winchester was living in the Berkshires.
Book trivia: Krakatoa includes a bunch of black and white photographs and maps. I mentioned that already.
Playlist: Ebiet G. Ade’s “Jakarta 1”.
Nancy said: Pearl only mentioned two books in the chapter on Krakatoa.
BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “Krakatau” (p 133).
~*LunaSea*~ 