Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Disaster! The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906

Disaster! The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906
by Dan Kurzman [979.461 Kur]

Kurzman is an award-winning former reporter and native San Franciscan. He takes us on a journey from shortly before this devastating event to several years after. Highlighting the stories of certain individuals among the mainstream chain of events gives this a sense of immediacy and intimacy. Find out how people such as world-famous operatic star Enrico Caruso, renowned actor John Barrymore, and ten-year-old Del Crespi, lovesick boy and future baseball star, each coped with the catastrophe. Or how Italian-American banker Amadeo Giannini made fortuitous choices about what to do with his overnight deposits. Then there was the power struggle between the corrupt mayor and the autocratic general. It's an intriguing digest of one of America's best known large-scale tragedies. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to watch The Great San Francisco Earthquake, an episode of PBS's American Experience (DVD 979.46 Ame)] -- recommended by Becky W.C. - Walt Branch Library

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