Flood: Wrestling With The Mississippi - Hardcover

Lauber, Patricia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 079224141X ISBN 13: 9780792241416

Publisher: National Geographic Society, 1996

Synopsis

Blending image-filled prose with straightforward historical facts and events, such as the 100,000 streams and rivers that drain into the great river like an enormous spider web, and encompassing thirty-one states and two Canadian provinces, this book examines the undeniable force of the Mississippi.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

A splendid narrative, subtitled ``Wrestling with the Mississippi,'' about a mighty river, from its formation, efforts to channel and change it, floods and other disasters, and future plans. Lauber (Hurricanes, p. 1051, etc.) tells everything through text and a selection of striking full-color photographs and maps; she recounts the floods of the 1880s, 1932, and 1993, in which 464 miles of river flooded, covering over 15 million acres of farmland and driving more than 36,000 people from their homes. Rarely has a disaster been presented in such serenely beautiful photographs. From the front jacket showing a light-colored house and red barns, window-deep in dark blue water to the penultimate scene of a great egret rising against the sun, the photographs are jewel-bright, set amidst the readable text. An engrossing look at a great river and the continuing challenge of technology and science in support of the natural environment and all its inhabitants. (photos, maps, diagrams, reproductions, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist:

Gr. 5^-8. The subject is less catastrophic than in Lauber's Hurricanes (BKL O 1 96), but this photo-essay has the same compelling blend of science and daily news. This time there's a lot more about geology and also about engineering. The special focus on one great flood of one great river in 1993 roots the technology in the particulars of places and people. As in Lauber's Newbery Honor Book, Volcano (1986), the account of the natural disaster is followed by details of community support and repair. The design is handsome and accessible, with clear maps and diagrams and a profusion of handsome full-color photos that range from surreal views of farms under water to close-ups of families trying to salvage their possessions. Lauber points out the inevitable conflict: it is the nature of the river to flood and spread out, and it is the nature of people to try to keep it off the land where they live and work. Hazel Rochman

About this edition

• Publisher: National Geographic Society
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 079224141X
• ISBN 13: 9780792241416
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64