Tuesday, May 31, 2016

BLOG TOUR: How Four Feet of Plywood Saved the Grand Canyon by Jerry Borrowman


ABOUT THE BOOK

History turns on small points. From the world's most catastrophic game of chicken to the nail-biting success story at the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, discover fascinating events you've probably never heard of. In this collection of eight true stories from the forgotten pages of history, learn about disasters caused by human error as well as calamities avoided by quick and clever thinking—the lawsuit that launched Abraham Lincoln's political career, the collapse of the Teton Dam, the invention that revolutionized the world of sound, and more. This book is truly love at first sight for lovers of history.

REVIEW

Being a history buff, I love to read about lesser known events and how people responded and behaved. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the eight historical events Borrowman covers in this book.  I also found it interesting the way Borrowman explained his own personal connection to each story and why he included it in this book.  Some of the events in this book I had heard of before such as the Halifax explosion and Abraham Lincoln's involvement in the lawsuit surrounding the Rock Island Railroad Bridge disaster that led his rise to national prominence.  I was also already aware of the Yellowstone Supervolcano and the Teton Dam disaster.  But I've found that it doesn't hurt to read multiple accounts of historical or geographical topics because there is never just one view and there is always more to learn.  The account that I found the most compelling because I had never heard it before was the story about the almost failure of the Glen Canyon Dam.  Stories of human ingenuity always fascinate me, especially since it's so much easier to come across stories of human failure.  The saving of the Glen Canyon Dam involves both.  I can recommend this book to those like myself who enjoy reading about lesser known events of human history that nonetheless left there mark on the world.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE

May 30th: 
May 31st: 
June 1st:
June 2nd:
June 3rd: 


No comments:

Post a Comment