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 enlarge | Author: Laura M. Mac Donald
Publisher: Walker & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $1.51
You Save: $14.44 (91%)
New (30) Used (34) from $1.51
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 214555
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 372
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0802715109
Dewey Decimal Number: 900
EAN: 9780802715104
ASIN: 0802715109
Publication Date: November 14, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Amazing and unknown piece of history October 23, 2007
On December 6, 1917, the most powerful human created non-nuclear explosion occurred in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia. The explosion occurred when a French munitions ship, the Mont Blanc, entering Halifax Harbor collided with a ship carrying relief supplies for Belgium, the Imo, which was sailing out of the harbor. The Mont Blanc was literally a floating bomb carrying TNT, gun cotton, and picric acid, all high explosives that were capable of simultaneous detonation. With the collision, benzol stored on the deck caught fire superheating the ship until the high explosives detonated. The effect of the explosion was to destroy most of the city of Halifax, kill 2,000 people, and wound thousands.
The book tells the story of the events leading up to the human error that caused the collision but that is only a small part of the story. By page 70, the explosion has occurred and the city lays in ruins. What follows can be divided into two stories; the story of the survivors and the story of those who came to help the people of Halifax. The same day as the explosion saw relief efforts from across Canada and the US but especially from the city of Boston which had a relief train on the way to Halifax within 12 hours of the explosion. Ms. MacDonald tells the story of relief efforts struggling through the mountains of New Brunswick in a blizzard that suddenly appeared the night of the explosion. We learn about the efforts of the Red Cross as they use the lessons they have learned from the San Francisco earthquake to quickly provide relief to Halifax.
The stories of the survivors and the horrors they endured (husbands identifying the bodies of their entire family, dozens blinded by the flying glass and wood, children made into orphans searching through the remains of their homes) makes for incredible reading, but the way it is presented is sometimes confusing as we go forward and back in time through the first few days after the explosion with different families. There are some other small problems with the book. The maps are not detailed enough to allow someone who doesn't know Halifax to follow the action. The pictures are printed on normal stock which makes them less detailed. For example, a description of a picture of the Imo tells us to note the puncture wounds in the hull but the picture is so poorly printed that they are impossible to see.
Overall, the book is a excellent presentation of an event that most people know nothing about. It is well written and brings to life the survivors and the volunteers who came to help them. It is hard to read their stories and not be effected.
 Outstanding book on a tragic event in history that people may not know about September 21, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This past summer, I visited Halifax, Nova Scotia and learned (for the first time) of a detonation of more than 5 MILLION pounds of explosives that ignited when a Munitions ship (the French ship, Mont Blanc) was scraped by a Belgian Relief Ship (the IMO). The Mont Blanc slowly drifts towards the port while French sailors jump the ship knowing what is about to happen. The tragic event that occurred just minutes later killed more than 2,000 people with several thousand wounded all due to an error in the narrow shipping lanes. I knew I had to read more about this event and found this book on the subject.
The author does a great job of setting the scene before the collision and then what occurs during and after the explosion. I was stunned when I read about the explosion, the shock waves that killed people instantly and the tragic (and horrific) scenes afterwards as the entire port area of Halifax was destroyed. The primary documents in the back of the book add to the quality of her work (statistics, interviews, etc...) and her writing style keeps you interested in the people who led the rescue efforts and those people who were permanently scarred from the explosion.
This is a great book about a little known piece of history that occurs during the First World War. I know I won't forget this book for a long time.
The "September 11" of the 1900's May 15, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an account of what resulted when a ship, heavily-laden with explosives for the WWI war effort, collides with another ship in Halifax harbor. It is a gripping moment-by-moment story of people in the town and on the ships as they react to the moments leading up to the explosion (which would be unrivaled in size until Hiroshima) and the recovery efforts that begin after. Individual survivors must recover and scramble to save themselves and others, doing the best they can, while a long-distance relief train, filled with medical workers, is sent from Boston. In the meantime, we continue to see the ongoing experience of the survivors "making do" as a blizzard bears down on the stricken city.
I thought this whole story was very fascinating, and reminded me strongly of 9/11. Only in this account, modern advances in technology, medicine, and communications are absent.
Tragedy and triumph March 9, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Once again, I have learned something that I had never known before reading this book: the explosion, tsunami and massive snowstorm that struck Halifax, Nova Scotia in December 1917. This is a well-written book that outlines the ship accident minute by minute, and then comprehensively details its awful aftermath. We get a story of great suffering and heroic action, particularly by the medical staffs that came to help from Boston, New York, and a host of Canadian cities. These dedicated people worked day and night without stopping to alleviate the suffering of the population of Halifax. If you wish to read a tale of heroism in the face of tremendous odds, this is the book for you.
This Book Provoked My Thinking on Then & Now December 13, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
MacDonald describes how the tragedy occurred, and what different spectators saw around them as the Imo careened into the Mount Blanc. Today, the whole world watches tragedies like this from every angle (and aerial too) on TV. It took 90 years after the fact to have a definitive work on the Halifax explosion. In our media age, as Katrina occurred, millions of published words, photos, videos and accounts documented it.
While information has been revolutionized since then, human nature thankfully hasn't. MacDonald tells of many small instances of heroic altruism, such as the MB crew, knowing time was of the essence, taking time to be sure all were accounted for; people allowing the hijacking of their personal autos for the rescue effort; a man taking a baby and falling on it to shield it from the expected explosion. In Katrina we saw many instances of people helping people, in the Twin Towers, the young helped the old down the staircases. Another thing that hasn't changed is the need to find loved ones. I think of 9/11, the many poignant good byes on cell phones and how relatives appeared immediately with posters and pleas.
In 1917 Halifax, other than blaming the Germans, there seems to be little finger pointing among the populace. Liability seems to be an issue for the boat owners, not the people who lost families and homes. While the streets are patrolled, it seems that the rumors of looting are more prevalent than actual looting. Finger pointing now drags out for years in court rooms with high priced lawyers and huge settlements. Looting is a mixed bag, common in New Orleans and virtually absent from 9/11.
When the sketchiest of info reached them by telegraph, medical and relief personnel throughout the region quickly boarded trains and some shoveled the train tracks to make their way to Halifax. Again, in thinking of modern times, people are still generous when these tragedies occur (9/11. the tsunamu in Asia, Katrina) but time is no longer a practical commodity for medical professionals. Today, there are careers in disaster relief. There are still volunteers working side by side with Red Cross and other paid staff to help. Most people, particularly medical personnel, cannot just drop everything and go.
The Red Cross had greatly evolved since the San Francisco earthquake. In the following 11 years they had had experience in fires and other disasters. They now had guidelines for relief and rehabilitation and had savvy advice about organizational structures, handling money, etc. You can see the roots of the sophisticated organization that exists today.
The distribution of relief funds has certainly improved. The Black man who made an incredibly modest request (especially considering many others) was totally rejected because he requested a reassessment of his claim which begged the issue of the 10% rule for Blacks and 20% for whites.
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