Blizzard!: The Storm That Changed America (edition 2006)

Middle-school level. A good overview of what happened to the people in the 1888 blizzard that hit the northeast--not a lot on the storm and not much information outside of NYC (which the author addresses in a note, saying that most of the written accounts came out of NYC and thus it's where the focus of his book was). I can see this grabbing middle-school boys, especially since we're currently in the middle of a winter very much like the one that this storm came out of (mild weather & little snow). So that right there could be my booktalk hook. ( )

This is a nonfiction account of the blizzard of March 1888, which affected pretty much the entire East Coast from North Carolina to Maine. Murphy chooses several individuals in a variety of locations (but most in New York City) to illustrate the ways in which the storm affected people's lives. I enjoyed the book, although I would have liked a bit more development of the "storm that changed America" bit. It's there, but sort of tucked in at the end like an afterthought. ( )

Library Thing Part E Specialized Book
Murphy, Jim. Blizzard!: the Storm That Changed America. New York: Scholastic, 2001. Print.

Jim Murphy’s Blizzard the Storm that Changed America, was written in 2000 and still remains a fascinating account for elementary and middle school students. High school students and adults would enjoy his suspenseful mystery book style and profit from this well researched account of the March 11-13th 1888 snow blizzard that ravaged the east coast and devastated New York City. The city as the entire east coast was taken unaware an ill prepared to keep communication and transportation continuous. Telegraph and electrical lines were all above ground and one pole may have had 200 lines connected to it and this multiplied by the thousands of poles throughout the city, truly added to the crisis. The heavy, harsh whipping winds and ice knocked down lines and poles mercilessly. The immense snow drifts and freezing winds disabled trains on tracks and ferries were shattered by waves. Horses pulling wagons were frozen or unable to plow through huge tons of snow that quickly fell all over the city and its streets. Murphy’s account allows us to see how the city finally mobilized itself to clear streets and allow transportation into and through the city. Luckily the city had a large population of new Italian immigrants available to shovel snow. 17,000 were hired at .25 an hour to begin clearing streets. As Murphy tells us in his concluding chapter, these men would be permanently hired and become the first city workers to clean streets, pick up garbage, and remove snow. This led to other cities throughout the nation following suit and recognizing a cities responsibilities to its citizens and creating permanent city crews and departments.

The reader is taken to various other scenes and given details about city life in 1888 such as no garbage or littering laws existed. Tenement low income housing was dilapidated buildings that were erected for stables when George Washington was in office. Four families to an area or floor with only one sink with running water, was available, and outhouses were set up in the back of the tenement building for tenants. Flying debris from garbage, broken glass, store signs, coal, and horse manure became deadly weapons as the wind tore through the city at 50 to 70 miles per hour for almost 3 days and temperatures fell to 8 degrees Fahrenheit within a matter of hours.

Jim Murphy’s factual accounts taken from newspapers, New York Historical Society, the Society of Blizzard Men and Ladies of 1888, and several non fiction novels that were written about New York and the blizzard are all woven with his expert author’s license, recreating the crisis, tragedy and ramifications after the storm. Interesting facts that a 21st reader would find curious and help the reader to closely identify with the 1888 setting are: school age children sent on errands, older children left to babysit, students walking to and from school, women’s clothing items, P.T. Barnum’s 86 acts that his circus performed at Madison Square Garden during the storm, the living conditions of the homeless and the needed .3 cents to sleep on a chair or in the corner in a crowded flophouse, a cheap but popular dish .5 cents pig snouts and cabbage served at the many pubs. The city had a plethora of pubs that were always full and offered some protection during the blizzard.

This title definitely has accuracy and authenticity. The author devotes 8 pages at the end of the book that gives notes on sources and provides related reading material. The style is full of vivid language and creates definite reader involvement through his suspenseful stories that conclude in the following chapters. Organization is clearly and logically presented. He has a table of contents and a complete index. Illustrations are from historical drawings and photographs. They are both generously dispersed throughout the title and they greatly clarify and extend the descriptions in the text. I liked the title and would include several copies in a school library. Intended audience is 4th grade to 9th grade + and curriculum connection is social studies, science, language arts and economics. ( )

Murphy, Jim. (2000) Bilzzard! New York: Scholastic Press.

This book details the events of the great blizzard that occurred on March 12, 1888 through out the eastern coast of the United States. It has details from the beginning of the blizzard and first hand accounts from people that experienced it. It is very detailed facts and has many photographs and maps from that time of different parts of cities that were affected. It was written by Jim Murphy who is well known for having written an award winning book on the great fire of San Francisco. The language of this book would be geared towards an upper elementary school student. ( )

I enjoyed reading about the blizzard of 1888. It had personal accounts, which I thought were interesting. I was sad to see what happened with some people. I would have liked if there were more pictures, it helps with visualizing everything. I live in PA where the snow storms are bad so I would have liked more pictures to compare my personal experience with. All in all, I am glad I read it. I look forward to reading his other books. ( )