Dan Kurzman (1922–2010)

I continue my research on the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. I read Simon Winchester's book before this, and I can't help but compare the two. Winchester delves into the how and why of earthquakes in the greater context of the world, and how San Francisco and the San Andreas Fault play into that; Kurzman focuses on the events of April 1906 and the immediate aftermath. It's really the more solid book on the year 1906, and has another advantage: it's highly readable. Kurzman tells it like a show more true storyteller. He evokes intimate details about specific people and families and the reader follows along to see if they survive.

Winchester is about the science, and wanders off on various tangents along the way. Kurzman is about the people. Both useful books for my purposes, but if anyone wanted to know about the earthquake of 1906, Kurzman's would be the one I'd recommend by far. show less

In the early morning hours of 16 July 1945 the USS Indianapolis left San Francisco on a high speed run to the island of Tinian making only one stop at Pearl Harbor for refueling. Before sailing that morning she had received a radio message with orders directly from the President of the United States – “Indianapolis Under Orders Of Commander-In-Chief And Must Not Be Diverted From Its Mission For Any Reason.” - the reason for rush and the presidential order was the cargo the Indianapolis show more was carrying – major components for Fat Man – the second atomic bomb.

The Indianapolis made her run, delivered her cargo, and then was ordered to sail on to the Philippines. She departed Tinian. On the night of 30 July, to the west of Guam, she was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. For a variety of reasons her failure to appear in the Philippines when expected was overlooked. The end result – of the 1200-man crew approximately 800 made it into the water and then waited for 5 days under a scorching sun in shark infested waters before searchers found and retrieved the 316 who were still alive. Fatal Voyage is the story of the sinking, the bureaucratic mistakes, and the aftermath of the loss of the Indianapolis but primarily it is the grim story of the fate of the 800 men who went into the water on that dark night and the 316 crewmen who were pulled back from the dead five days later.

Author Kurzman does an excellent job of conveying to the reader the horror of the watery ordeal of the Indianapolis survivors. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history of any kind. The book includes maps, photographs, a bibliography, an index and a list of members of the crew – there are asterisks next to the names of those who survived. show less

This well-researched book about the worst natural disaster to strike an American city puts the reader on the streets of San Francisco during its 1906 earthquake and fire. Author Dan Kurzman tells this historical tale with edge-of-the-seat tension, following the experiences of city residents before, during and after the diaster. He uncovers the political corruption in San Francisco at the turn of the century and offers reasons why the city's desctruction was so widespread. In addition, he show more reveals the indomitable spirit of the San Franciscans and their phoenix-like resolve to rise from the ashes. A highly readable book. show less

A good account of the events in Norway around the heavy water production facility and the various efforts to keep its production away from the German atomic bomb program. There is good background given for the means and needs of production. The author is a very capable writer and he weaves the story well. Good reading.