Al Roker

Al Roker walks the trajectory of his career, and along the way he shares his sense of self and some pearls of wisdom about succeeding at work and life. He narrates, and that really makes the book. He is funny, respectful, gracious, humble, and just the right amount of sparky. I actually enjoyed this way more than I anticipated, which is akin to his least favorite comment, " You look so much better in person"! A fun, quick read. You may even learn a thing or two. I have to say, that a very show more negative view of the younger generations work ethic comes through loud and clear. Ouch! show less

In three parts; starting with history and science backgrounds; then moving on to utterly gripping personal narratives of the horrific event itself; and finishing with the aftermath, clean up, and outcomes for many inhabintants; Al Roker has presented a terrifyingly thrilling account of the 1900 Gulf Hurricane. I found myself racing back to my computer to listen to the next chapter every spare moment. Absolutely breathless with horror and hope throughout part 2, I was paralyzed with undiluted show more focus, riveted to every word. I will recommend this book over and over again! show less

I listened to this as an audiobook and while it was interesting, some of the discs in the set I borrowed skipped frequently. I grew up hearing about the Johnstown Flood, but for some reason, I never registered what year it took place--so I was surprised that it was in 1889--for some reason I thought it has been in the first few decades of the 1900s. I did learn more of the history surrounding the flood than I remembered from other accounts I'd heard or read. That may not be surprising as show more I've found myself more interested in history now than I was during my schooling.

Since Hurricane Katrina, I've wondered why people would want to place a city in an area that could flood if levees or dams break. Johnstown was in a similar position, though I don't think it was in such a precarious position when it was first settled. It seems that the Industrial Age waste dumping (pre-regulations) and the rich men's desire to make the area a resort destination complete with stocked fishing lake created by a dam, changed the topography of the area and made it more likely for flooding to occur (due to river narrowing) and when the dam failed and released all the water that had been pent up for the lake into the already flooding river--well . . . you have The Johnstown Flood. show less

3.9 Page turning, great analysis of the root failures and impacts of the Galveston hurricane.