Reviews
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America, by John M. Barry
mverdoorn's review against another edition
4.0
A long but excellent account of the 1927 Mississppi flood.
mightync's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was so much more than just the actual flood. I've read two books by this author, and they have both been great. Highly recommended.
halkid2's review against another edition
3.0
During a three-week road trip through the southern United States, a fellow guest at a B&B in Vicksburg, MI suggested I read this book -- to understand more about the Mississippi River, the levee system, and why flooding continues to be an issue in this area. It was a good suggestion.
I opted for the audiobook, to help pass the long hours in the car. The book is interesting, though it did not provide a completely satisfying explanation.
The focus of the book is on the Great Flood of 1927. But the story begins back in the 1800s with a battle of egos between Army Surveyor Andrew Humphreys (enter the Army Corps of Engineers) and James Eads, the first engineer to use steel to build a bridge across the Mississippi. Each has his own distinct approach to "controlling" the river.
Later, the story shifts to the Percy family -- a father and son -- who play significant roles. The Ku Klux Klan makes an appearance. So does an ambitious Herbert Hoover who uses flood relief as a way to feed his political aspirations for the Presidency.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story for me was all the ways racism continued to shape society, long after the Civil War ended -- as in, for example, the forced conscription (at gunpoint) of black men to do the back-breaking flood preparation work, while white families were evacuated.
The book is a bit overwritten for my taste. And while each story thread is interesting, taken as a whole, they don't hang together very well.
My big takeaways are:
• The Mississippi River plays a more essential role for many more millions of Americans (representing fully a third of the country's land mass) than I realized and to our nation's economy as a whole.
• The River is too powerful and variable to be controlled by ANY humanly conceived system (at least so far).
• The Army Corps of Engineers has been messing unsuccessfully with nature for longer than I knew.
• New Orleans was not built in a particularly smart location.
I opted for the audiobook, to help pass the long hours in the car. The book is interesting, though it did not provide a completely satisfying explanation.
The focus of the book is on the Great Flood of 1927. But the story begins back in the 1800s with a battle of egos between Army Surveyor Andrew Humphreys (enter the Army Corps of Engineers) and James Eads, the first engineer to use steel to build a bridge across the Mississippi. Each has his own distinct approach to "controlling" the river.
Later, the story shifts to the Percy family -- a father and son -- who play significant roles. The Ku Klux Klan makes an appearance. So does an ambitious Herbert Hoover who uses flood relief as a way to feed his political aspirations for the Presidency.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story for me was all the ways racism continued to shape society, long after the Civil War ended -- as in, for example, the forced conscription (at gunpoint) of black men to do the back-breaking flood preparation work, while white families were evacuated.
The book is a bit overwritten for my taste. And while each story thread is interesting, taken as a whole, they don't hang together very well.
My big takeaways are:
• The Mississippi River plays a more essential role for many more millions of Americans (representing fully a third of the country's land mass) than I realized and to our nation's economy as a whole.
• The River is too powerful and variable to be controlled by ANY humanly conceived system (at least so far).
• The Army Corps of Engineers has been messing unsuccessfully with nature for longer than I knew.
• New Orleans was not built in a particularly smart location.
sethsam's review against another edition
A dreary tale of how white capitalist men in the 19th and 20th centuries competed with each other to exploit and ultimately ruin the Mississippi River valley -- only the book frames the whole tale as a riveting adventure story about "men of consequence" and their respective legacies. Goes to great lengths to forgive these men for their hand in perpetuating slavery and then Jim Crow.
Just skip this racist trash.
Just skip this racist trash.
mrssloan's review against another edition
4.0
Great history. Well written. Interesting subject. Overused the word alluvial.
njmatt04's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book on many accounts. For one, it explains much about the evolution of how flooding has been managed on the Mississippi River. Second, it explains much about the political and socioeconomic history of both New Orleans and the Delta Region. The story of the intentional flooding of St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes to "save" New Orleans I had never heard about before, and it was infuriating and eye-popping. Third, it obviously does a good job explaining the 1927 flood event itself. Fourth, it does a very good job explaining the context around the re-rise of Hoover as a result of his work during the flood and his ascension to the presidency as a result. And last, it discusses race, both from the standpoint of society in Mississippi and Louisiana at the time and on a national level. The stories about how Hoover essentially used his relationships with African American leaders to his advantage and gave back so little in return were also infuriating and fascinating.
Whatever the case, if you have interest in the post-Reconstruction and early 20th century American South or the Mississippi River, this book is very much worth your time.
Whatever the case, if you have interest in the post-Reconstruction and early 20th century American South or the Mississippi River, this book is very much worth your time.
ewebrown's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing book, readable yet very dense with information.
mellogg's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant book filled with history,passion, and a better understanding how racism,power, and poverty shaped how New Orleans was built.