{"product_id":"9781623496159","title":"The Tornado","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe Tornado\u003c\/i\u003e gives account of one of the world’s most terrifying natural disasters. Twisters have left their wake of freakish consequences throughout the United States and the world, and \u003ci\u003eThe Tornado\u003c\/i\u003e vividly describes some of the most bizarre from around the country—houseboats sailing through the air; cars flown to a landing half a cornfield away; an entire house lifted and demolished, leaving only a divan holding the uninjured family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The most detailed description of a tornado and the violence it can bring comes from the author’s focus on the tragedy of one American town in 1953. John Edward Weems was an eyewitness reporter of a funnel that hit Waco, Texas, on May 11 of that year. In gripping narrative, he portrays the events of that day: a man clinging to a guard rail while a mailbox, plate glass, bricks, and assorted debris whizzed past his head; automobiles rolling end on end down the street; buildings falling like blocks knocked down by an angry child; a movie theater crumbling on the terrified patrons. When the storm had passed, 114 people were dead and hundreds injured; property damage ran in the tens of millions of dollars.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Research in news reports, government weather documents, and books flesh out this account, which Pulitzer-prize winner Annie Dillard called “wonderfully exciting. It is full of people, and the thousands of details that make up their lives—and deaths. [It is] a story of enormous power.” John Banta, writing in the \u003ci\u003eWaco Tribune-Herald\u003c\/i\u003e, described it as “a gripping story of human drama and tragedy.” \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e said, “. . . the events still chill face to face with a power that defies reason.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Royalties from the sale of \u003ci\u003eThe Tornado\u003c\/i\u003e will benefit the book fund of the Waco-McLennan County Public Library.\u003cbr\u003e  ","brand":"Texas A\u0026M University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47172541022448,"sku":"9781623496159","price":11.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781623496159_p0.jpg?v=1763860631","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781623496159","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}