Senor Parrot's Perch

On the night of July 3, in a heavy rain, I was in a two-car/one semi wreck on Interstate 90, just east of Madison. The cause? A single sheet of cardboard, carried by the water running along the side of the road, blocked a storm sewer inlet, flooding the east-bound lanes of the interstate. I lost control, the car behind me managed to keep from hitting me, until the semi behind her smashed into her car and drove it into mine.
Well, that got me thinking. Literature is full of stories where weather is behind scores of wrecks and tragedies.

Two of my favorites are The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger and The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin are two of my favorites. Both are non-fictional accounts of real events that still reverberate today in the lives of many people. Both books have this in common: solid and detailed research, and moving depictions of the lives of the people swept up into the events.
The Perfect Storm tells the tale of the men aboard the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing vessel, that was caught in the killer storm off the coasts of New England and Canada. The Children’s Blizzard is the story of the late wave of prairie settlers isolated in the harsh extremes of the northern Great Plains, caught in the worst blizzard in memory.

The events of weather in themselves can be fascinating, but what makes these books excel is their clear explanation of the catastrophic impact weather has on our lives. It is the struggle real people, brought to vivid life in the pages of these books, against the incredible power and capriciousness of changes in the weather and their environment as they seek their livelihood and fortunes.

Both are excellent reads for older kids. For myself, I’m guessing that I would have enjoyed them as early as the age of 13. I would enjoy them at the age of 93, as well. Look for them in your library or bookstore and get ready to lose yourself in another place and time.