Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire

To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire

by David Cowan

The story of one of the deadliest fires in American history that took the lives of ninety-two children and three nuns at a Catholic elementary school in Chicago.

The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. Histor: Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History

The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. Histor: Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History

Citadel sped up production on this account of the most devastating tidal wave to hit the continental U.S. in response to the recent tsunami; originally scheduled to be published in April, the book should be in stores this month. It's a gripping narrative: lawyer and amateur tsunami scholar Powers describes how, in 1964, four successive waves spawned by an Alaskan earthquake struck Crescent City, Calif., a lumber... (more)

Valentine's Day Disaster (Geronimo Stilton (Turtleback))

Valentine's Day Disaster (Geronimo Stilton (Turtleback))

by Geronimo Stilton

It was Valentine's Day in New Mouse City, and I couldn't wait to celebrate! I had sent valentine cards to all my friends and family members. But when I opened my mailbox on the morning of February 14th, it was empty! Had everyone forgotten about me? Was I destined to spend Valentine's Day alone in my mousehole, sobbing, with only my pet fish to console me? It was starting to look like a true Valentine's Day... (more)

Ghosts of the Titanic

by Charles R. Pellegrino, James Cameron

What really happened on that unforgettable April night in 1912? Even after nearly a century, many facts about the sinking of the "unsinkable" ship, Titanic, remain a mystery, as potent and perplexing as ever. But now, Dr. Charles Pellegrino -- whose New York Times bestseller, Her Name, Titanic, is considered one of the preeminent books on the unparalleled catastrophe -- returns to an icy, mile-wide... (more)

The Eastland Disaster (Images of America) (Images of America)

The Eastland Disaster (Images of America) (Images of America)

by Ted Wachholz

The fifth annual midsummer excursion and picnic had been organized by the employees of the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works. Thousands of carefree merrymakers would enjoy a festive day including a lovely cruise across Lake Michigan to an awaiting parade and day-long picnic. The day would conclude with an evening cruise back to Chicago. For thousands of hard-working immigrant laborers and their families... (more)

Finding the Titanic (Hello Reader! (DO NOT USE, please choose level and binding))

Finding the Titanic (Hello Reader! (DO NOT USE, please choose level and binding))

by Robert D. Ballard

The story of the Titanic right up to its rediscovery is told for more advanced, independent young readers by the man who discovered the great sunken ship.

The Ship That Stood Still: The Californian and Her Mysterious Role in the Titanic DisasterLeslie Reade

The Ship That Stood Still: The Californian and Her Mysterious Role in the Titanic Disaster

by Leslie Reade

A narrative of the actions of the crew aboard the Californian, the ship that failed to come to the assistance of the sinking Titanic, uses official documents and testimony and interviews with survivors to find the truth.

Ordeal by Hunger

by George Rippey Stewart

The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many... (more)

Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy And Its Aftermath

Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy And Its Aftermath

by John C. Esposito

A gripping account of the disastrous Cocoanut Grove fire--the most deadly nightclub fire in American history--and the pursuit of justice that rose from its embers On Saturday night, November 28, 1942, Boston suffered its worst disaster ever. At the city's premier nightspot, the Cocoanut Grove, the largest nightclub fire in U.S. history took the lives of 492 people--nearly one of every two people on... (more)

The Poseidon Adventure (movie tie-in)

by Paul Gallico

The inspiration for the 2006 Warner Bros. film, Poseidon , Paul Gallico’s The Poseidon Adventure is an intense and dramatic story about a gigantic ocean liner and its unimaginable final journey. When a rogue wave capsizes the luxury cruise ship, a small group of survivors find themselves unlikely allies in a battle for their lives. As the unstable vessel rapidly fills with water each must draw on... (more)

When the Mississippi Ran Backwards : Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes

When the Mississippi Ran Backwards : Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes

by Jay Feldman

On December 15, 1811, two of Thomas Jefferson's nephews murdered a slave in cold blood and put his body parts into a roaring fire. The evidence would have been destroyed but for a rare act of God -- or, as some believed, of the Indian chief Tecumseh. That same day, the Mississippi River's first steamboat, piloted by Nicholas Roosevelt, powered itself toward New Orleans on its maiden voyage. The sky grew hazy and... (more)

The Titanic (World History)

by Thomas Stacey, Chris Miller, Victoria Sherrow

This is a simple recounting of the Titanic's tragic story. The text describes the chronology of events and discusses the investigation that followed the disaster. The final pages discuss Robert Ballard's discovery and exploration of the wreck of the Titanic. Sidebars introduce real people who were aboard the Titanic, including the captain, who went down with his ship.

Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals

by William Ratigan

A look at the most spectacular shipwrecks and most incredible survivals in history recreates scenes of high courage and panic as it describes, among others, the three greatest killer storms in modern times.

Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic Sydney-Hobart Race

Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic Sydney-Hobart Race

by Robert Mundle

"Harrowing shoreside reading." Booklist "Should be required reading for all ocean sailors." Library Journal The first book to recount the disastrous events of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race, Fatal Storm is sure to be a popular paperback selection. Rob Mundle takes readers through every white-knuckling hour of the gale that descended in the predawn hours of December 27, stretching over 900... (more)

Hurricane: A Novel

by Terry Trueman

outside, the wind is howling. it is a monster shrieking to get inside. outside, the rain is a solid wall of water. everything is dark. everything is destroyed. everything is gone.... Everything except for the desperate courage of those who survive that terrifying night. After hours of cowering in the dark with no lights, no warmth, and the terrible noises of the rain and wind pounding on the walls,... (more)

A Chair for my Mother: lb Lub Rooj Rua Kuv Nam/lb Lub Rooj Rau Kuv Niam

A Chair for my Mother: lb Lub Rooj Rua Kuv Nam/lb Lub Rooj Rau Kuv Niam

by Vera B. William

After a fire destroys their home and possessions, Rosa, her mother, and grandmother save and save until they can afford to buy one big, comfortable chair that all three of them can enjoy.After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother and grandmother save their coins to buy a really comfortable chair for all to enjoy. "A superbly conceived picture book expressing the joyful spirit of a loving... (more)

Krakatoa

The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883

by Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester , New York Times bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman , examines the legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa, which was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly forty thousand people. The effects of the immense waves were felt as far away as France. Barometers in Bogotá and Washington, D.C., went haywire. Bodies were washed up in Zanzibar. The... (more)

And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic

And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic

by Randy Shilts

By the time Rock Hudson's death in 1985 alerted all America to the danger of the AIDS epidemic, the disease had spread across the nation, killing thousands of people and emerging as the greatest health crisis of the 20th century. America faced a troubling question: What happened? How was this epidemic allowed to spread so far before it was taken seriously? In answering these questions, Shilts weaves weaves the... (more)

Alas, Babylon (Perennial Classics)

by Pat Frank

The classic apocalyptic novel that stunned the world.

Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America

Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America

by John M. Barry

An American epic of science, politics, race, honor, high society, and the Mississippi River, Rising Tide tells the riveting and nearly forgotten story of the greatest natural disaster this country has ever known -- the Mississippi flood of 1927. The river inundated the homes of nearly one million people, helped elect Huey Long governor and made Herbert Hoover president, drove hundreds of thousands of blacks... (more)

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