Black Cloud

The Deadly Hurricane of 1928

By: Eliot Kleinberg

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

The deadly hurricane of 1928 claimed 2500 lives, and the long-forgotten story of the casualties, as told in Black Cloud, continues to stir passion. Among the dead were 700 black Floridian men, women, and children who were buried in an unmarked West Palm Beach ditch during a racist recovery and rebuilding effort that conscripted the labor of blacks much like latter-day slaves. Palm Beach Post reporter Eliot Kleinberg has penned this gripping tale from dozens of interviews with survivors, diary entries, accounts from newspapers, government documents, and reports from the National Weather Service and the Red Cross. Immortalized in Zora Neale Hurston's classic Their Eyes Were Watching God, thousands of poor blacks had nowhere to run when the waters of Lake Okeechobee rose. No one spoke for them, no one stood up for them, and no one could save them. With heroic tales of survival and loss, this book finally gives the dead the dignity they deserve. The new, updated edition of this important book is published by the Florida Historical Society Press.

©2016 Florida Historical Society (P)2017 Florida Historical Society

A tragedy that needed to be told

What made the experience of listening to Black Cloud the most enjoyable?

Learning facets of the hurricane and it's timeless impact and what we can attribute today when connecting the facts.

Have you listened to any of Lee Ann Howlett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Strong, narration for the seriousness of the subject at hand.

Any additional comments?

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

Devastating flooding

Today we are really fortunate.  We know the chance of a hurricane hitting us weeks in advance and as it gets closer the reports predict a smaller cone of probability.  But in 1928 that was not the case.  Hopefully, the hurricane came across a ship or a Carribean island to give some idea.  This book covers the great hurricane of 1928 and its devastating effects on the residents of the Lake Okeechobee area.  Lots of people thought because they were so far inland they wouldn't have a problem.  But with the dike breaking on the lake it flooded the homes on the edge of the Everglades.  Much farmland was put under water killing crops and livestock.  

Throughout this book, Kleinberg gives you acts of heroism, and complete heartbreak as some parents had their children in their arms until getting smashed with a wave and losing them in the water.  This book also goes heavy on the racial factors.  In the mass graves that were dug, they had to be sure not to mix the white and black dead bodies.  Also, blacks were still used as the labor force because they were sent out to collect the bodies. Post devastation once the federal government stepped in a funded a proper dike on the Lake, part of the land was turned into sugar fields.  

I think this book would be good for anyone interested in hurricanes. Early tracking of hurricanes seems so archaic in our modern view.  Another thing I found quite interesting is the propensity of humans to see something like the Everglades and think "Wow you know if we dug some canals we could drain this property and use it for farming or sell for high price real estate".  Living close to the great dismal swamp they did the same thing.  Dug canals to drain the property and make it good farming soil.  I would love to see some aerial photos of the united states from the 1600 or 1700's before the white man conquered the land so dramatically.

interesting

Pretty interesting and informative. Somewhat repetitive at times.

Great narration. Very well done.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Much more than account of a single hurricane

Eliot Kleinberg's Black Cloud is more than just an account of the 1928 hurricane. While that is the centre piece of the book, covering it in great detail, it is broader in scope than that - also looking at the wider history of hurricanes in Florida, their impact and how things have changed in response to them.

Klienberg puts the 1928 hurricane in a wider context of other hurricanes, Florida's attempts at the time to promote the state as a great place to live, and at the ingrained racism of the time. Kleinburg attempts to provide comparisons to hurricanes before and since 1928, in terms of deaths and infrastructure cost, noting the changes in how things are built, how costs and deaths are calculated, and even how storm strengths are calculated have completely changed. There is much guess work in this, as many of the storm measurement devices didn't hold up against the storm and top end wind speeds and rain values aren't exactly known. Similarly the exact details of how many dead aren't known and much is put to speculation based on varying accounts.

Klienburg has included many accounts of the storm, giving both depressing stories of loss, and hopeful stories of unexpected survival and reunion.

There is more focus on the aftermath, how the cleanup was done, who did what, how people were treated, than there is around the actual storm. The book also gives details on how changes because of this storm (such as changes to the levee system) have helped prevent such serious damage and death since.

The blurb made it sound like the focus of the book would be on the racism and Jim Crow type actions that made the hurricane worse for black people. That is certainly there in this book, and there are some discussions on it, but it's not as front and centre as I expected. Rather than being a bold out and out discussion on it (although there is some of that), it is weaved throughout the book, almost as a depressing additional commentary.


Narration by Lee Ann Howlett was good. Clear, easy to follow and well paced. She was engaging and worked well for what was a heavy subject.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Danger Still Making News Today!

Where does Black Cloud rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a strong entry in non fiction. There are elements of social injustice, natural catastrophe, regional history. And it's well written and narrated. There are personal stories of families.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Black Cloud?

The realization that what occurred is even today, of major concern. Lake Okeechobee. You know the pictures from space? That big body of water in Florida is the subject of this disaster-Lake Okeechobee . I Googled the Lake and it is still a major concern TODAY!

What does Lee Ann Howlett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought she did an outstanding job! Very pleasant, listenable voice. And though I'm no expert, her pronunciations seem right. I think that some of the material was a bit dry and Lee Ann made it more easy to hear about. Kept my attention!

Any additional comments?

An important issue was the racism that was prevalent at the time this disaster took place. A reason you may not be aware of the circumstances was that the victims were poor and Black.

This was an interesting work! I enjoy History that is well researched and written. This fits in those criteria. I don't have any connection to Florida or the area, but this still held my attention.

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost. Which I can only assume was voluntary on their part. I am happy to give my honest review of it. I think I'm suppose to mention how reviewing this was voluntary on my part too.