The Johnstown Flood

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation's burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon. Despite repeated warnings of possible danger, nothing was done about the dam. Then came May 31, 1889, when the dam burst, sending a wall of water thundering down the mountain, smashing through Johnstown, and killing more than 2,000 people. It was a tragedy that became a national scandal.

Graced by David McCullough's remarkable gift for writing richly textured, sympathetic social history, The Johnstown Flood is an absorbing portrait of life in 19th-century America, of overweening confidence, of energy, and of tragedy. This is a powerful historical lesson for our century and all times: the danger of assuming that because people are in positions of responsibility they are behaving responsibly.

©1968 David McCullough (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

What damns will fail today due to the work of men?

A timely read as we know powerful men and women decide to build damns for their own purposes at the cost of many lives.

Fascinating

The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know. Harry Truman

Exactly

Good

It was a good book for a drive. A lot of history. Thumbs up for me

Fascinating Teagedy

What a story to be told! A great listen of a monumental tragedy. A must for any history buff.

History Told Well

I very much enjoyed this book. The narrator was terrific and McCullough's writing is excellent.

Excellent story, well written

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, incredible story, provides some real lessons.

What about Edward Herrmann’s performance did you like?

Excellent, but I think the author could have done a better job, he's a great speaker

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, much too long to listen to in one sitting

Another Great McCullough Book!

An interesting story, well told, and expertly read.

This story has been largely forgotten today.

Highly recommended!

Excellent book read very well. I learned so much.

The book was very well written. I heard so much I never knew about the flood.

Beautiful

After visiting, I wanted to learn more. And now, I will visit again in awe.

Buy the Book

My Book Club chose this one because we live fairly close to Johnstown. It sounded interesting to read the book and then take a "field trip"....still our plan. I decided to listen to the audio book while everyone else bought and read the hard copy. I found that I had a hard time visualizing the logistics and making sense of the tragic conditions and events of the disaster. Plus, there were so many small stories that had minimal connections to one another. I kept wishing that the writer would choose a focal point...perhaps one shop owner or one heroic matriarch, or one city official...and deliver the narrative from a focused point of view. Instead the tale rambled and felt like a slide show. Certainly the disparate incidents were vivid, but even the sequence faltered. We went back and forth between hours of the day and then days following.
However, those who read the book had supporting graphics at hand. They liked the book better than I did. With about a week to go before our meeting, I borrowed someone's book and found the photos and diagrams useful.

I also realized that the book gave one the opportunity to refer back and forth. I still maintain that a good writer like McCullough should deliver the tale without making the reader do his own organizing research.