The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
December 1st, 2007Before my wife and I made our four hour drive to Utah for Thanksgiving, we stopped at the library to find an audio book that would entertain us on the drive. The Johnstown Flood caught my eye because I was already familiar with David McCullough ( I heard him speak at BYU a couple years ago).
The book is a historical account of Johnstown Pennsylvania being flooded because the South Fork Dam broke in 1889. McCullough writes in such a way that you don’t feel like you are reading a history text book laden with boring facts. It’s not as fast paced as a novel, but McCullough keeps the story moving and for the most part kept my attention.
The story was especially fascinating to me because I’ve spent the past few months in Rexburg, ID; a town that was flooded when the Teton Dam broke. I’ve been dying to go through the Teton Dam Museum, but its hours are like a Bank’s–only open when I’m at work.
Back to Johnstown . . . I’m not going to summarize the story, but I do recommend the book, especially to anyone who loves history.
