Dark Wind: A True Account of Hurricane Gloria's Assault on Fire Island

by John Jiler

Book Overview

Hurricane Gloria is headed for the United States, destined to land at Fire Island, New York, a narrow sandbar south of Long Island. 10 people refuse to evacuate and stay behind to care for the island's unique ecological environment. Jiler combines interviews with the natural history of the island to produce a panoramic account of nature in its inexplicable, sublime fury.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031209311X
• ISBN13: 9780312093112
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Book!

I live in Fire Island Pines in the summer so reading this book is fun, knowing the area and having real people in the book is great. It's an easy read and I need to find another copy!

A riveting account that puts you in the center of the storm

John Jiler's Dark Wind transports you to Fire Island, an infamous island known for its wild gay lifestyle, and keeps you riveted in place as Hurricane Gloria surges toward it. Jiler's use of language is creative, colorful and nimble, and his "New Journalism" technique of creating a novel-like vehicle is well-chosen. The characters are vivid and we care about what happens to them. Suspense is maintained and then justified as the hurricane hits the defenseless island. The reader may be surprised to find that Fire Islanders are not all gay; in fact, an entire section of the island is home to straight, but equally colorful characters. If you like to be transported by a book, one that will keep you turning the pages long after you should have gone to bed, you'll love Dark Wind.