Red River Rising: The Anatomy of a Flood and the Survival of an American City

by Ashley Shelby

Book Overview

On April 19, 1997, in one of the most dramatic floods in U.S. history, more than 50,000 people abandoned their homes and businesses in Grand Forks, North Dakota. A nation watched as the heart of downtown, engulfed by a river, burst into flames above the water line. Like Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, Red River Rising is a compelling true-life narrative about the confluence of natural forces and human error that shaped one of the greatest natural...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873515005
• ISBN13: 9780873515009
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Borealis Books
• Length: 265 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Best disaster book I've ever read!

Poor North Dakota. They are hit hard by nature--and hit even harder by their own sad infighting. My only problem with this book is the claim of "survival" in the subtitle. It's clear that Grand Forks has not survived this flood, not without some serious wounds to the community.There is something of the Old Testament in this story. This book is beautifully written, fast paced, and gripping. I found it absolutely gut wrenching.

Fantastic!

This book was both compelling and informative. The way Shelby was able to explain the complex ideas of hydrology in terms that any person could understand was impressive. The author told a story of truth-which I believe is why the reviewers from Grand Forks have had problems with its content. Nobody likes the truth especially if it makes one look bad. This book is extremely well researched and I enjoyed reading it. Because of Shelby's sharp journalistic writing and her ability to connect with the people, she was able to tell a story that was both honest and heart wrenching. It takes a person of great talent to weave such a delicate web of human experience and fact. Thank you for the book and I will be the first in line to buy your next.

Long story short--excellent nonfiction

The book's great. The criticism, laughable. What's even funnier to an old river rat is to see someone say that Shelby moves the Mississippi "250" miles; actually the reviewer doesn't understand Shelby when she refers to the '93 Mississippi flood, which affected more than 400,000 square acres, including the city of Des Moines, Shelby writes. Des Moines is, as anyone knows, on the Des Moines River--which is in the Mississippi River basin; Shelby never once says Des Moines is on the main channel of the Mississippi. She simply says it was affected in the Mississippi River floods of '93, which, like the Red River floods, affected a number of tributaries. Maybe the reviewer should take a course in hydrology and geography before lobbing accusations like that, which just make him or her look foolish.

Well Written, Compelling...Highly Recommend this book

I am from the West Coast and found this book to be both a compelling and informative documentary of a community coming apart at the seams. I could care less if the Governor of ND is spelled wrong... who cares. I didn't even know nor did I care who the Governor of North Dakota was before I read this book. If you are looking to read a book that is well written and educational order and read this book. If you are looking to read a book that demonstrates the do's and don'ts of grammatical punctuation in american literature contact the lady from Grand Forks who gives this book one star..... incedently her review contained grammatical errors itself. Can't wait to pick up Shelby's next book. Take an opinion from someone outside Grand Forks.... This is a great book

A great read

This is an excellent book--readable, dramatic, and well-written. The book has garnered praise from the country's most respected historian, Douglas Brinkley, author of many books, including one on the Mississippi River. I think this emminent historian's praise speaks more accurately to the quality of Red River Rising than the petty typos pointed out by an associate professor of history who plugs her own book in a review commissioned by a newspaper that gets slammed in the book. Do yourself a favor and read this wonderful book, and learn the real story of the flood--the story that some people don't want you to know.