Surviving Galeras: One Man's Battle to Tame the Power of the Volcano

by Stanley Williams

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034911367X
• ISBN13: 9780349113678
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Time Warner Books UK
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Women will like it too

I truly enjoyed this book. One reviewer said women will find it offensive(a male reviewer). I did not. True, all of the scientists on the mountain were men. So what? The rescuers were women and Williams portrays them as the true heroes. Should men be offended? After the eruption the soldiers on the volcano fled and the women led the rescue. People seem to be trying so much to hate the author of this book. Why? He admits over and over that he does not know all the answers. Somenone else has written a book and claims to know all the answers even though she has never been on a volcano. I truly enjoyed this book. Read it and ignore the people who for personal gain or because of professional jealousy or for whatever reason dislike the author. He admits he is human.I thought he came across as a flesh and blood likable man.

Surviving Galeras

As the wife of Professor Geoff Brown, killed in the Galeras eruption of 1993, and a geologist myself, I have been delighted by Stan Williams's and Fen Montaigne's account in Surviving Galeras. It is a sensitive and honest account of an unpredictable tragedy, exploring not only the event itself, but the backgrounds and characters of the volcanologists who risk their lives to help minimise the risks to others of natural disasters. Anyone with a background in the Earth Sciences who has read the scientific literature about Galeras volcano will appreciate just how unexpected the eruption was and why those who died in it were taken by surprise.Although Galeras is the major character in the volcanic drama, other eruptions, e.g. that of Mount St. Helens,Mont Pelee and Vesuvius, are explored as well. There is a good mixture of accessible science, human interest and historical context with various themes carefully interwoven. The horror of being caught in an eruption is painted vividly but the temptation to dramatize events has been avoided.Congratulations are due to the authors for raising awareness of natural disasters, and the risks that must be taken by those who seek to understand them for the benfit of society.

misplaced mistrust

Stan Williams has bravely written an account, with the help of Fen Montaigne, of a life-changing event as he recalls it. He admits that his recollection is only his own, and he did have a significant brain injury. I see the book as a tribute to the people he worked closely with, some of whom died. Part of himself died,too. Now he is still being attacked after trying to set the record straight, while he is also trying to educate about volcanoes. I see it as tragic that he has survived to live in a hell of criticism. Eight years is a long time to live this way. The evidence to predict the "hiccup" was not there at the time. Really read the book and others to decide for youself.

Volcanologists challenge the Gods! An excellent read.

When Charles Darwin viewed the remnants of an ocean floor on the heights of the Andes Mountains, he reflected on the seismic powers that change the world. Films of molten stone, red hot and moving relentlessly, send shudders through audiences around the world. It is in Surviving Galeras, the personal story of Professor Stanley Williams' escape from death, that readers again can sense volcanic power. Galeras, a volcano in Colombia became active in the 1980's, attracting scientists to study the patterns of movements and escaped gases, and tourists for the thrill of danger. On January 16, 1993, at early afternoon, as scientists were completing their observations, the mountain exploded sending blazing stones of all sizes to the atmosphere. Six scientists and three tourists died. Professor Williams, his skull and both legs fractured, was saved. As leader of the scientific team, the question is asked: "Why did he not know that the mountain would blow?" We are still far from predicting a volcano's activity, and the very fact that a team of experienced volcanologists were fooled is evidence enough that the science is still in its childhood, and much more work needs to be done.Williams is fascinated by active volcanos. The story is well told of the meeting of scientists at the base of Galeras, the field trip and studies, the sudden eruption, the years of recovery, and the years of recriminations. The reader is left with admiration for the scientists and wonder that men are willing to put themselves at imminent risk of death.The Galeras story is interspersed with chapters on man's interest in volcanos. The monumental historic discharges of Vesuvius, Laki, Tambora, and St. Helens are described, with their awesone loss of life and the dramatic changes in the earth's shape, making the book not only a personal diary but a field text and travel guide as well. The book is an excellent read and a prologue to the Hollywood movie that is sure to come.

Surviving Galeras

This is truly a spectacular book. I would highly recommend it for everyone to read. It is a breathtaking first-hand account of the events of the Galeras eruption in January 1993. After reading the book by Fen Montaigne and Stanley Williams, I felt as though I lived through the eruption of Galeras and it even made me short of breath. Stanley Williams clearly sets forth his emotions for all people, whether involved at Galeras, those families who suffered as a result of the incident, or for volcano lovers. Being a volcano lover, I remember the eruption quite well and have followed articles about it ever since. This book is definitely a "must read".