Customer Reviews

Death Rides the Sky: The Story of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Death Rides the Sky by Angela Mason is the ultimate and best researched book about the disastrous 1925 Tri-State Tornado ever written. Angela personally retraced the tornado's path and interviewed the last living survivors of this horrific tragedy. If not for the efforts of Angela, may of these eye witness accounts would be lost forever. She was able to document to effects of the storm on individuals, families and entire communities. The book has many dramatic photographs that document the aftermath of the storm as well as photos of some of the survivors.

I highly recommend this book to all storm chasers, and anyone interested in the history of southern Illinois,

I am so happy that someone spent the time to collect these stories. I've lived in Southern Illinois for 3 years near Murphysboro and have heard many snippets of stories and seen a few photographs. This book is a well-researched treasure for those who want a clearer image of the events that took place during the Tri-State Tornado. Though plenty of times I rolled my eyes at the dramatic prose adopted by the author to convey the already obvious trauma of events I enjoyed the stories retold by Ms Mason. The organization used within each chapter can be somewhat confusing, especially when story tellers have similar names, but it does a good job of chronologically capturing events which sets the pace for the whole book.

As a quick warning: this book is not for the faint of heart. The Tri-State Tornado tore people apart physically as well as emotionally and readers will not be spared from the gory details. This was actually one of my favorite aspects of the book, because instead of dancing around the issues of people being torn to bits Ms Mason paints the picture as her sources told her. It made the experiences in this book feel real.

For those interested in local history or awesome meteorological events and the effects they have on those they touch this is a must read. Though Angela Mason is not the best author she has done a great job preserving the memories of those who were affected March 18th, 1925.

I grew up hearing the stories from residents and family in our small community about the Tri-State tornado. Living in one of the communities that was hit by the tornado on March 18th, 1925, makes this book even more interesting. Angela Mason has taken the Tri-State tornado to a new level. She allows us to witness the path the tornado took and what happened before, during and after it took place on that unusually warm day in March. I felt like I knew the people she interviewed from the other areas. I could not put the book down! Her research was very detailed. It was evident she spent a lot of time on the road interviewing and researching data from that day. I think it was something her children will never forget, spending time with their mother, riding around 3 different states, talking to people about that day. What a childhood memory for them!! I loved the way she wrote of people on that fateful day, then interviewed the people that had survived. It was the perfect comparision. I hope she is planning another book!

Death Rides the Sky by Angela Mason is the ultimate and best researched book about the disastrous 1925 Tri-State Tornado ever written. Angela personally retraced the tornado's path and interviewed the last living survivors of this horrific tragedy. If not for the efforts of Angela, may of these eye witness accounts would be lost forever. She was able to document to effects of the storm on individuals, families and entire communities. The book has many dramatic photographs that document the aftermath of the storm as well as photos of some of the survivors.

I highly recommend this book to all storm chasers, and anyone interested in the history of southern Illinois,

Angela Mason has done something that is a rarity in writing. Her book reads like a video documentary. I equate Mason's offering with my favorite natural disaster book: The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley. This is the highest compliment I can give this book.

Angela Mason's research for this book was painstaking and time consuming. Anyone who is from the area affected by this storm will understand that last sentence. She traveled to each little hamlet affected by this super cell tornado. Mason even travels through the little towns that no longer exist because the Great Depression finished off what the big storm started. It is a testament to the strength of the people of the heartland that any of the cities affected by this storm survived.

I could not put the book down which says a lot since I received the book right before Christmas.

Most of the stories are told through the eyes of children since this book was researched so many years after the great tornado. This makes for stories that tug at your heart with their honesty and simplicity. Many of the stories will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The survivors and the dead of this disaster deserved for their stories to finally be told. Angela Mason has carefully delivered all of their stories for prosperity. I am from Southern Illinois. I am grateful to Angela Mason for a book that finally tells the tale of the greatest storm not known in our country.

My father was 19 and living in Royalton, Il when the tornado came through. He told my sister and I about it often. It was our favorite bedtime story. He told us about the chickens without feathers, cows stuck into tree trunks by their horns, the railroad bridge twisted up in the air, people walking around stunned by what had happened, how he was blown into a barbershop window that broke and the miners coming out of the mines and finding everything gone. But he never told us about the horrible deaths and the physical and mental devastation. I've researched it over the years through newspaper clippings on the internet, television broadcasts, etc. because I felt it was part of our family history. This book set everything into focus. I felt very much a part of it. The whole thing was made very real. My heart ached for those people, I was proud of their courage and bravery. I knew what these people were like. I felt like them. I admired them. What a wonderful job this author did on this story. She made it come alive. A book I will read again and again.

Angela Mason has done a fantastic job with this book. Her complete and thourough research has served her well and her mastry of putting together the map of this destruction is spell binding. Anyone who lives or lived in the areas affected (or anyone with an interest in the force and destruction of a great storm such as this) will want to revel in every page. Angela has taken the emotions and memories of these survivors and wrapped them into one spellbinding tale. If you've ever thought about what a tornado can do you'll be amazed at these memories, and amazed at what these incredible survivors went through on that fateful day.

Death Rides the Sky instantly pulls the reader into a heartfelt and emotionally gripping bond with the many victims of this cataclysmic event in the Mid-West. A truly powerful book whose vivid and horrific images do not easily leave the mind. Gut wrenching sympathy for complete strangers, born solely from the written word of Angela Mason. Brilliantly written.

Brian Ellis (via Larry Peters)
Correspondent / Columnist
Disclosure News Magazine

While I appreciate Miss Mason's superb research--she followed the path of this historic storm with her children in tow and interviewed survivors in each stricken town--the writing, unfortunately, is amateurish. Where was her editor? I had to wade through pages of ill-written passages full of incidental detail that was of no interest to me, thus the three-stars rating.

Of most interest are the riveting interviews, the survivors stories in their own words. Absolutely fascinating, and so moving. These alone are worth the purchase price.

But for heaven's sake, find this lady an editor for her next book.

The book covers a significant historic event in southern Illinois. The reader must wade through unskilled writing, at times embellished. There are compelling pictures included. I would recommend borrowing the book instead of purchasing it to support the book but not the author.
Mrs. Angela Mason Howser used her maiden name to schedule book signings at southern Illinois libraries; had she used her married name the libraries would not have supported the book. Leaving librarians feeling hoodwinked by "Miss Mason." She and her husband publish a tabloid type newspaper covering parts of southern Illinois. The "paper" is poorly written, unprofessional, slanted by their politcal leanings, racist, and anti-gay rants. They have mysteriously stopped covering corruption in White County Illinois; formerly a monthly target. Letters to the Editor covering White County remain unpublished. Once coverage of White County ceased, their standard of living improved significantly at the same time. Coincidence?
Irregardless of the quality of the subject, one cannot in good conscience support this author.