Lunatic Wind: Surviving the Storm of the Century (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "During a hurricane men and animals do strange and unpredictable things..." (more)
Key Phrases: South Carolina, Sullivan's Island, Olly May (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"I don't know if I can ever listen to the wind again and not get scared," says a survivor of the terrible night of September 21, 1989, when Hurricane Hugo with winds of over 135 mph hit the South Carolina coast near Charleston with destructive consequences. In this "docu-drama," novelist Fox ( Dixiana Moon , LJ 2/15/81; Southern Fried Plus Six , LJ 6/1/68) combines factual reporting with fictional techniques to vividly re-create the experiences of people who survived "the Storm of the Century"--two teenage surfers caught in a disintegrating beach cottage, a shrimp-boat captain determined to ride out the storm, and the people of the tiny fishing village of McClellanville who faced drowning when they were trapped in their high school gym by a 20-foot storm surge. As in "made for TV" docudramas, Fox's fictional characters are cliched composites, and one could argue whether Hugo, while setting a new record for high dollar property damage, was as devastating as Hurricane Camille, considered one of the most destructive killer storms to hit the United States. Still, Fox's gripping descriptions of a hurricane's fury will delight armchair storm chasers. For popular collections.
- Wilda Williams, " Library Journal"
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

A report on the night Hurricane Hugo slammed into the South Carolina coast includes commentary from the people caught in the storm and narrative accounts of the history, lore, and local color of Charleston.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill; 1st edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945575424
• ISBN-13: 978-0945575429
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,363,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The narrative lacks fire and needs more context., November 14, 2000

By	Paul Buford (Southwestern New Jerrsey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love disaster books, and have since I was old enough to read chapter books. Early in my relationship with Amazon, I did a subject search on different disasters, and was suprised by the meager selection. There really are very few readable first-person/journalistic book-length disaster accounts available. We are indeed fortunate to have first-rate books like "The Perfect Storm," and "Isaac's Storm" come out so close together.

It is also the reason I must be kind in this review. These books remind you that you read books like this for two reasons. One is to participate vicariously in an intense experience. The second is to further our understanding of science--both social and physical. How does a disaster develop? How do we react to it? Were the right decisions made? This book, written before the others I mentioned, does not fufill any of these purposes very well.

"Lunatic Wind" is essentially a first-person account of the passage of Hurricane Hugo through South Carolina and how it affected a man, his two teen-aged sons and their grandmother. The account is very parochial and not very insightful.

Perhaps the most memorable passages are the descriptions of the two young men, doggedly ignoring and resourcefully dodging all attempts to keep them from surfing in a hurricane off a barrier island. If anything proves the late development of judgement skills in the adolescent this is it!

One hungers for comprehensive journalistic accounts of important disaster events like Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew: "How did the storms develop?" "Were they predicted accurately?" "How did people (and institutions) survive?" "What was the long-term impact?" But they are apparently rarely attempted. Which makes books like "Lunatic Wind" valuable.

"Lunatic Wind," should be seen as a primary source, a building block, to an eagerly anticipated comprehensive treatment of Hurricane Hugo.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hurricane Madness, May 19, 2000

By A Customer

This incredible book is the novelization on actual incidents that occurred during Hurricane Hugo. You will be unable to put this book down, in fact, you may very well fall off the edge of your seat!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Which Hurricane?, June 1, 2000

By	Jennipuppypooper Ryan (U.S.) - See all my reviews

Hello....what book is this? Is it about hurricane Hugo? I need lots of info about hurricane Hugo! Now!