"If I were the biggest liar on earth, I could not tell you half."

Timely reading, this masterful and pleasing account of an unavoidable disaster that cost thousands of lives. In 1889, not now, people.
McCullough is such a joy to read, jargon-free, free of tiring analysis, he simply and sympathetically presents things as they are, rare for historical works these days. Having grown up in western Pennsylvania, his first book must have been close to his heart. Myself, I'd always heard about the Flood, my mother having grown up in Johnstown, but I never had a clear sense of just how fucking horrible it was! The sad part was, an entire town was destroyed and 2000+ people died in the flood (the descriptions here of the wall of water and debris as culled from eyewitnesses is worse than anything you'll read this week!) when the South Fork dam broke, but it didn't need to be. That's McCullough's main point in the end: if humans want to try and tame nature, go for it, but you better know what you're doing. Oh, and don't leave your fate in the hands of the wealthy either. The so-called "betters", which included, amazingly, Andrew Carnegie, who had a summer resort at the dam did almost nothing to make sure the dam, which had threatened to burst for decades, wouldn't burst.
McCullough neatly ties these heinous oversights and apathies to the trend at the time of a lashing back against the wealthy and American bastardy in general, the stirrings of labor unrest, and the then unimpeachable "rabble" making their voices heard.

I love the way author David McCullough writes about history. He makes it an easy-to-read exciting story that makes me feel as if I am there and that is how I felt as I sat with my heart thumping reading the real experiences people had in the 1889 Johnstown Flood. Imagine the horror of having the warnings about the breaking of the dam during heavy rain and the rivers/lakes overflowing known but not getting to your ears until the rushing waters packed with trees, train cars and houses come crashing into your house and washing your whole family away. It was a shocking event- even for a reader 122 years later. I could hear the waters rushing to destroy the town and its people, feel the terror of people seeing loved ones or neighbors killed, and experience the pounding hearts of those crashing through town on their roofs or drowning in train cars. No one was prepared and the aftermath was ugly too.

I can see why the author's won two non-fiction Pulitzers. This is a solid story of the failure of the South Fork Dam and the resulting flooding of South Fork, Mineral Point, East Conemaugh, Woodvale, and Johnstown. Mr. McCullough explained very well, the main 4 faults of the dam as well as the subsequent storm and resulting flood succinctly, accurately and with compassion. He also has a fine sense of humor that is revealed appropriately when recounting the witty and wry comments of survivors. I was most impressed with the list of the names of those killed. One really doesn't understand what 2,209 people dead MEANS until one takes the time to read each name, age and location. It was powerful in a way I cannot articulate and brought home the level of that kind of devistation in a way I've never experienced before.

The Johnstown Flood is David McCullough’s first book and the first of his books that I have read. It was also our book club selection this month. Although terribly sad, I absolutely loved how the author told this story. McCullough made the book about about the people and not just the event. He weaved the history of the area’s growth and its industries’ development into the story of the people who lived and worked there. He detailed the development of the earthen South Fork Dam. As well as, how the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club unwittingly added to the devastation through their changes to the dam’s structure. Sadly, the people of Johnstown also failed to heed the warnings that were widely spread that day. McCullough’s interpretation of events does not coincide with the legal interpretation that the flood was a natural disaster due to extreme weather conditions. Rather, he makes rational and valid points that the Johnstown flood was a man made disaster. McCullough does allow the reader to come to their own conclusions. That was evident in our book club discussion…some believed it was man made and others did not. This was a tremendous story, I especially appreciated Clara Barton and the role of the Red Cross. Considering this occurred in 1889, her role was truly heroic.

So, this book wins the worst title award, because I feel like that makes it sound boring. This book is NOT boring. It's actually very, very fascinating! Scott is tired of me talking about it, I'm certain.

Growing up in PA, I always knew there was a big flood in Johnstown but knew nothing more than that. That angle was a hook for me, for sure. Though I think anyone who enjoys learning about history would enjoy this book.

In 1889, there was this very posh resort in the mountains of PA, just outside of Pittsburgh. The Fultons, the Carnegies and elite, rich Americans hung out there when they wanted to go to the country. To make this resort, there was this man-made lake... up high in the mountaintops. See where this is going? Well, there was also a big rainstorm in May '89 and the dam breeched, causing a huge wall of water to take out 6 small towns. Johnstown was the bottom-most town and absorbed the brunt of the flooding.

Besides the high-level themes, there were many personal first hand accounts here (it was written in 1968, so some who were young during the flood were still alive). The personal accounts were amazing and enabled a much more human aspect to this story than I ever expected.

I'm not joking when I say this could be a major motion picture. There are so many interesting forces at play here (rich/poor being a big one) and so many parallels to present day. The townspeople were aware of the danger of the dam breaking and allegedly worried about it during big storms, but no one ever did anything about it and each time it *didn't* break, their complacency grew. Hell-lo New Orleans, right?

David McCullough is an amazing author. I felt that his presentation on what happened when the Johnstown flood burst in 1889 was so vividly described I could see pictures in my mind. I don’t know how he ever gathered so many stories and wove them together in a manner that was easy to follow.

What a tragedy that those who reported the faults of the dam were not listened to. At the end of the book was written that it might have been possible, even on the day of the flood, to prevent the total collapse just by opening side doors, so to speak, to release the pressure.

Since I have family members who are civil engineers I kept wondering as the account unfolded what engineer would take the blame. Good grief! No evidence that engineers had even been consulted on the rebuild of the dam! The total blame, it turns out, was put on the fishing club, members who were very wealthy, were given the blame. More than two thousand lives lost for want of the pleasure to fish. Wow!

At the confluence of Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh rivers sits Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In the 1880s it was a thriving mining town, with over 30,000 residence.

The year 1889 was unnaturally rainy, not just in Pennsylvania but in much of the United States. On May 30th the dam above Johnstown broke, unleashing a force that would destroy the Conemaugh Valley and almost wipe out Johnstown. This was the worst natural disaster in American history up until that time, and it would be the first disaster the American Red Cross would take on.

In true McCullough fashion. He transports you to a place and time to feel, see, and live the experience. A brilliantly written book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I would describe this first ever book by the famous historian, David McCullough as intense. It’s starts out slow - by the time it actually starts raining you know everything there is to know about the topography of Johnstown, it’s leading citizens as well as the store owners, pastors, farmers and many of the people who lived there. You know the history of the South Fork Dam Hunting and Fishing Club and the Pittsburgh coal, steel and railroad barons who were the members there, who used it as their summer getaway to get out of smoky Pittsburgh to breathe some good clean mountain air.

Up to that time, (May 31, 1889) it was the greatest natural disaster in our nation’s history. Over 2,000 people perished in the great flood and fires that followed in a town of 10,000. McCullough gives it all to you in minute detail. By the time he was researching this in 1967-68 the remaining survivors were all octogenarians or even older. The story is told through their memories or through the memories of sons and daughters of people who managed to survive the great flood.

I was really curious if anyone ever paid any price for this disaster, but I’m not going to tell you here. You’ll have to find out for yourself, and this book is a good place to start.

When I read a book like this, it's human nature to think what I'd do...and then I realize in a flood like this, it doesn't really matter. One out of nine Johnstown residents died when a earthen dam collasped in May 1889. Even if you were able to get on a rooftop, you might float to a stopping point where fire might break out or be smothered under debris after the crash.

I lived in the area and worked for the Ebensburg paper (the county seat of Johnstown, and had hoped to be in the 1850s). I don't think Johnstown ever recovered from the flood from the promising future it had in 1889 and there have been two other floods, the latest in 1977.

McCullough, of course, is an organized writer and goes through each step in this disaster so a reader doesn't really have any questions of "why" at the end. There's plenty of personal stories including one interviewed in the late 1960s.

This was the first emergency the American Red Cross participated.

All the family members escaped alive from the house below.

Excellent description of the disastrous happening in Johnstown,Pa. The amount of lives lost, slightly over two thousand) reminds people of my generation of 9/11. However, this was natural disaster that could possibly have been prevented if it were not for careless individuals that didn’t think anything could possibly go wrong.

Please read the GR book description. I will not repeat what is there. It is to the point and absolutely correct concerning the book's content, the author's manner of writing and what future generations should take note of. Look at the last sentence one more time:

“It (the flood) also offers a powerful historical lesson for our century and all times: the danger of assuming that because people are in positions of responsibility they are necessarily behaving responsibly.”

In my view this sentence could be improved upon. We, as citizens and thinking individuals, must not shirk out own responsibilities; it is up to each and every one of us to ensure that adequate precautions and sound decisions are made. If something goes wrong it is inexcusable to blame others with the excuse “it’s their job" or "they should have taken care of that"! It is our job to see that those in power perform their jobs correctly or have them removed! In addition, when humans take actions affecting forces of nature we must take careful forethought. This is stated in the book and needs to be emphasized.

The book is thorough, but easy to follow. It never becomes dry. Dates and figures are interestingly woven into the telling. McCullough gives the necessary background information so a reader can understand the events accurately, concluding with a balanced analysis of who was at fault. Those who suffered, those who died (the accepted death count is set at over 2209 individuals) are drawn in such a way that one empathizes. One is given enough personal details so one can do this. The danger is that when one reads about a calamity involving many people those who suffer become a mass with whom one cannot identify with. This does not happen here. One gets both the clear facts and one feels compassion.

I particularly liked that McCullough points out the inaccuracies of what has been told before. The calamity has become a legend and erroneous claims have been made.

I can very much recommend listening to the audiobook narrated by Edward Hermann. He simply reads the lines in a clear and factual manner with an excellent speed. No dramatization, which is fine by me. The facts and sequence of events are riveting in themselves. Hermann reads with a tone that shows his own interest. When one listens rather than reads one has no map, but such is easily accessible on internet. Here are two:
1. http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgurl...
2. http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgurl...

Another very good book by McCullough. I have no complaints. I thoroughly enjoy McCullough’s way of writing. He has a whole team of employees helping him with each book. This doesn’t bother me in the least. His name stands on the cover and he is responsible for the final result. I have given it four rather than five stars simply because I prefer biographies more than a book about an event.


John Adams 5 stars
Truman 5 stars
Mornings on Horseback 5 stars
The Wright Brothers 4 stars

Great book from a great author, did not like the format (too formal ) but the story is very well documented and very well told . If you are into early American history or into natural disasters then this might be the book for you .