"The point of course was not that dams or any of man's efforts to alter or improve the world about him were mistakes in themselves. The point was, if man, for any reason, drastically alters the natural order, setting in motion whole series of chain reactions, then he had better know what he is doing. In the case of the South Fork dam, men in charge of rebuilding it, those who are supposed to be experts in such matters, had not been expert, either in their understanding of what they did, or, equally important, in the possible consequences of what they did.

"What is more, the members of the club and most of Johnstown, went along on the assumption, that the people who were responsible for their safety were behaving responsibly. And this was the second great mistake. The club people took it for granted, that the men who rebuilt the dam, the men reputed to be expert in such matters, handled the job properly. They apparently never questioned the professed wisdom of the experts, nor bothered to look critically at what the experts were doing. It was a human enough error, even though someone with the minimum of horse sense, could, if he had taken a moment to think about it, have realized that an earth dam without any means of controlling the amount of water it contained, was not a very good idea.

"The responsibility was in the hands of someone else, in short, and since that someone else appeared to be ever so much more qualified to make the necessary decisions and pass judgment, then why should not such things be left to him."

I see in this conclusion an application to many other situations we face in our modern day. Might we simply trust those within our government to make long lasting changes that lead in fact to a series of interactions that could affect us in many ways yet unforeseen? Are this in charge really so expert they can foresee the iatrogenic effects that may result from their decisions? If we ever allow those who lead us to go unquestioned, we may reap similar consequences to those experienced in Johnstown, disastrous destruction.

This is a straightforward accounting of the tragedy of May 31, 1889, at Johnstown, PA. Having visited the site of the former dam, and the Flood Museum, I knew some of what was discussed, but still found the material to be of interest. So many lives and property were destroyed and yet no one seemed to pay the cost except for the victims themselves. Greed and indifference took their toll.

I am reading this book as Memphis is on the local news about flooding...interesting timing. But most of all, I am reminded about a great flood in my childhood which occurred in 1972 in Rapid City, SD, near my hometown. That year 238 people died in a flash flood, reminiscent of this one, although no dam was the culprit for that flood. The Johnstown Flood was over 10 times as bad. Why didn't I learn of it in US History class? This was excellent research. It was interesting to learn about all the dramatic tales, rumors and lack of litigation that went along with this event.

A couple of things that people need to remember when you read this... 1) It was originally published in 1968, so history, historiography and David McCullough have come a long way. 2) David McCullough, for all of his skill and accolades as a writer, isn't a trained historian (for good or ill), he's a journalist, and this book has many journalistic hallmarks.

The narrative style is very clear and well written, with lots of vivid imagery. For a reader who doesn't have any background knowledge in this period or this event, he does a good job at fleshing that out. Someone who is a non-academic reader would probably like this book more than someone who is an academic. This book lacks a thesis and he doesn't really prove a point, but that's ok, and within the realm of what he is trying to do. This book is more about informing people about what happened in Johnstown than pass any judgement on it... and that's where his journalistic background really shines through. He presents the story, but isn't too critical about it.

Fifty years after its original publication, The Johnstown Flood remains an enthralling volume of social history. David McCullough ably and compassionately tells the stories of the humans involved in this unfathomable disaster and is able to transport a reader back to 1889, colorfully setting the scene and then rendering it awash with flood, fire, and death.

Even at the disaster's most desperate moments, McCullough channels the impressive willpower of the people of Johnstown and those who flew to their rescue, including the indefatigable Clara Barton. The world has changed a lot in the nearly 130 years since the flood, but McCullough brings it alive, delivering the urgency of the situation and the humanity that emerged from the rubble. Before reading the book, I knew admittedly little about the flood but McCullough illustrates the total devastation and how - even after the flood's initial impact that killed more than 2,200 - there was no dry clothing, no edible food, and not even any paper for survivors to begin taking account of who and what had been lost.
Readers are lucky that McCullough began writing in the 1960s when survivors of the Johnstown flood still lived to provide their incredible firsthand perspective to the author.

As a Pittsburgher, there's also a particular thrill for me reading about the people and recognizable towns of western Pennsylvania and how names like Carnegie, Frick, Pitcairn, and Braddock would be - for better or worse - immortalized in the decades to follow.

I believe this was McCullough's doctoral dissertation, published as his first book. Excellent and worth owning.

2015 update: I got my tattered copy of this book signed by McCullough after a lecture he did at my college reunion. When I said it was my favorite, he did not seem very pleased. I understand that he's gone on to bigger and better work since then, but I think this was my first taste of narrative history and I've loved it ever since.

I also told him I was disappointed not to have met him when I was filmed for American Experience. He asked which episode and when I told him, his face lighted up and he said, "Ah! I remember yo––no, I don't." It was charming of him. He also signed Wright Brothers and his Americans in Paris books for us.

If you want a report about the Johnstown flood, read Wikipedia. If you want a well-researched narrative, that draws you into the lives of those affected instead of just the details of the disaster, read McCullough's book.

Obviously, I'm a fan of McCullough, and he does not disappoint in this one. It seems like it's slow going at first, because you're meeting many people whose lives are intertwined by the tragedy — townspeople, railroaders and Pittsburgh industrialists and the decisions made that would together, like so many raindrops on an over-swelled lake, cause one of the U.S.'s first major natural disasters.

I also enjoyed the book for the clear-eyed look at the spotlight on the Industrial revolution in Western PA and how it, well, revolutionized the area.

Fans of transportation history, transportation or history, the Industrial Revolution, natural disasters, Western PA will enjoy this book, but anyone who can appreciate the humanity affected by disasters (before, during, and after) will enjoy it too.

Zzzzzz....Some background is necessary, but do we really need to know the entire history of the frigging dam? (including the names and physical descriptions of all the people who so much as *glanced* at tlhe damn dam) and the physical make up of its dirt? Maybe so. But I don't want to read it. ......zzzzzzz......

It's David McCullough non-fiction, which in my experience is written well, inclusive to elemental tangents, and also tries to have chronological and historical record in as accurate a measure as it is possible. Amid witness research and dating too. He gives chapter and verse for events and actions in a way that doesn't settle himself and his own interpretations, opinions as central or a larger sideshow. Or any more than a vague side leaning to practical causes and their effects. That's 5 star.

This particular tragedy in the way that it occurred was because the earthen dam was not built nor was it maintained to any safe engineering degree. And it was a sign of the times that the horrid outcomes were not held monetarily or in most other ways held accountable in aftermath.

It's hard for me, a flat lander, to understand the unconcern for living in a hole between mountains and river systems, to tell you the truth. That goes for some "pretty" places in Europe too.

Go high if you want to look at hills and water in combination. Or even for just water views alone.

It's a sad story- from all sides. And yet people build mansions and every mode of abode not 150 feet from oceans today in numerous hurricane alleys. Who lets them and allows it? $$$$

The only reason I read this book was because of who wrote it and how he makes historical events interesting. I didn’t know anything about the Johnstown flood until I read this book and now I know everything there is to know about it. He covered every angle of this story but did so in such a way as to keep my attention and interest the entire time. I’m actually very sad I am done with the book. He brought the whole thing to life, I could almost see the beautiful South Fork Hunting and Fishing club and it’s reservoir and dam. I could visualize the water as it descended on Johnstown, preceded first by so much debri that people could not even see the water at first. It was not hard to picture the people caught in the water, stranded on mattresses and rooftops as the water moved onward with the rain pouring down. Plus the brave rescues that men made to save others, especially children and the night of the flood as people sat huddled in soaking wet clothes in the few remaining buildings not swept away by the water, yet fearful that the other buildings might go too at any minute. I actually shed a tear when he told the story of a little girl named Gertrude who was in her house when the water hit, was miraculously saved by three different men at different occasions, was terrified by what she had been through and was finally, tearfully, reunited with her father. The whole book is great, even when he talked about the relief efforts and the money people and organizations raised and sent to help. The other interesting angle is reviewing such a massive catastrophe in hind sight well after any of the people of that era have long since been gone. It shows you that life goes on despite these terrible hardships and hopefully people learn from them and hopefully we revisit things like this in history to prevent them from happening again.

David McCullough is a fantastic author. I never felt that I was getting an influx of unnecessary “fill in the gaps” information. Every detail included was necessary for one to comprehend what led to, took place, and surrounded the tragedy at Johnstown PA in 1889.

It’s frustrating to see what Hollywood is producing these days even in regard to those going after Non-Fiction stories. This would make for a masterpiece of a film with the right cast and crew. It boggles my mind that there are stories like this that are sitting around with no one wanting to tell through the art of film.

This is my first book from David McCullough and it most certainly will not be the last

What a fascinating book! I remember watching a documentary about the Johnstown flood and being shocked by the story. But this book was next level!

It's no secret that David McCullough is an incredible author. His descriptions of the flood were hauntingly beautiful. Thanks to his writing, I don't think I will ever forget the way this 40-foot wall of water rolled over the top of itself through the canyons from the South Fork Dam to Johnstown, a distance of over 14 miles. The avalanche of water acted almost like a giant steam roller, and the pounding downward force would hammer people deep into the ground like little nails being driven into soft, wet wood.

It wasn't fun to read about so much loss of life, but this is a significant piece of American history that is not well known in our day. I think McCullough did a good job highlighting the lessons from this (preventable) tragedy, and making it relevant to a modern audience.