The story captures snippets of the childhood of James Spann, weatherman extraordinaire in Birmingham. So cool to see how he became to want to be a weatherman & how he uses his fame to mentor other up and comers (like Huntsville's own Jason Simpson...who I started following on Twitter after reading this book & his background story of coming to love weather). As an aside, (told ya it wasn't your Momma's book report), if you know me well, don't panic, my true loyalty still lies with BTravis from WAFF. Anyway, the book allowed you to see this crazy tragedy/phenomenon from a vantage point that we never see: the meteorologists and true chasers (for science and warning purposes - not thrill chasers). I have always seen them as scientists that probably get crazy pumped about bad weather days & enjoying the thrill of the prediction - like a Vegas gambler. This book shows the emotional side. The side that has a family, that breaks down that lives were lost, that breaks down at the devastation, the altruistic side that wants to help in any way that they can. This book reminded me that these guys are people too, people who are life savers to a certain extent, & who take that role very seriously. Like first responders, almost. Such a neat vantage point.
The other storylines follow a few different people in different areas of the state who lived through that day & some of whom lost their lives &/or the lives of their loved ones. None of these were the mainstream stories that had been told widespread in the media. That made it so much more appealing. The book is filled with texts, Facebook posts, & tweets from these individuals. You feel like you're a part of their day and you truly feel the sense of impending doom. You get to know these characters intimately and understand their little worlds prior to it all crashing down (for lack of a better term). It also follows some chasers and you can feel their dilemma to get the shot of the storm of the century or to run like Hell away from it. You feel how they truly want to warn others in the path & how they are trying to be safe doing it, yet are crazy intrigued by it all.
This book is emotionally draining. It's not a light "beach read". I cried. A lot. The author was genius at making you feel like you knew these people, and their parents and friends. I found myself flipping to the back, where there is a list of everyone who lost their life in the storm, to see if they had in fact died, because I needed to prepare myself for what was to come. There's a big section on the first responders and how DCH (the hospital in Tuscaloosa, for those not aware) handled such an unprecedented influx of patients. As a nurse, this was neat to read about, although, heartbreaking to think of the mass casualty triage and the sounds and sights that those precious nurses must have seen that day & probably still replay in their minds.
In the end, there is such a sense of pride to see how everyone set their differences aside for the good of all mankind. The thank yous, the camaraderie that came from this tragedy was overwhelming to read about. Makes you sad that it takes something so unbelievably catastrophic to make people act right to one another & truly "do unto others".
I might also add, for the dorks out there, it gets a little science-y about the setup of why this was an unprecedented storm and how tornadoes and thunderstorms form. It's not your 7th grade science diagram about warm air from the gulf followed by cool air, it gets a little technical. I LOVED it...although, some of it made me have a headache trying to understand. Probably the reason why I didn't pursue my closet dream of being a broadcast meteorologist! Someone wasn't given the Math talent 😁! Yikes!
All in all, it's a great, emotional read. It haunted me a bit and I dreamt about it and thought about it a lot after I was done. So, if you're up for the challenge, I hope you go for it! I don't think you'll regret it.
For those reliving the anniversary of a nightmare today. You are in my prayers. I can remember the eerieness of it like it was yesterday. I also can remember the healing, which was a beautiful thing. If you're interested, archive my blog post from around that time. It's heartfelt and still rings true today, & includes a line or two about a victim that I met and will never, ever forget.
Next blog will be back to funny ole me, but I found this appropriate to share tonight 😘
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