American Disasters
Author | : Steven Biel |
Publisher | : NYU Press |
Total Pages | : 422 |
Release | : 2001-11 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780814713457 |
ISBN-13 | : 0814713459 |
Rating | : 4/5 (57 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Ranging widely, essayists here examine the 1900 storm that ravaged Galveston, Texas, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Titanic sinking, the Northridge earthquake, the crash of Air Florida Flight 90, the 1977 Chicago El train crash, and many other devastating events. These catastrophes elicited vastly different responses, and thus raise a number of important questions. How, for example did African Americans, feminists, and labor activists respond to the Titanic disaster? Why did the El train crash take on such symbolic meaning for the citizens of Chicago? In what ways did the San Francisco earthquake reaffirm rather than challenge a predominant faith in progress?