Review: Mountain of Fire by Rebecca E.F. Barone

Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E.F. Barone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read for Battle 27

This is a narrative non fiction describing the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980. The author interviewed numerous witnesses and survivors of this event to be able to write this short but powerful story about a true event. When Mount St. Helens stated having earthquakes in April 1980, scientists, reporters, and tourists all rushed to the site to see what would happen. Many thought it would be safe and nothing would erupt. Others were treading lightly with information saying it was possible the mountain could erupt, but couldn't give any detailed information. This eruption was the first of is kind with a rare timeline of events that couldn't be predicted. If the technology today was available in 1980, more information could have been discovered. 

This very short book has a lot of information provided in a way that can be easily read like a story but also gives great information on how this time frame passed for the people who were involved in this natural disaster. I didn't really know a lot about this event so it was nice to learn some history while also feeling the emotions of the survivors. 

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