Cover Image: The Vortex

The Vortex

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is some of the best nonfiction I've read in a while. I like my nonfiction to read like fiction, and this certainly does. It's like being told a captivating and emotional story (my favorite), but there's actual truth to it and a lot to learn. I'm shocked at how little I knew about this natural disaster, so I'm very grateful to Carney and Miklian. I'll be trying to get everyone I know to read this!

Was this review helpful?

For anyone that read’s my reviews, knows this is not my usual genre, however Fabled Bookstore in Waco, Texas picked this for their book club, so I gave it shot. I am so glad that I did, as this book was so riveting about in time in history I knew nothing about.

A cyclone that leads to a war just skims the surface of this book. 1970, Pakistan, divided by East and West. East being predominantly Bengali and Hindu and the West is predominantly Muslim. The President, is about to hold it’s first free democratic election.

Leading up to the election East Pakistan is hit with a massive cyclone and thousands and thousands of people die. A warning system was just installed and somehow failed give sufficient warning of this massive storm.

West Pakistan thinks they have the election locked until they lose by a large majority, triggering a civil war and genocide, and the outside players that are complicit in allowing this war to happen.

I was never about taught this is any class, but so glad this came across my reading list as this story is insane. I could not put this down, and at times I found myself going down a rabbit hole on the internet. This book does not disappoint, and at times it reads more like a thriller than a nonfiction book.

Thank you NetGalley and Ecco for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

As a meteorologist, I've read a good amount of books on natural disasters, but nothing quite like The Vortex. In fact, I'm not sure I had ever heard of this storm except for in passing. And that's a shame because this is a story which needs to be heard.

Written by Scott Carney and Jason Miklian, The Vortex is superbly researched and a compelling read. It's hard to imagine death on the scale and the regional - if not worldwide -implications a storm can bring but The Vortex does just that in vivid detail.

My thanks to Scott Carney and Jason Miklian, Ecco, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Vortex.

Was this review helpful?

I've been a fan of Scott Carney's book for the past few years, but I went into this book blind. The description intrigued me so I went into it with zero expectations. I was blown away by this book. It was one big history lesson that read like a work of fiction. I highly recommend this work of a cautionary tale.

Was this review helpful?