Book Business' The Best We Read 2012

James Sturdivant, Senior Editor

The Johnstown Flood, By David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 1987)

McCullough chronicles one of those watershed events in American history (no pun intended) that everyone has heard of but few know much about. McCullough's book, built around survivor's stories, manages to capture the scope and horror of the flood without losing sight of its effect on individual lives. Johnstown was a man-made disaster and cultural event which changed the way we respond to crisis, both on the ground and in the media. The rumors and misinformation about the flood that initially made it to the front pages of newspapers around the country, quickly corrected or mitigated by first-hand reporting, reminds us of the news response to the Newtown massacre. Stories of heroism, tragedy and suffering transfixed the nation, though surprisingly, the political response was muted.