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Bindng
Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906: How San Francisco Nearly Destroyed Itself
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The first indication of the prolonged terror that followed the 1906 earthquake occurred when a ship steaming off San Franciscos Golden Gate seemed to jump clear out of the water. This gripping account of the earthquake, the devastating firestorms that followed, and the citys subsequent reconstruction vividly shows how, after the shaking stopped, humans, not the forces of nature, nearly destroyed San Francisco in a remarkable display of simple ineptitude and power politics. Bolstered by previously unpublished eyewitness accounts and photographs, this definitive history of a fascinating city caught in the grip of the countrys greatest urban disaster will forever change conventional understanding of an event one historian called the very epitome of bigness.Philip Fradkin takes us onto the citys ruptured streets and into its exclusive clubs, teeming hospitals and refugee camps, and its Chinatown. He introduces the peopleboth famous and infamouswho experienced these events, such as Jack and Charmian London, Enrico Caruso, James Phelan, and Abraham Ruef. He traces the horrifying results of the mayors illegal order to shoottokill anyone suspected of a crime, and he uncovers the ugliness of racism that almost led to war with Japan. He reveals how an elite oligarchy failed to serve the needs of ordinary people, the heroic efforts of obscure citizens, the longlasting psychological effects, and how all these events ushered in a period of unparalleled civic upheaval.This compelling look at how people and institutions function in great catastrophes demonstrates just how deeply earthquake, fires, hurricanes, floods, wars, droughts, or acts of terrorism can shape us.
⚠️ WARNING (California Proposition 65):
This product may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
For more information, please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.