Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi...
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A New York Times Notable Book of the Year Winner of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and the Lillian Smith Award A sweeping account of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 an…
Book Summary
John M. Barry's Rising Tide is a masterful narrative history of the 1927 Mississippi Flood, revealing how a natural disaster exposed and deepened racial and economic inequalities in the South. It shows how the flood reshaped American politics, accelerated the Great Migration, and left a lasting legacy. This award-winning book is essential for understanding a pivotal, often overlooked American epic.
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About Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi...
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry is a sweeping, meticulously researched account of one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Barry chronicles the flood's immense scale—inundating nearly one million people—and its far-reaching consequences: electing Huey Long, making Herbert Hoover president, and driving hundreds of thousands of African Americans north. He exposes the callous decisions of New Orleans's elite, who dynamited levees to protect their own interests while sacrificing poor and Black communities. The book also highlights the racial violence and systemic failures that followed, cementing inequality. Winner of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and a New York Times Notable Book, Rising Tide is a powerful, cautionary tale of hubris, politics, and human suffering.
Who should read Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi...?
This book is essential for readers of American history, particularly those interested in the South, race relations, and environmental disasters. It appeals to students of political science and sociology, as well as general readers who enjoy narrative nonfiction in the vein of Erik Larson or David McCullough. Anyone seeking to understand the roots of modern racial and economic disparities, or the interplay between nature and society, will find it compelling and enlightening.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ Meticulously researched and richly detailed narrative history
- ✓ Illuminates a pivotal but often overlooked American disaster
- ✓ Powerful analysis of racial and economic inequality
- ✓ Engaging prose that reads like a novel
- ✓ Award-winning and critically acclaimed
Cons
- ✗ Dense with historical detail, which may overwhelm casual readers
- ✗ Focus on political and social elites can feel top-down at times
- ✗ Some readers may find the racial violence disturbing
- ✗ Lengthy and occasionally slow-paced in sections
- ✗ Limited first-person accounts from affected communities
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Frequently asked questions
What is Rising Tide about?
It's a comprehensive history of the 1927 Mississippi Flood, exploring its causes, the failed response, and its profound impact on American politics, race relations, and the Great Migration.
Is Rising Tide a dry academic text?
No, it's narrative nonfiction written in engaging, accessible prose that reads like a novel, though it is thoroughly researched and detailed.
What awards has the book won?
It was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and won the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and the Lillian Smith Award.
Does the book focus only on the flood itself?
No, it extensively covers the political, social, and racial aftermath, including the rise of Huey Long, Herbert Hoover's presidency, and the acceleration of the Great Migration.
Is this book suitable for a book club?
Yes, it offers rich material for discussion on themes of power, race, inequality, and disaster response, making it an excellent book club selection.
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