The Great Hurricane: 1938.

THE GREAT HURRICANE: 1938. Cherie Burns. 2005. Read by Anna Fields. 5 cds. 6 hrs. Blackstone Audiobooks. 0-7861-7646-6. $55.00. Vinyl; content, author, reader notes. SA

GH38, as it came to be known, was one of the great natural disasters of modern times. With meteorological technology and forecasting still relatively in the dark ages at that time, people were ill-prepared for the immensity of the Great Hurricane of 1938. While it may pale in comparison to recent earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes, it cut a swath of death and destruction of unparallel proportions along Long Island and into New England. It took only 240 minutes to leave over 700 dead and entire towns in ruins, and it took a heavy economic toll on the fishing industry, tourism and real estate.

Author Burns makes this horrendous tragedy something the listener can relate to. We come to know the families, their plans for that fateful day, their names, what they wore, their pets, their likes and dislikes. Heroes, cowards, victims and lucky survivors--all are part of the story. Reader Fields displays an anchorwoman-like straight-forwardness as she reads in a nearly emotionless, journalistic manner, a "this just handed to me" style so appropriate for audio. Well researched and painfully detailed. Miles Klein, Frisco, TX