Hello all,
For reasons I’d rather not get into, I’ve recently found myself enjoying (doesn’t seem the right word in this context…interested in?) non-fiction relating to natural disasters or major accidents (think Titanic, Halifax harbour explosion, etc.)
I recently read ‘The Perfect Storm’ and was absolutely captivated. I also really enjoyed ‘Empire of Pain’, which deals with a different kind of large-scale tragedy. What I enjoyed about both books is their focus on how events affected communities, not necessarily following a single individual. The reason I liked this aspect is that it prevented the narrative from feeling ‘voyeuristic’, which is something I get very easily uncomfortable with (and the reason why I tend to stay away from ‘classic’ true-crime). Basically, I don’t like narratives that get too personal, but narratives that are entirely impersonal feel stale and can dehumanise the tragedy. Do you have any recommendations for well-researched and engagingly written books on those topics that have this type of focus?
One example of such a book that I haven’t read but that has been recommended to me was Dominique Lapierre’s book on the Bhopal disaster.
Thank you for your help!
by CHICKENx1000