Perseus Academic: Island in a Storm by Abby Sallenger

Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History, Rice University and author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Perhaps the most urgent crisis of our time is Global Warming. In Island in a Storm one of America's top oceanographers—Abby Sallenger—documents the perils of coastal erosion. Using Isle Derniere as case-study, Sallenger brilliantly explains what happens when the sea rises and land disappears. A very important book!

Bethany Ewald Bultman, author of Reflections of the South, Compass New Orleans, and Compass Gulf South, and the descendent of thirteen victims of the 1856 Isle Dernier Hurricane

“A masterful page-turner juxtaposing the remarkable parallel tales of the survival by a 19th century Creole maiden of a catastrophic hurricane with the staggering geological perils confronting the residents of the fragile Gulf coastline today.”

Ellen Prager, PhD, chief scientist, Aquarius Reef Base and author of Chasing Science at Sea

“Abby Sallenger expertly combines the history of a hurricane and its disastrous impact with the fascinating science of hurricanes and coastal geology. He illustrates the dangers that a rising sea, a subsiding coast, and hurricanes pose to populated shores, and with a loud wake up call, he warns policymakers and home owners who insist on building or rebuilding on barrier islands.”

Ivor van Heerden, PhD, deputy director, LSU Hurricane Center, and author of The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina—the Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientist

“This is a wonderful book, a must-read for anyone interested in our future, which shows how historic tragedies can be lessons, especially as climate change speeds along its merry way.”

Robert S. Young PhD, director, Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, Western Carolina University

“Rarely does a book combine fascinating story-telling, regional history, and a science lesson in one compelling package. Island in a Storm does just that. The tale is more than 150 years old, but there are real lessons to be learned for coastal communities on today’s vulnerable barrier islands.”

Choice

“Few authors have been able to convey with such clarity and power the complex geologic processes of coastal waters under storm conditions, particularly the chaotic commingling of ocean waves, tidal currents, storm surges, sand erosion, and elevated sea level that can at times cause wholesale destruction of such fragile, low-lying landforms of sand.”