I was living in Los Angeles in the 1980's when this eruption occurred. It was an amazing event to hear about. Now we live in Oregon and have seen the road to see Mt St Helens in Washington. After reading this book, we will make a special trip to visit the area, as long as the volcano is dormant! I was very surprised to learn the history of the Forest Service and the development of their policies, to not look out for the forest resources but how to sell them off to the highest bidders, the logging companies. This whole situation has had a profound impact on the quality of live here in the Northwest. The forest service will not change their ways without legislation, very sad. All of the old growth trees that were cut down only for profit shows now how our consciousness has changed, hopefully for the better. But not for the long run with the Forest Service at the wheel. ( )

Listened to the audio book. I was too young to really remember/understand what was going on when Mount St Helens erupted. This was a great account with lots of research into the history of logging, politics, and people. The author did a good job of making you feel connected to the people and situation. ( )

The organization could have been better; it jumped around. It also included political commentary which felt heavy handed. The history of Weyerhaeuser was interesting but not particularly relevant to the eruption. I would have preferred more science. ( )

Having grown up in the Northwest, I found all the background history to be tedious, and at times, was wondering if it had been lifted straight from Schwantes (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/606039.The_Pacific_Northwest) and Egan (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6452538-the-big-burn?ac=1&from_search=true). I liked learning more about the lives of the folks that perished, but I downright disliked the cold descriptions of their deaths and the factual way the deaths were presented - the facts are not known and we can only speculate, yet the author presented last moments as strict fact and that somehow managed to dehumanize these unlucky people. ( )

This book documents the scientific, ecological, political, and financial factors leading up to the volcanic eruption of Mount Saint Helens. It provides personal accounts from people who survived, along with glimpses into the lives of the victims. It also explains the changes that occurred in the aftermath. It sets the record straight that the all victims except one were not violating any laws.

To get the full impact, the author provides an extensive history (maybe a bit too extensive) of the logging industry, the Weyerhaeuser family and ownership of the land. I learned quite a bit about the history of the northwestern United States. The portion of the book devoted to the explosion was riveting, but sad. Recommended to readers interested in volcanology, natural disasters and ecology. ( )