Dark Water Rising, Marian Hale

Hale, Marian (2006)
Dark Water Rising
New York : Henry Holt
ISBN: 0805075852
Genre: Historical Fiction

While salvaging and rebuilding in the aftermath of the Galveston flood of 1900, sixteen-year-old Seth desperately tries to prove himself to his father and realizes he must face him man-to-man.
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The 1900 Galveston storm is the worst natural disaster in the U.S. Sixteen-year-old Seth reluctantly moves with his family to Galveston during the summer months of 1900. His father believes there will be many opportunities in the booming town of Galveston, which is the second largest shipping port in th country. Seth’s father is also determined to send his sons to college; however, Seth wishes to follow his own dream of becoming a carpenter like his father. Seth adapts to Galveston, makes friends with a pretty girl, and even gets a summer job as a carpenter’s assistant. However, the book quickly turns into a heartbreaking story of hope, fear, loss as the deadly storm rips through the town on September 8th. Seth and his friend Josiah struggle for survival and try to rescue others. Disease, debris, mud, grime and shortages soon become the reality for the survivors as they are forced to make gut-wrenching decisions. The mounting number of bodies decompose quickly in the hot summer sun as Galveston is forced to burn its dead. The fires on the beaches burn for months, and the city’s death count climbsabove 6,000. Seth wonders how, “in such a short time, we’d come to accept these things as almost normal.” Dark Water rising is a touching coming-of-age story about a boy who becomes a man in the aftermath of a horrific disaster. Readers will not be able to put this book down. For the contemplative, the book also offers a solid perspective for discussions about Hurricane Katrina