First published 2004
New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester investigates the catastrophic 1883 destruction of the volcanic island Krakatoa. Winchester examines how this legendary explosion generated massive tsunamis that claimed nearly forty thousand lives. The author traces the eruption's global reach. Shock waves traveled to France. Barometers malfunctioned in Bogotá and Washington D.C. Corpses washed ashore in distant Zanzibar. The blast's sound carried across thousands of miles to Australia and India. Winchester connects this natural disaster to its political aftermath. The eruption sparked anti-Western violence among fundamentalist Muslims in Java, marking one of the earliest instances of Islamic-inspired killings. The book provides fresh insight into this iconic catastrophe and its far-reaching consequences.
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: Krakatoa, Java, Zanzibar, France, Bogotá, Washington D.C., Australia, India
Period: 1883
416 pages · Paperback · Harper Perennial