Catastrophes and Heroes Book Review

History, Mayhem, and Heroes of the Industrial Age

At once educational, inspiring, and heartbreaking, Catastrophes & Heroes is a historical rollercoaster. Author Jerry Borrowman packs history lessons among his true stories of man-made disasters and triumph in the industrial age.

We take for granted the luxuries we have. But the amazing advancements that brought us to where we are today came at the expense of deadly and costly learning experiences, misjudgments, and greed. Catastrophes & Heroes True Stories of Man-Made Disasters provides the backdrop for eight deadly disasters, beginning with the Scotland Tay Railway Bridge in 1879 and ending with Italy’s Vajont Dam in 1963.

Each story includes an impressive and comprehensive background that serves as an interesting history lesson. Borrowman then walks the reader through the fateful choices that led to disaster, the unintended consequences, inspiring heroic efforts to help during the crisis, and lessons learned.

How this book affected me:

I enjoyed every aspect of this book. The historical context was comprehensive yet compact. The inspirational aspect of each story was a heartwarming glimpse of the good people who are willing to step forward to help during a crisis. The tragedies are helpful reminders of history that should not be repeated.

Who would enjoy this book:

Historians would enjoy this book, particularly those interested in the era from 1879 – 1963. Anyone who enjoys reading about man-made disasters would like this book. And readers like me, who enjoy inspirational true stories, would definitely enjoy Catastrophes & Heroes.

Our Book Reviews:

The book reviews at Finding God Among Us focus on Christian books – adult and children, fiction and nonfiction. Our specialty is books on faith and new Christian book releases. We’re proud to be included in the Top 50 Christian Book Review Bloggers. Our publisher partners include New Growth Press, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Revell and BakerBooks, divisions of Baker Publishing Group. I chose to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Meet the Author:

Jerry Borrowman is a best selling author of historical fiction and co-authored biography. Compassionate Soldier won the 2018 Indies Gold (First Place) Award from Foreword Reviews in War and Military. Three Against Hitler with Rudi Wobbe is a George Washington National Award Winner from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge for promoting the cause of freedom. Jerry has given voice to true heroes — Rudi Wobbe, a German boy who stood up against the Third Reich, Joe Banks in A Distant Prayer who served on 49 combat missions deep into German territory in a B-17 bomber, only to be shot down and taken prisoner of war, and Colonel Bernard Fisher, USAF, a career Air Force pilot who was awarded the Medal of Honor for Valor Above and Beyond the Call of Duty in Vietnam..

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• Book Review Forged Through Fire
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