Books in When Disaster Struck series

Six High-interest Books Sure to Intrigue Your Students Nothing captures the interest of readers like tales of heroism and tragedy. Featuring such disasters as the wreck of the now-famous fishing boat the Andrea Gail during the "perfect storm, " the nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill, this new Rosen Central series is perfect for use as part of the social studies curriculum. The books illustrate the dangers to the individual and to society posed by an incomplete mastery of technology and a misplaced faith in human competence and judgment. The gripping accounts of these tragic events are supplemented with compelling narrative timelines and enthralling firsthand testimonies. Each title includes a discussion of how, in the aftermath of tragedy, changes in technology and procedure were brought about to help ensure that a similar disaster would never strike again. The USS Greeneville's mission on February 9, 2001, was a simple one; take sixteen civilian guests out for a pleasure cruise in the waters south of Oahu, entertain them at lunch in the galley, impress them with a demonstration of what a nuclear-powered attack submarine can do. Using eyewitness accounts, court of inquiry testimony and findings, and a narrative timeline of those frantic minutes beneath the sea, Eric Fein tells the tragic story of the Greeneville's collision with the fishing vessel, the Ehime Maru, that resulted in the deaths of nine Japanese fishermen and students.

A negligent captain, a reckless decision, frozen waters, a treacherous reef--all created the largest oil spill and perhaps the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. The grounding of the Exxon Valdez upon Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound and the resulting spill and mismanaged cleanup of 240,000 barrels of oil were not, however, simply due to a series of mistakes and bad decisions on board the tanker. The disaster was made possible by the greed of oil industry executives, politicians, government bureaucrats, and Alaskan taxpayers who became blinded to environmental and safety concerns.