Curse of the Narrows The Halifax Explosion 1917

The events of the horrific Halifax explosion are welldocumented: on December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc andthe Belgian relief ship Imo collide in the Halifax harbour. Nearly 2,000people are killed; over 9,000 more are injured. The story of one of the world'sworst non-natural disasters has been told before, but never like this. In a sweeping narrative, Curse of the Narrows tellsa tale of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, retracing the steps ofsurvivors through the wreckage of a city destroyed. Laura M. Mac Donald weaves apanoramic chronicle of the astonishing international response to the explosion,telling of the generous donations of money and medical specialists made by thecity of Boston, of how the number of horrific injuries to Halifax's childreninspired startling developments in pediatric medicine, and exploring thedisaster's chilling link to the creation of the atomic bomb. Filled with archival photos, defined by meticulous research andinfused with a storyteller's sensibility, Curse of the Narrows isa compelling and powerful book.