The New York Times Book Review - Kim Tingley
Ostensibly, Olson's mission is to explain why the victims who died in the wake of the explosion were so close to an active volcano. He shows how policy makers, cowed by a powerful logging interest, hid the true danger of the smoldering mountain from their constituents. But in recreating the history of the region and the social, economic and political moment in which the volcano erupted, Olson also reaches for a deeper, existential meaning in describing the many lives lost to the eruption. In the mundane quality of their activities at 8:31, we see ourselves. And for good reason: 91 percent of Americans, Olson warns, are "blissfully ignorant" of living in places with "moderate to high risk" of deadly disasters.
Wall Street Journal - Michael O'Donnell
"In Mr. Olson’s telling, [the survivors’] stories read like urgent fiction…These vignettes lend a human face to an event that has become associated largely with geology."
Christian Science Monitor - Randy Dotinga
"In his evocative and convincing new book, author Steve Olson reveals that the eruption—the most powerful natural disaster to ever strike the US—is much more than a horror show…He has a bigger picture in mind, one of the eruption’s role as a touchstone for an evolving society and natural world."
Science News - Sid Perkins
"In Eruption, science writer Steve Olson goes well beyond recounting Mount St. Helens’ geologic awakening, deadly explosion and aftermath. This fascinating book also chronicles the economic and cultural tensions gripping this part of the nation in the run-up to the May 18, 1980, catastrophe."
Oregonian - Michael Upchurch
"A gripping moment-by-moment account of what happened on the day the volcano blew."
Robert Michael Pyle
"Olson and his truly groundbreaking Eruption join a rarefied pantheon, where readers can come to understand the most dramatic geological event of our time. This book, as welcome as it is amazing in the depth of its background and the strength of its storytelling, will stand as a stirring and stilling accomplishment."
David Guterson
"Steve Olson has brought new dimensions to my experience of the mountain. [He] masterfully delineates the personal histories, cultural assumptions, values, visions, and preconceptions that were brought to bear on the mountain that day. He has the gift of clarity and an enviable ability to find and make drama, present the human narrative, and engage his readers on multiple levels."
Nature - Barbara Kiser
"Olson intercuts stories of victims including David Johnston, the volcanologist who was monitoring the explosion, with an account of its impact on science—such as popularizing the use of lidar. With 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, this is an urgent reminder of the need for advances in the field."
Kim Tingley
"In recreating the history of the region and the social, economic and political moment in which the volcano erupted, Olson also reaches for a deeper, existential meaning in describing the many lives lost to the eruption. In the mundane quality of their activities at 8:31, we see ourselves."
Simon Winchester
"A first-class, meticulously crafted piece of reportage that is as exciting as it is informative—and will long stand as a classic of descriptive narrative of the biggest American volcanic eruption of all our lifetimes—or so we all hope!"
Seattle Times - John B. Saul
"Vividly retells the story of the May 1980 disaster and questions whether more might have been done to keep the 57 people who died out of harm's way."
USA Today - Mark Damsker
"As Steve Olson reminds us in his vividly reported new history…what happened on May 18, 1980, in the primordial thickets of the Pacific Northwest, was an enormous, multi-faceted event…This engaging book maneuvers deftly along the way toward impact."
Nature
"Olson intercuts stories of victims including David Johnston, the volcanologist who was monitoring the explosion, with an account of its impact on science—such as popularizing the use of lidar. With 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, this is an urgent reminder of the need for advances in the field."
Nature Lib
"Olson intercuts stories of victims including David Johnston, the volcanologist who was monitoring the explosion, with an account of its impact on science—such as popularizing the use of lidar. With 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, this is an urgent reminder of the need for advances in the field."
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2015-12-21
A National Book Award finalist unravels the compelling back story of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Olson (Count Down: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World's Toughest Math Competition, 2003, etc.) combines nature writing with an investigative focus on the political, economic, and historical factors that changed the way scientists study volcanoes. Whether the author is delving into the dangers of working in the timber industry, offering an overview of the state of volcanology in 1980, or recounting the stories of individuals living and working near Mount St. Helens, his writing propels readers swiftly along as the story races toward the massive blast and its aftermath. Olson details the story of Weyerhaeuser, the infamous Washington logging company that owned "substantial portions of the land between Mount St. Helens and the Pacific Ocean." The author weaves in both the corporate and family history of the Weyerhaeusers ("an American dynasty"), using that remarkable story as foundation for his narrative. This framework offers a compelling look into the region's environmental and social history and how the company and the timber industry shaped a region. "It is difficult to overstate the significance of Weyerhaeuser Company to the history of the Pacific Northwest," writes the author. "Weyerhaeuser and other economic interests have formed the backdrop against which much of the region's history has played out." Olson pinpoints 1980, the year of the eruption, as significant due to the social, economic, and environmental changes taking shape across America and what these shifts meant for the timber industry. The author provides an engrossing explanation of volcanology during the 1980s and how the eruption of Mount St. Helens altered the prevailing science. He also captures the forgotten or untold stories of the individuals who perished in the blast and describes the political wrangling surrounding the status of the devastated area. A riveting trek combining enthralling nature writing with engaging social history.
