City on Fire
The Forgotten Disaster that Devastated a Town and Ignited a Landmark Legal Battle
This book was optioned, on publication, by the actor Tom Cruise and his production company. The Texas City Disaster was the greatest industrial disaster in American history—and the greatest man-made disaster in 20th Century America. It is also one of the most profoundly hidden and misunderstood moments in this nation's history. No one knows exactly how many people died on an otherwise peaceful day in April 1947 along the prospering waterfront of Texas City: The official account put the number close to 600, but some believe it could have been as many as 700 or 800 or even 1,000. Some other things were very clear: as many as 5,000 people were injured, the explosion registered on Richter scales in Colorado and set off tremors in Louisiana. Planes were shot out of the sky, ocean-going vessels were hurled into the air, railroad cars were tossed like toys—and it instantly was the costliest, deadliest industrial disaster in America. The FBI launched a massive investigation, the Army occupied the city, foreign nations sent aid, the largest insurance claims in history were files—and then, the innocent people of this small, all-American city in Texas slowly came to believe that their own government had caused the disaster … that their own government, which they dearly loved, had blood on its hands. Told in a narrative fashion, "City on Fire" outlines the heroes who emerged before and after this deadliest of disasters—and how they battled racism, corruption and, finally, their own elected officials, in order to extract some justice for the doomed families in this once-normal American City. Praised by The Washington Post and many other publications, "City on Fire" was described as one of the greatest tales of survival ever written by Esquire—and compared to the works of Ernest Hemingway. It has been called "epic" by The Austin American-Statesman. The Texas Observer said it was one of the finest books ever written about Texas.
"A terrific nonfiction work that has the narrative force of an adventure novel. If the movie rights to City on Fire haven't been optioned, the author ought to drag his agent into the same Galveston courtroom where the survivors of the Texas City disaster once filed a civil action against the United States of America"
—The Washington Post
"Stunning … City on Fire will stand on its own as one of the finest books ever written about Texas."
—The Texas Observer
"A compelling narrative about the human side of the drama … City on Fire succeeds at animating a disaster that is too unforgivable to be forgotten … The drama of the events immediately preceding and following the explosion is cinematic and powerful …"
—The American Lawyer
"A first-rate job …"
—Diane Rehm, National Public Radio
"Riveting … historical reporting at its best. Minutaglio writes with such skill, one can almost feel the gritty, humid heat of Texas and smell the emissions of the nearby refineries … City on Fire is ultimately a story about courage, bravery and a painful quest for justice."
—The Tucson Citizen
"Well researched and written … Minutaglio shares vignettes of death, bravery and disgrace from the disaster."
—The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Brilliant"
—KWTX-AM Clear Channel Communications
"Has the grand, masterly sweep of an epic … A more perfect pairing of writer and subject is hard to imagine."
—The Austin American-Statesman
"These lives and deaths, the author's meticulous research and brilliantly graphic narrative style, make City on Fire a memorable and lasting book."
—The Dallas Morning News
"(A) fascinating new history of this almost-forgotten event … such details are worthy of Melville or Twain…"
—The Austin Chronicle
"A detailed chronicle of the disaster … the astonishing dimensions of the tragedy and the fact that it had been forgotten by most of the world"
—Reuters
"Minutaglio tells the story in a straightforward you-are-there present-tense narrative, transmitting the urgency of the townspeople's pleas for help—"For God's sake, send the Red Cross" and "More stretchers for the dead." The water in the port boils and turns into a tidal wave that swamps much of the dock area. A school vanishes. Sailors are vaporized. Members of a volunteer fire department die instantly."
—The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch
"Minutaglio has re-examined the case, sifting through never-before-seen government documents to recount the tragic story …"
—The Houston Press
"The facts, figures and accounts of the experiences of the victims combine to form a powerful story of heroism, self-sacrifice and survival …"
—The Houston Chronicle
"The author, as he did in First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty, conducts interviews and peruses records to uncover little-known facts, then weaves them into a stimulating narrative … Minutaglio splendidly chronicles the investigations."
—The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Like the explosions it describes, Minutaglio's account is incendiary reading. Two oceangoing freighters loaded with ammonium nitrate leveled a factory town in 1947. Was it an atomic blast? Terrorism? Judgment Day? The author (First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty) assembles a harrowing mosaic about a blaze during a time of racial divisions and environmental plundering amid petrochemical companies that virtually ruled Texas City, Texas. He paused to fill in the manufacturing town's pivotal role in WWII and sketches the principals involved in the gargantuan fire. From a priest beset with apocalyptic visions to a battle-scarred mayor, these and other residents come to life … this tale is evocatively told. His hard-edged prose brands scores of images on readers' minds: the beheaded statue of Mary; a naked father clutching onto his charred automobile; the longshoreman delivered to the morgue even though he isn't dead; and so many more. The book vividly details the carnage as well as some acts of heroism and selflessness."
—Publishers Weekly
"This terrible story deserves the passionate retelling. (Recommended) For all all collections … On April 16, 1947, two huge explosions rocked the port city of Texas City, TX, killing 600 people, injuring thousands more, leveling houses and buildings, and soaking the landscape with toxic chemicals. Over two thirds of the book is a poignant present-tense account of the hours before, during and after the explosion, bringing to life the horror, pain and bravery of the people of Texas City" [STARRED REVIEW, indicating a work strongly and favorably recommended.]
—Library Journal
"Minutaglio meticulously recounts the horrific fire that consumed Texas City, Texas … The author interweaves heart wrenching personal experiences with the collective story of a town attempting to recover from a monumental tragedy. Culminating in the landmark lawsuit brought by the surviving residents of Texas City against the U.S. government for negligence, this riveting account of catastrophe and heroism also details the first legal case in which the courts held the U.S. government accountable for its actions. Reminiscent of New York City's rise from the ashes after September 11, the chronicle of Texas City's devastation and resurrection will strike a chord with contemporary readers."
—Booklist
"Based on 200 interviews with survivors, shrewdly focused on a group of key figures, Minutaglio's account provides a highly personalized portrait of the tragedy … Imaginatively using the multiple perspectives to depict the tragedy and its devastating aftermath, Minutaglio conveys a punchy, noir-ish sense of period … An ugly but necessary meditation on our checkered military-industrial history."
—Kirkus Reviews
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