{"product_id":"acts-of-god-the-unnatural-history-of-natural-disaster-in-america-9780195309683","title":"Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America","description":"As the waters of the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain began to pour into New Orleans, people began asking the big question--could any of this have been avoided? How much of the damage from Hurricane Katrina was bad luck, and how much was poor city planning? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSteinberg's \u003cem\u003eActs of God\u003c\/em\u003e is a provocative history of natural disasters in the United States. This revised edition features a new chapter analyzing the failed response to Hurricane Katrina, a disaster Steinberg warned could happen when the book first was published. Focusing on America's worst natural disasters, Steinberg argues that it is wrong to see these tragedies as random outbursts of nature's violence or expressions of divine judgment. He reveals how the decisions of business leaders and government officials have paved the way for the greater losses of life and property, especially among those least able to withstand such blows--America's poor, elderly, and minorities. Seeing nature or God as the primary culprit, Steinberg explains, has helped to hide the fact that some Americans are simply better able to protect themselves from the violence of nature than others. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the face of revelations about how the federal government mishandled the Katrina calamity, this book is a must-read before further wind and water sweep away more lives. \u003cem\u003eActs of God\u003c\/em\u003e is a call to action that needs desperately to be heard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTed Steinberg\u003c\/strong\u003e teaches history at Case Western Reserve University and is the author of \u003cem\u003eDown to Earth: Nature's Role in American History\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAmerican Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn\u003c\/em\u003e. His essays have appeared in \u003cem\u003eThe Chronicle of Higher Education, Natural History\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50409911812370,"sku":"9780195309683","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3bf14f44-0f13-4e9c-95ca-497fa20169ed.jpg?v=1729295417","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/acts-of-god-the-unnatural-history-of-natural-disaster-in-america-9780195309683","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}