F5: DEVASTATION, SURVIVAL, AND THE MOST VIOLENT TORNADO OUTBREAK OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Book ID/图书代码： 06540007B11790

English Summary/英文概要： It was April 3, 1974. Crime was soaring. Unemployment and inflation were out of control. A costly war had just come to its demoralizing end, and an unpopular President was on his way out of office. Then, over a sixteen-hour period, nature stepped forward with its own display of mayhem: an unprecedented outbreak of 148 tornadoes, covering thirteen states in the heart of the country, from Michigan to Mississippi. Hundreds of people were killed, thousands of homes demolished, and a billion dollars in losses sustained. Sixty-four of the tornadoes would be classified as severely violent; six belonged to the most rare, most deadly category: F5, or "incredible tornadoes.
"Like the best nonfiction, F5 is a brilliantly crafted page-turner that reads with the immediacy of a novel, telling a harrowing story of natural disaster against the backdrop of the turbulent 1970s. Acclaimed journalist Mark Levine follows the heart-wrenching fate of a rich cast of intertwined characters -- ordinary Americans whose lives are transformed in a terrifying instant. A pair of teenage lovers are caught while driving on a dark country road; a Vietnam veteran is trapped at home with a newborn baby; a sheriff finds himself in the line of fire twice in rapid succession; a black preacher with a past of dire hardship struggles to protect his family. Other figures enter the story from the broader cultural scene, including Hank Aaron, on his way to challenging baseball’s home run record amid racist death threats; Patty Hearst, whose image as kidnapping victim is undergoing a radical shift; Richard Nixon and George Wallace, both intent on using the storms to their political advantage; and a memorably eccentric scientist, known as Mr. Tornado, who regards the "Superoutbreak" as the apotheosis of his scholarly life. Gripping and revelatory, F5 braids the story of the shattering outbreak with images of social upheaval and individual heroism in a stunning, unforgettable read.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 動盪不安的70年代，美國面臨代價高昂的越戰慘敗，犯罪率提高，失業率與通貨膨漲已經失控，而老天爺更選擇於1974年4月3日這天跟美國開了個大玩笑…
有個風暴系統居然產生148個龍捲風，並且在一天之內襲捲十三州。其中有些龍捲風的強度高達F5等級(註)，每小時風速高達511公里。這場風災總計造成330人死亡，5千4百多人受傷，損失超過6億6千萬美金。
全美氣象學家必須攜手合作，找出這些龍捲風形成的原因，以便建立更完善的預警系統。他們的發現不但增進我們對龍捲風結構的瞭解，還促使龍捲風預報系統現代化。
宛如虛構的情結，極受讚揚的記者Mark Levine 記錄下當時美國面臨這場浩劫時，民眾的驚恐，政客的貪婪，以及科學家面臨的危機。

Awards/获奖情况：Sold:UK - Ebury
Mark Levine:美國最佳雜誌寫作獎、美國最佳運動類寫作獎、美國最佳詩作獎、紐約時報雜誌定期投稿者
Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down電影《黑鷹計畫》原著小說作者
"In a sweeping and thoroughly engaging narrative, Mark Levine reminds us that extreme weather has always been with us, and has always had an impact that reaches well beyond the lives it shatters directly. F5 reads like a novel, but is a masterpiece of careful reporting."
Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto《美聲俘虜》(先覺出版)作者
"Mark Levine’s F5 reads like tornado: powerful, riveting, and violently beautiful. Once the storm starts there is no chance of putting the book down. This is not just the story of explosive weather, but of one of the most explosive times in our history."
Marilynn Robinson, author of Gilead: A Novel 《Gilead 遺愛基列》作者
"Mark Levine has written a compelling meditation on those moments in which the atmosphere clothes itself in uncanny potency and visits the abodes of men."
Scott Anderson, author of The Man Who Tried to Save the World
"Reading as if ripped from today’s headlines, F5 is an absolutely enthralling examination of that most mysterious--and most American--of natural disasters: the tornado. With his unique blend of a reporter’s eye and a poet’s heart, Levine has used the backdrop of catastrophe to both render a fascinating social history of one small corner of America, and to show the profound resilience of ordinary people caught in the thrall of extraordinary events. On all levels, he succeeds with grace and beauty."
John J. Nance, Aviation Analyst for ABC News and New York Times bestselling author of Pandora’s Clock
美國國家廣播公司（ABC）電視網的飛行顧問，紐約時報暢銷作家
"Mark Levine’s remarkable book is powerful and deeply frightening-especially when you understand the true scientific story of global warming. Mark Levine seamlessly blends the vital scientific realities of a monstrous F5 with the captivating stories of the ordinary people whose lives were torn apart that fateful day in 1974. After reading F5, you will never look at a tornado warning the same way again."

About the Author/作者介绍： Mark Levine為文字工作者，專為雜誌寫作，獲獎連連，曾榮獲美國最佳雜誌寫作獎、最佳運動類寫作獎、與最佳詩作獎。文章發表於《紐約時報》、戶外休閒雜誌《Outside》、《Men’s Journa》…等雜誌，目前固定投稿於紐約時報雜誌，且於愛荷華寫作工作室教導詩作，已出版三本詩集。
Mark Levine is an award-winning magazine writer who has contributed to The New Yorker, Outside, and Men’s Journal among others and whose work has been included in The Best American Magazine Writing, The Best American Sports Writing, and The Best American Poetry. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times Magazine and he teaches poetry at the Iowa Writers Workshop. Author of three books of poetry, he lives in Brooklyn and Iowa.

Format:HARDCOVER

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：

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