Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago

In Heat Wave, the author presents a compelling and complex portrait of a natural and social disaster. Many of us might not think of a heat wave as a natural disaster in the way we think, say, of hurricanes or tornadoes or earthquakes. (I hadn't thought this way.) But in the U.S., as the author documents, heat waves have taken more lives than the other three events combined.The 1995 heat wave in Chicago was more than a natural disaster, it was a social disaster. It was social because many of the deaths could have been prevented, the author contends. Through a mix of historical research and interviews, the author shows how issues such as age, race, and economics affected those who lived, and those who died. The author is at his most compelling when he compares North Lawndale and South Lawndale. Although both communities are similar in terms of income, North Lawndale is primarily African American, while South Lawndale is primarily Hispanic. The death rates in North Lawndale were significantly higher than in South Lawndale during the heat wave, and the author presents an extensive study of what might have caused that. He even goes so far as to compare the abilities of small, independent churches (prevalent in North Lawndale) and large, Roman Catholic churches (prevalent in South Lawndale) to look after parishioners.What emerges from the author's extensive research is a complex portrait. Through his research, he brings in numerous players, not only community members but experts from the fields of medicine, politics, science, and journalism. This book is worth reading not only for understanding how a heat wave could kill over 700 people but also for understanding how citizens, politicians, scientists, journalists, and others are likely to react to natural disasters.

When asked about weather related events that incur the deaths of hundreds of people, most think of hurricanes, floods, or large tornado outbreaks. Few would think that summer heat would bring on the deaths of over 700 people. Heat, in temperatures as low as 80 degrees Fahrenheit is responsible for more deaths annually than all other weather events combined. As a life-long weather enthusiast, I'd have enjoyed reading more about the atmospheric conditions that brought about the heat wave. But, that's not the authors intentions. His focus is on how a large metropolitan area can be brought to it's knees by a sustained heat wave. It's also largely a story of the "have's" and the "have nots". People in poverty-stricken areas or living on a low or fixed income suffered the most. Deprived of relief from the heat in any way, some literally suffocated to death in their apartments. While a heat wave like this is almost an annual occurrence here in Oklahoma, for the residents of Chicago, it was indeed a tragic yet forgotten disaster of historical proportions.

An exposé on the hidden inequalities of our society, Klinenberg's book will always have brilliant points and analyses that one can take away and utilize to understand any given disadvantaged community. Natural disasters, as he highlights, only expose existing inequalities, not create them. Read it. Read the book.

This is extremely prescient today, as the Trump administration's response to COVID-19 can easily be likened to that of Mayor Daley during the 1995 Heat wave.

Another reviewer claims that the author is literally the only person on earth who cares about this subject. This is illuminating, because his subject is 700 people who died, not exactly because no one cared about them, but because of complex social processes that rendered them invisible and isolated them from anyone who would care about them. The author does a masterful job of analyzing how this came to be so, and in the process offers a convincing and starkly damning portrait of the modern American city and the individualistic, privatizing ideologies that have shaped it.

It was amazing that a city the size of Chicago was not better prepared to activate a disaster plan as this event unfolded. This book highlighted the fact that the elderly and poor are so vulnerable and forgotten in a large city. Anyone involved in emergency preparedness and social services should read this book.

I had to buy this for school but i really enjoyed reading the book. Well written and being non-fiction I was compelled to do more reading about the heatwave after i finished reading it.The story moves along quickly and the investigating Klinenberg puts in really pays off.Volcanic activity, who knew! Just kidding, I won't give the story away.

This is a fabulously written book about the Illinois Heat Wave and I really enjoyed getting to learn about what truly happened.

This book wasn't what I thought. I only read a few chapters before I gave up and stopped reading, it was so boring. To many statistics numbers, big words, and theories.

As described, arrived in excellent condition.

great condition and great buy