There was a nice discussion of wind chill factor, how it was invented and what it actually means. Laskin also goes into quite a bit of detail about hypothermia, its symptoms and its stages. I found that to be very interesting. But, as for the poor kids who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, I couldn’t be bothered. Laskin gives you an extensive history of how these families ended up in Nebraska and the Dakota territory. He gives a lot of the how and a little of the why, but I never felt personally invested in any of the people he discussed. It almost felt clinical, or like I was reading down a checklist. Okay, Did you come by boat? Uh-huh. Wagon or train? I see. Now, I’m going to need you to take a deep breath for me. Inhale, that’s it. It was like that. The fact that I don’t care actually gives deeper mean to the phrase silent as the grave. That these children died and weren’t around to tell their stories may be partly why I found the book so boring. My friend Kat disagreed with me about the book being well-written. She felt Laskin used unnecessarily big words and flowery language. I felt this was an attempt to get me to sympathize with the characters. It didn’t work.
I don’t expect character-driven plot from my history books, but I did expect, with a title like “The Children’s Blizzard” that I would have some connection to the children. In the end, I had trouble remembering which kids belonged to which back story. And, that’s what was disappointing. If I’m going to read about sudden, senseless death, I want to care a little for the dying.
Article comments
1 - DrPat
Some writers are simply clinical, as you describe so well. Okay, Did you come by boat? Uh-huh. Wagon or train? I see. Now, I’m going to need you to take a deep breath for me. Inhale, that’s it.
Maybe your standard criticism needs to evolve in light of this experience: "Could they have hired a good writer?"
2 - Katharine Donelson
Ha. Yes. Perhaps it should evolve. Thank you.
3 - Sara
I read the book for my physiology class (because of the book's details about hypothermia), and I loved it. I remember talking about it with other people in my class, and we were all caught up in it. Personally, I felt really attached to the major characters that Laskin presented, but that is just my opinion.