The Children's Blizzard

The Children's Blizzard
By David Laskin (288 pages)
Published by Harper Perrenial
Bookish rating: 4.25

I think it's safe to say that David Laskin loves weather nearly as much as my darling husband does. In this account of the 1888 blizzard on the Northern Plains, Laskin ingeniously meshes meteorological detail with high, high drama.

Often referred to as "the school children's blizzard" (or schoolhouse blizzard or children's blizzard) because of the number of children and teachers killed when walking home from school across the prairie, this blizzard is a fascinating piece of American history and a central part of history for Nebraska through the Dakotas.

Laskin writes with journalistic flair that makes the story utterly absorbing, but his writing does not exploit the tragedy. Brilliantly, Laskin sets the stage by describing the type of people living on this country's most unforgiving land. (Chris and I argued about this. "More unforgiving than Alaska?" he had asked. Yes. Because they had no timber or fish and wild life--except for pest and bugs--was far more scarce. Oh, and lack of water.)

Accurately, Laskin describes the (poor)  immigrants setting up homesteads and soddies, and gets at the core of who these people were and the kinds of lives they were leaving behind and pursuing. My people (the Germans from Russia)--their mentality, faith, habits, and lives--were very accurately depicted (I write this having done a large amount of research on these folks--plus I descend from the cranky lot of them), so I'm guessing the Swedes and others are also truthfully portrayed.

Laskin does so much right--describing in GREAT detail the meteorological forces, the people, the land, the types of lives homesteaders led, the role of children, being at the mercy--always--of weather and pests and fire and water (all of which are related, of course).

I'm glad this book was published by a big publisher, because it needs to be in the hands of millions. My Dakota peeps still talk about the schoolchildren's blizzard to this day. It really  made an imprint on and was a defining event for the people of the Northern Plains. I'm just so pleased it was covered so incredibly well by Laskin. Definitely recommended.