THE FORGOTTEN STORM
by Wallace Akin, M.A., Ph.D.

Publisher:  Lyons Press

Pub Date:  Fall 2002

Format:  Hardcover

Brief Description
The first book by a survivor to tell the story of the worst tornado in history, the Tri-State Tornado of 1925.  The author himself, 2 years old, was picked up in his house and carried through the air, landing on top of two other houses.  Based on an article in American Heritage.
(see below for Full Description)

Full Description
          When Wallace Akin was 2 years old, the worst tornado in history picked up his house (with him and his mother inside) and carried them off. After being airborne for some time, they landed on top of two other houses. Miraculously, they were both unharmed. Others were not so lucky.
          The Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925 was the worst tornado in history to strike America, sweeping through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, injuring 2,000 and killing 695. Although now largely forgotten, it set standards against which we still measure all others.
          THE FORGOTTEN STORM will be the first book by a survivor to tell its story. It is an amazing, bizarre story, as much a story of time and place as it is of the disaster. The region spent years recovering and rebuilding from the storm only to be decimated by the 1929 stock market crash—a blow from which it would never recover. As if this were not enough, 30 years later another storm would blow through on the exact same path, decimating the same towns once again. The probability of this happening is 1 in 1,518.
          Wallace Akin is the ideal author to tell the story. Not only is he a survivor, he is also a geographer specializing in climatology—mainly as a result of this storm. For him, THE FORGOTTEN STORM is a personal as well as professional endeavor. The fact that American Heritage already chose to highlight his story to millions of readers hints at the wide readership this book will receive.

World Rights:  Contact Lukeman

Dramatic Rights:  Contact Lukeman