Review of The Lake Turned Upside Down

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Lake Turned Upside Down" by Sue Dugan Moline.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever been through a tornado? Have you ever seen the devastation of a tornado? If you answered yes to either of these questions, have you wondered if the damages are coincidental, or does the hand of God play a role in it? In the book, The Lake Turned Upside Down: The Story of Unthinkable Tragedy and Incredible Survival in the 1969 Outing, Minnesota F4 Tornado, by Sue Dugan Moline, Sue takes you on a journey of devastation when seven members of her family and friends are killed in a tornado. At the time this tornado occurred, Sue was 17 years old. The tornado stayed on the ground for 38 miles, was a mile and a half wide, and killed 15 people. The National Weather Service called it the Northwoods Tornado Outbreak because there were 13 total tornadoes and no warnings or sirens. This book summarizes the memories of Sue Dugan Moline and other survivors.

This non-fiction book has many positive aspects; the most important is the survival skills you will learn if you ever encounter a tornado. You will see how unpredictable a tornado is when it leaves a church standing among all of the destruction. Sue Dugan Moline does a fantastic job explaining the fear and heartbreak her family, friends, and neighbors went through. She has included a map of the Minnesota Roosevelt Lake that allows the reader to visualize the distance traveled by the tornado. At the end of the book, in Appendix A, there is a list of people who saw odd occurrences from that today. For example, a piece of straw went through a birch tree, and rescuers found a pair of shoes sitting next to each other at the bottom of the lake. Appendix B has a list of the victims with their ages and survivors. There is information from the National Weather Service in Appendix C. Appendix D is a list of eyewitnesses and contributors. The author has included many pictures in this book that make it a short read and draw on the readers' emotions.

As I mentioned above, there are a lot of pictures, but I was disappointed that the captions were in such small print that I could not read them. Also, a couple of the photos were blurry. This book has a lot of errors in it that consist of spacing errors between words and within words, extra punctuation, and misspelled words. A professional editor would have found these errors.

The number of errors forces me to deduct one star. Otherwise, the positive aspects overcome the negative. Therefore, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.

There is a lot of religious content in the book focused on Christian beliefs regardless of whether you are Catholic, Lutheran, or Methodist. Other religions or non-religious groups may be offended that they were left out. However, it may not bother them because the author had no choice but to include only the religions of the actual people involved. I recommend this book to individuals interested in tornadoes and their effect on people and the environment. Readers who enjoy memoirs will enjoy this book.

Important moderator note: the paperback version of this book has far fewer errors.

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The Lake Turned Upside Down
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[Pauls_]

My mouth dropped open when I realized that the book was a real life experience. I have never witnessed a tornado and I sympathize with the author for going through such gory event. I'm not normally able to read through destructive scenes. I commend you for reading to the end and writing this review.

[Mathurambiga Maniom]

While I was reading the review, I could feel the goosebumps all over my body, about the damages and casualties that were caused by the tornado. I wonder how it would feel when I read the book. Different perspectives of the story draw attention of many readers. I can't wait to read the book!

[Mbenma Esther 080]

I am always scared by natural disasters like tornadoes. This might not be my like but others who love such events can give it a try. Thanks for the review.

[Amy Luman]

I was in a tornado and strange things CAN happen. For example, I was babysitting so the girls and I went to a neighbor’s in order to be underground. When we came out everything on our side of the street was fine, but the other looked like a war zone. I’d sure be interested to see her maps.

[Blessing Odii]

I will love to find out how the tornado killed this family and friends. Nice job.

[Aisha Yakub]

I think this book has all the elements to draw a reader in. Thank you for the review.