Simon Winchester has again authored a thoroughly enjoyable book.
I enjoyed this Krakatoa, immensely, just as I have each of Winchester’s other books. I am preparing to watch the Discover Channel special on Krakatoa, and I wanted to gain a factually-accurate, social perspective of the August 27, 1883 event before watching the televised show.
Winchester, in his trademark 360 degree evaluation style, lead me through the geologic and scientific history of this South Pacific area, now known as Indonesia. The volcano does not begin to erupt until page 209—more than halfway through the book. By the time the events of Monday, August 27th are described, I had a firm understanding of the affected people,, both the Dutch colonialists and the indigenous.
Following the detailed description of the events that took up much of the 1883 summer, Winchester explains the social effects the explosions had: the growth of fundamentalist Islam, leading to Indonesia’s becoming the most populous Muslim country in the world, with 170 million members of the Islamic faith.
Recommendation: Read
