Simon Winchester published A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 less than a year ago, in October 2006. Since April 18, 1906 was the earthquake of the title, he just made the centennial — hardly a coincidence.
After my other recent earthquake book, I’m now fully aware of the dangers of my hometown. So be it. The first half of this book was education and explanation for those who need an introduction to plate tectonics. Not me. So I was annoyed for a while, and then amused by Winchester’s efforts to stretch this momentous incident into a hinge for the new American century. Hmmmm.
Certainly, the transfer of the economic center of California from Northern California to Los Angeles and its environs was made possible by the quake (among other factors). But Winchester’s tale loses momentum after he describes the quake and the first few days. From the title, fair enough — but he hinted at broader goals, and then lost them in the fire which consumed the city and his story. For a history of the quake itself and the reconstruction, I’ll have to look elsewhere.
I read Winchester’s The Professor and the Madman a few years ago. That quirky double biography with its deep love of words enchanted me. A Crack in the Edge of the World educated me a bit, engaged me at times, but never grabbed me.