Dorothy B. Vitaliano (1916–2008)

I purchased this book, published in 1973, for research purposes. I wanted a comprehensive look at the mythology around earthquakes. I found some new insights here, but the book was uneven, frustrating, and incredibly dry. It makes me all the more thankful for how creative nonfiction has evolved in recent years.

Vitaliano knows her geology. That's without question. She also brings in many lesser-known legends, such as those from the Maori, and a chapter on floods and the adaption of the Noah story was incredibly fascinating. However, a large focus of the book is on Atlantis, Minoans, and Crete, and while other parts of the books (the ones I need) are not cited. For example, she makes a passing reference, "According to the Indians of southern California, the earth was held up by seven giants." What tribe? Where in southern California? This left me incredibly frustrated, especially when other sections are so well cited. It's like she did a thesis on the other parts and threw the rest together to make a complete book.

As noted, it's also very dry. At the beginning she says she wants the book to bridge the gap between scientist and nonscientist. This isn't done in a balanced way. There are points where it feels patronizing about simple terms, and then pages at a stretch where it goes into extraneous, technical details on geology.

I will keep this on my shelf because it offered some help, but it really didn't provide what I needed.… (meer)