Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm

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Absolutely riveting read. I was in my early 20's when the Gulf War started and I remember watching the newsreels of the planes taking off on their first sorties. How can it be so long ago? Let us know your favourite Tornado books The Man Who Caught The Storm: The Life Of Legendary Tornado Chaser Tim Samaras – Brantley Hargrove We were doing about 620 miles-per-hour, 200 feet above the desert, in total darkness. Everything was running on rails as we approached the target. Then all hell broke loose. I remember the missile being fired at us; I broke left and shouted, “Chaff!” Vignettes about a beloved family pet, Tornado. Tornado appears, you guessed it, during a tornado. Bobby adopts the dog and becomes good friends with him. I like the story of the hole and the cat best. Cute little book. Prepare a safe room. This can be your basement or the lowest room in the center of your house or apartment building, away from outer walls and windows. Window-free closets and bathrooms work well, too.

Nichol tells his own story of having to eject from a Tornado after the one he was navigating with pilot, John Peters, was hit by a shoulder-launched SA-14 surface-to-air missile over Iraq. They, like others, were captured by the Iraqis and tortured. The book veers to this many times. The Tornados themselves were built to fly low and deliver a devastating payload but Saddam’s anti-aircraft missiles actually did a lot of the devastating it seems. Although tornadoes have been spotted in every U.S. state, many form in a region called Tornado Alley. This zone in the Midwest extends from Texas to Ohio and includes Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. I’ve been working professionally as a writer for twenty-five years. I’m nothing close to a household name, but a number of my articles have gone viral throughout the years. I’ve had educators reach out to mention they’ve taught my work at both the high school and college levels. Writing is an occupation of passion, and the authors I’ve mentioned are all talented and passionate about their craft. It’s rare to find people who speak the truth anywhere in our society. These writers don’t just speak the truth, they make it sing. In just a few short months the Tornado force had undergone a massive transformation, from a Cold War, low-level, primarily nuclear strike force, to a highly accurate, medium-level laser-guided bomber and one of the most experienced combat forces in the world." Whether you read it as an adult or with a child, before or after you have seen the movie multiple times, you can marvel at how Dorothy and all the characters (and there are many more in the books than in the movie) inspire the readers by overcoming adversity.I am an author and illustrator of several picture books including My Daddy Can Fly, Starboy - Inspired by the Life and Lyrics of David Bowie, Imagination Vacation, Seb and the Sun and Mae and the Moon. I’ve always been a curious person filled with wonder at our amazing world, and I love letting my imagination get taken away by a good book. I find picture books to be the perfect format to blend my love of illustration and story, and some of the stories I love the most are those that are imaginative and magical, but also give a little tug at the heartstrings, fill us with warmth and make us want to read them again and again. Nichol, as he does so well, starts with two stories. The first is about a young Tornado pilot called Dave Waddington, 24, and his veteran navigator, Robbie Stewart, 44, who is married with two teenage kids. This is Jan-1991 and they have a mission in a Tornado. The other story is how the Tornado came into being. My ignorance of the First Gulf War is around about 100% or it was until I read this. I knew about it but did not really think that much happened from our (British) perspective. In Jan-1991 we were sending out Tornados to hit Saddam. Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait in Aug-1990. Some great detail about the Tornado aircraft and what it felt like to fly such an incredible machine, but also a lot about the many individuals whose personal experience this story details.

Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an extraordinary account of courage and fortitude. A magical adventure for fans of Katherine Applegate and Jennifer Holm about a girl with a mysterious connection to the elephant who saved her life. Reflective, nostalgic almost melancholic story of man remembering his pet dog from when he was young, and telling some of the stories, the way he ends up with the dog doesn't sit comfortable, but the story as a whole is quite well told, it is a pity it was so brief, there was scope for a longer read. Raised by her three overbearing brothers, Scarlett is a hell-raising tomboy with a tool belt. A tornado stirring up trouble everywhere she goes. Her favorite pastimes? Drinking any man under the table and two-stepping. But she has zero interest in love. Scarlett’s only being neighborly when she claims her sexy next-door neighbor as her new pet project. Mathis’ Storm Warning brings this incredible series of natural powers to life through meticulously investigated reporting, weaving in testimonies from the people whose lives were completely altered in their wake. Mathis also pays homage to the incredible work done by those caught in the crossfire of the storm, as well as those whose tireless work helped keep the disaster from becoming a catastrophe. Storm Kings: The Untold History Of America’s First Tornado Chasers – Lee SandlinIt's gripping, exciting, horrific, sad....just everything. I did smile to myself when I was reading one part of the book whilst flying on a BA 787 .... the screen in front of me informed me we were travelling at 567mph.... but at 40000 feet! I then imagined the Tornado flying at 600mph at just 100ft! Incredible. The reading level/plot/characterization--a great fit together. This is an early chapter book that will hold young readers' interest with a great story and memorable characters (not least of which is the dog, Tornado). It's not going to feel too "young" for older new readers, but it will still be understandable for young new readers. I thoroughly enjoyed this, a great piece of historical non-fiction writing that reads like a thriller. John Nichol is the unique position of being a combatant (giving his narrative immediacy and authenticity) writing 30 years after the fact (giving a measure of perspective) who is also a talented writer (bringing coherence, drama, and clear analysis).

John is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly acclaimed Second World War epics including Return of the Dambusters, Tail-End Charlies and Spitfire. He has made a number of TV documentaries with Second World War veterans, written for national newspapers and magazines, and is a widely quoted commentator on military affairs.Storm chasing is one of the most dangerous aspects of natural science study, with those who engage in it being some of the bravest individuals on the planet. In The Man Who Caught the Storm, author Brantley Hargrove chronicles the life and times of Tim Samaras. Having never attended college in his life, Samaras chased storms with the brilliant tools he invented himself. Have an emergency safety plan. If you live in a trailer or mobile home, make sure you know where to go to evacuate. The premise of this book gets big points for originality: Lexington Willow is orphaned as a toddler by a tornado, literally blowing into the life of elephant Nyah, who protects and comforts the little girl in the storm and forms a mysterious connection with her. The wind is also a character in the book, hanging around long after the tornado. It knows things Lex doesn’t, and sometimes whispers to her. It seems to contain all other possible fantasy books within itself. There are monsters and quests and magicians and cancelled utopias and twisted fairytale romances. Bluebear rushes from one exploit to another, most of them potentially lethal, all of them amusing, and meets a host of peculiar, garrulous, friendly, treacherous beings. Are we deranged? The acclaimed Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh argues that future generations may well think so. How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first major book of nonfiction since In an Antique Land, Ghosh examines our inability--at the level of literature, history, and politics--to grasp the scale and violence of climate change. The extreme nature of today's climate events, Ghosh asserts, make them peculiarly resistant to contemporary modes of thinking and imagining. This is particularly true of serious literary fiction: hundred-year storms and freakish tornadoes simply feel too improbable for the…