Kentucky Weather by Jerry Hill (review)

BOOK REVIEWS portray workers,they often appeared middle el·. iss, despite the real differetices that existed benveen managers .ind workers, Some of the sources th;ir Linki, n and Russo draw on include workingclass poetry and ·, irt. iher inake extensive use of the 3014,%, es/ o:.:, u Finthitito,·, tlie local newspaper . [ liey use the newspaiper nic) st otteli as a fi, il against which they seek to idenrif ) more authentic workingcl · ass memorics . Piey analyze publications created by the steel corporations, st)ine for ilse as advertisements .ind others : is local classroom matcri,ils. '[ lic authors h:, ve taken advanrage suirs 1 . inkon : ind Russo consider the city'' S pllysical landscape t() be another source ofidentitv and ccinflict that is connected ti) tlic 1,: ittle (, vei· Youtitstoivit: inemorv {)# its past. I) rawing on the work of Dolores I 1, 1yden, the authw suburbanizaticin had tlie effect of transtlirming a classsegregated city into : 2 tracially segreg·, tted region. While the bo, k 11) 11(, ws manv Youngstowners out into the suhurbs, it \ 4„ zild be interesting to follow former residents bevo,id the Youngstown area , is tlicr * pread tlicnisclres act-( ss t|le country. Ht), v did the experience of being fri, ni this unique place shape their relationship ti)their new communities across Ohio and, even nic)re so,acniss the Suri Belt? One of the centr·, 11 characters iii the hook is the ". lenny." a blast furnace : it Younprown Sheet Tube, : ifid the sub. ice· t i, f-linice Spritigstecii's st) 11g," Y, itingstown." Ilic recent demcilitic, n of the Jcnnv serves WINTER 2006 as a ]} c)\ verful synibol t111* Oughout tlie book br tlic disappear,ince of tlic city: s (, ld n: u-rative and the lack of a c,impelling new narrative. 111c final secti 11, 1994), tind 73,· Gif ' i'/ Wr iii Kenturkr ( Westview Press, 2005).Kentucky /* a/ ber is u worthy addition m such : i collection. The first of the fi, urteen chapters opens with the factors that make up Kenrucky ' s weather. wIii ch possesses great variability and. at times, ral,id rates <, f-chance. 111] 18 .7 87 BOOK REVIEWS Hill describes the components of weather systems over the United States and how they create weather events in Kentuckv This is a bit of synoptic meteorology,as we say in the business, but it is presentcd in a straightforward, readable fashion . Hill then discusses weather through the ages, including ancient climates and their role in creating the: kinds of physical environments we find across the state. Our landforms,vegetation, geology,soils, and even carly human cultures were all strongly affected by Kentucky' s climate. Ihe chapter dcaling with the earliest concepts of Kentucky' s weather begins with the missionaries of the 1660s, through the time of the " long hunters," and the scientific initiatives of President lliom as Jefferson. The discussion identifies the earliest weather observations recorded in the Commonwealth, as well as where and by whom these records were kept. Educated menphysicians , educators, military officersrecorded the data. Much ofthe book is devoted to explaining the specifics of temperature,rain/ snow/ ice, floods,drougha, severe storms, and all the clcments that comprise the weather. Hill discusses each weather elcment in dctail . For the more disastrous side of Kentucky 's weather,he includes photographs, frontpage newspaper articles, maps and tables. Hill also discusses some ofthe most infamous events in Kentucky' s weather history . In addition to historical events rclated to extreme weather,such as recordcold winters when the Ohio River froze, Hill also discusses weather lore ; ind superstitions , including old sayings and folk tales r· angilg from the ; lbsurd tc) the comical. We; ither hs also played a role in making Kentucky an excellent pl.Ice to make the bcnirhon, and, of course, has helped determine the state' s agriculturil history. The book closes with a description of how varic)us wcatlier services operate ir, Kentucky. ' Iliese services include liriv: itc citizeli " cooperative observers," the Federal Aviation Administration · airport static,ns, ind National Weather Service Offices, ill of which play a role in getting weather inforination to the i,ublic. I Iill inclzides website addresses for government archives and research centers that the general public can use to obtain weather information in the public domain. Ilie book might have benefited from ; i glossary, but the m· any appendices provide interesting data in tabular form which list recordbreaking events, climatic nornis and extremes, and the major weather clcments. L. Michael Trapasso Western Kentucky University OHIO VAI. I. l·. Y IllS-1-ORY 88 ...