Book Reviews By Ray Saadi

LAST DAYS OF LAST ISLAND By Bill Dixon (University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, $20)

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Though June 1st marks the official beginning of hurricane season, most major storms arrive in August and September, as did the great storm which devastated Last Island, a popular vacation spot in the Gulf. On Sunday, August 10, 1856, the storm’s 150-mile an hour winds and massive nine foot storm surge wiped out every home and hotel, killing possibly as many as three hundred people. (The names of identified victims, including ship passengers, are included in the appendix). Dixon builds on James Sothern’s 1980 “Last Island,” the first non-fiction account of the disaster, adding many details and excellent photos and illustrations.