Sudden Sea

"Gripping. . . . An intrinsically thrilling tale." —New York Times Book Review

It was the Perfect Storm, but instead of raging far out in the Atlantic, the Great Hurricane of 1938 left a wake of death and destruction across seven states. Sudden Sea re-creates that terrifying September day in gripping detail, focusing on the intense human drama that unfolded as an unlikely alignment of meteorological conditions conspired to bring to New England's tropical cyclone so devastating that it would require the entire coastline of the Northeast to be remapped. Drawing upon newspaper accounts, the personal testimony of survivors, and archival footage, R. A. Scotti follows the trajectory of the awful wind—and recovers for posterity the lost stories of those whose lives, families, and communities were indelibly changed.

"An amazing story. . . . Inevitably, people will compare this book to The Perfect Storm. I think Sudden Sea may well be better. . . . What more can I tell you? Buy this book." —National Geographic

"Riveting, carefully researched and superbly written. R. A. Scotti has done a wonderful job, not only in casting her tale in empathetic human terms but also in placing it solidly in a historical and social milieu." —Houston Chronicle