The Mercy of the Sky

The Mercy of the Sky:
The Story of a Tornado

By Holly Bailey
Narrated by Erin Bennett
Listening length: 10 hours, 37 minutes
Publication date: May 12, 2015
My review: 4 out of 5 stars

The Mercy of the Sky is the harrowing inside account of Oklahoma's deadliest tornado, penned by a local writer who became a national correspondent.

Oklahomans have long been known for their fatalism and grit, but even old-timers are troubled by the twisters that are devastating the state with increasing frequency. On May 20, 2013, the worst tornado on record landed a direct hit on the small town of Moore, destroying two schools while the children cowered inside.

Oklahoma native Holly Bailey grew up dreaming of becoming a storm chaser. Instead she became Newsweek's youngest-ever White House correspondent, traveling to war zones with Presidents Bush and Obama. When Moore was hit, Bailey went back both as a journalist and a hometown girl and spoke with the teachers who put their lives at risk to save their students, the weathermen more revered than rock stars and more tormented than they let on, and many shell-shocked residents. In The Mercy of the Sky, Bailey does for the Oklahoma flatlands what Sebastian Junger did for Gloucester, Massachusetts, in The Perfect Storm, telling a dramatic, pause-register story about a town that must survive the elements - or die.

This was the incredible story of town that is repeatedly hit by tornados. On May 20, 2013, the worst tornado on record hit the town destroying not one, but two schools. This book tells the story in such detail it is almost as if you are there. I couldn't help but gasp at points which required me to tell my husband about unbelievable parts of this book... he now has it on his list of books to read (or listen to). You won't believe what this town lived through. I don't know that I could ever live with the unpredictability of tornado alley. For now, I will stay "safe-ish" in my valley. 

There are graphic parts to this story, so caution should be used when listening or reading, especially if you are sensitive to this. There are details of the deaths of several individuals including a young child. It was incredibly hard to listen to, but it is something that happens and something I think we all need to be aware that people live through. The author did an amazing job of making sure to tell the truth of these people's lives in the best way she could.