Review 35: A Hero on Mount St. Helens

A Hero on Mount St. Helens: The Life and Legacy of David A. Johnston by Melanie Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Today, May 18, 2019 is the 39th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington. It is also the anniversary of the day David Johnston, a United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist died doing his job. Johnston was the only USGS worker that died that day and since that time there have been many memorials dedicated in his name.

Today is also the publication day of this book, written to honor David Johnston's life. While the book is primarily a biography it also explains what was known about how volcanos act, or what was known at the time in early 1980. There is more scientific knowledge and understanding today than back then, and much of the information came from that eruption.

For some people volcanos have some type of lure, people are curious, interested, and when Mount St. Helens started waking up people flocked to the area, tourists. It was difficult for the geologists and authorities to accurately maintain a safety zone, to keep people away because so much was unknown. Today we do know more, but volcanos are still very dangerous, and can at times be unpredictable. Johnston knew there was danger, but it was also exciting to be there and learning more. No one knew exactly when the volcano would explode. It was just coincidence that Johnston was there that morning when it happened, manning the post (an observation and monitoring station named Coldwater II). No one knew how extensive the explosion would end up being. It's believed 57 people died in that blast, and it could have been worse without people like Johnston warning of the extreme danger.

I visited the Mount St. Helens area briefly in 1993 and was amazed how visible the destruction still was from that volcano blast. It appeared to have exploded more recently than my decade plus years visit. I remember being there too late to go into the visitor's area, and as we were just passing through the area, there wasn't time to go in the next day. I've meant to return someday, and when I do I can certainly appreciate the full story of what happened in 1980 having now read this book.

I appreciate having an advance review copy to read, and the copy I read certainly read like it wasn't completely done. Portions of the book were in different colors, which I have no idea what that meant, and there were large sections that read like a draft copy. The later part of the book the writing improved and seemed to be finished. There were some beautiful sentences and sentiments. It's hard to judge a book fully when reading one that still needed some work, but giving the benefit of doubt, I expect the completed book will be in better shape.

In the end this is a great tribute to David Johnston and his family, as an official record of his full life with scientific achievements and legacy.



Thanks to University of Illinois Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.