The Storm and the Tide. Lars Anderson.

 

The Storm and the Tide.   Lars Anderson.

Tragedy, Hope and Triumph in Tuscaloosa.  

Lars Anderson is a renown sports writer featuring college athletics with an emphasis on the university of Alabama football program.    In this book, The Storm and the Tide, this is no exception.     Inside the reader is exposed to two different topics.   The first is about the April 2011 tornadoes that swept through the Yellowhammer state.   The second story includes the role that the university of Alabama football players and head coach had on the recovery and healing particularly for the fans of the tide and the residents of Tuscaloosa.   While the book and stories within are intriguing and gripping the reader will have to accept heavy documentation of Nick Saban and the Alabama football program. 

The tornado takes place in the latter half of April 2011 without much warning.    Tuscaloosa residents were taken aback by surprise not only that the twister was fast approaching but, in the enormity, and severity of the storm itself.   Anderson goes into details about what was experienced by those nearby the tornado and especially those who had the mis-fortune to be directly in its path.   Six Alabama students lost their lives during the melee. 

Although the storm passed through “T”-Town quickly enough, the devastation resulting left swaths of the town in ruins.    Homes, businesses, roadways all decimated by the force of this tempest.  Surviving residents and countless volunteers struggled through the remaining rubble in hopes of finding anybody still alive or worse.   Anderson interviewed many of the townspeople and business owners about their personal experiences resulting from this natural disaster and what they may have lost.    The author discussed the lives lost and focuses on the family’s ability to cope with the devastating tragedy. 

One of the lead characters of the book happened to be an Alabama football player.    He and his fiancé were taken by surprise just before the storm ascended its path north east through Tuscaloosa.    The player survived but his girlfriend, an Alabama student, was thrusted from their dwelling tub and sadly perished as a result.     Through this occurrence the Alabama football program is linked.   Legendary head coach Nick Saban, whose residence was unscathed, took on a different type of leader ship role in helping the college town back on the road to recovery.  

Players were put to work that spring and summer to help recover, restore, and refurbish whatever could be salvaged from the tail’s ruining.   Anderson, who also authored Chasing the Bear, and has a strong familiarity with the program, documented the experiences and doings of the coach and players throughout the time frame.   In addition, this where and how the opus breaks into a subset story providing the background of the head coach.    Anderson details Saban’s arrival to the school in early 2007 as he was wrested away from the Miami Dolphins, as well as his upbringing in Fairmont, West Virginia and expanding through his playing days at Kent University in Ohio and finally his coaching travails in both college and professional football.

As tragic and unfortunate as it was for the people of Tuscaloosa and the cotton state itself, the people needed a diversion to help them forget about the strife pervading over the region.  Football was that diversion and in this case Crimson Tide football.    Each game played that season is chronicled to some degree within the latter half of the book.   Of course, the program was in excellent shape despite the tragedy surrounding the town.   In fact, that year, Alabama only loses one game in the regular season and due to some good luck with other teams around the nation losing untimely contests, the tide was selected to play in the national championship game.    Nick Saban and company were given a second chance to avenge their regular season loss to conference rival, LSU.  Naturally Crimson Tide fans were buoyed by the good fortune throughout the fall.   

The book has both its melancholy and uplifting moments throughout the two hundred and twenty pages.   The author tries to skillfully balance the emotions in a timely, delicate manner.    While the tragedy was a devastating disaster with lives lost and families emotionally wrecked, this is another story depicting how sports can once again help to rally fans, residents, and community to some semblance of healing.   This is a tough topic to transcribe but Anderson used his experience and expert writing abilities to document an unfortunate natural disaster and blends that experience with a pastime glory achievement that gives the reader a taste of the unique symbiotic relationship.       

·         You might like to read this book if you are a University of Alabama football fan.

·         You might like to read this book if you are an Alabama resident or native.

·         You might like to read this book if you like to read literature about Nick Saban.

·         You might like to read this book if you seek stories about preparing for and experiencing natural disasters.

·         You might like to read this book if you look for communities moving on from tragedy through personal and global inspiration.     

Learn more about the author on Twitter:   https://twitter.com/LarsAnderson71