Dark Tide encompasses far more than the molasses disaster in 1919, but links the event to other historical, national and world events of the time. Stephen Puleo's research is meticulously documented, for history buffs, and is a wonderful look back in time. In doing so, the reader will see that not much has changed over time. So many things then can easily be transposed on events and attitudes today.

Dark Tide starts out a bit difficult to read as the author tries to fit all the various events together in some kind of coherent picture. Considering he does not employ fictional characters to make the story more exciting, I must give him credit for a pretty decent job.

Who would imagine a book filled packed with so much history narratively arranged to excite ones curiosity. Twenty one people dead and one hundread and fifty injured after a flood of molasses breaks through its poorly constructed metal tank. Great read, intriguing just don't great hung up on the historical data presented all at once. Have fun!

round noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters was playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like roaring surf, one of them said later. Like a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence, said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window-"Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!"

A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.
Not a great read , however well written for historical non fiction which can be boring at times. If you didn't live in Boston, this is an interesting story and also gives some insight into the labor movement at this time in history.