I thought this book would be a surefire hit with me because it has such a fascinating premise: the massive 1964 Alaska earthquake. I liked that the text was centered around Genie Chance, an ahead-of-her-time reporter who served as a reassuring voice during the aftermath of the quake. However, the format of this book was super confusing. Every time a person was introduced, their entire history was laid out (including their eventual deaths), which took me away from the unfolding events. Besides the incongruous timelines, the author also talked about himself in the third person frequently - such an odd choice! The book also ended abruptly, with no explanation for the real after-effects of the earthquake or how the state banded together to rebuild. This was such an interesting topic but the execution doomed it from the start.

I actually had no idea there was a massive earthquake in Alaska in the 60s, let alone that it was the second biggest on record so that definitely drew me in on the historical angle. The author jumps around a bit and connects to personal stories of individuals living in Anchorage at the time. Interesting and different to read to mix in with your typical genres, I recommend it!

This book is a well written narrative of the story of the radio broadcaster, Genie Chance. She went above and beyond her duties in her work at the KENI radio station immediately after the 1964 earthquake in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Recommended for public libraries and book clubs.

This was a very interesting story, I couldn't put this book down! the switching of narrative was done so smoothly and I learned more about a the 1964 Alaskan earthquake. Thank you, Random House for this gifted copy via Netgalley.

A compelling history of the 1964 Alaska earthquake and an intrepid radio reporter who keep the community informed.

QUICK TAKE: extremely interesting and well-written look at an American natural history catastrophe that i had never heard of before. I thought the author did a good job of going extremely in-depth into the history of this event, but it was a little cold and clinical for me...would have preferred a little more drama and character exploration. Still, a story of hope that might resonate with readers in the current cultural climate.

The "Our Town" device running through the book was interesting at times, a little too cutesy at others. The puns on chance were also a bit much at times. That being said, the book does a great job telling a part of American history I had never heard of before. Mooallem manages to thread the needle between showing the impact on the city as a whole, while making it relatable by following the journey of an individual.

The first 2/3 of the story was about the earthquake and events as described in the blurb, but the remaining storyline featured details about other people and studies of the earthquake. I recommend reading the first part about the earthquake and events surrounding the the disaster. I found this part well written in a chronological fashion and the narrative had me looking forward to reading about the events as they unfolded and how the community's resiliency kept them going and helping each other through the disaster. The remaining part of the book was hard to get through because it was not what I expected and I felt as if it dragged for the rest of the book, even though this portion was also well written.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I loved the premise of this book. A strong female lead who took charge of the airwaves during a tragic natural disaster. I liked learning about Genie Chance and her courage and grace under fire.
The Great Earthquake that happened to Anchorage and Alaska was something I knew happened, but not the totality of the story.
However, the author does a great DISSERVICE when he put himself into the story and then interrupted the story to bring about a stupid play that really had NO BEARING whatsoever to Genie, the earthquake, or really anything else to the story.
I felt that the book needed a better editing job, especially placement of certain sequences....like having Genies timeline told in the middle of the book, but still talking about her near the end.
This book needs some spit and polish to make it shine.

I was not aware of the 1964 9.2-magnitude earthquake that drastically affected Anchorage, Alaska, but I knew that Jon Mooallem was the man to tell me about it. I loved Wild Ones and hoped that This Is Chance! would be equally enlightening. I was not disappointed. This is the story of a local reporter, Genie Chance, and other ordinary citizens of Anchorage that shows how extraordinary they really were through their actions, collaboration, and compassion. They did what needed to be done and kept people from feeling that the world had ended from this disaster. Despite the destruction it caused, the earthquake seemed to bring out the best in people, and Jon Mooallem writes about this in the best way possible.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book.

Jon Mooallem's work of narrative nonfiction brings to life the tragic 1964 earthquake in Alaska, and the various real life characters who came together to mount a life saving response with little planning or training. Focusing on Genie Chance, a local radio reporter whose days long broadcast helped to bring the community together, while spreading the tragedy across the world, it was a great look into an American tragedy that is little considered today.

On Good Friday 1964, the earth beneath Anchorage began to rock and roll with the biggest earthquake yet in North America at 9.2. A wife, mother, and news reporter was about to have her seminal moment. Her sign-on to local radio channel, KENI, was, “This is Chance.” Her name was Genie Chance.

I’ve lived through many earthquakes living my entire life in and near Los Angeles. The chapter describing the earthquake was spot on. It matches the shock and awe a person feels well before the fear sets in. I can’t forget the 1971 Sylmar quake where I watched the roof of a large grocery store fall inward along with the large neon sign on top. I was only a child but no one forgets something so dramatic. Ever.

The aftermath, where things formerly important were suddenly not, is as accurate for earthquakes as it is for pandemics. If you want to feel better in our world of uncertainty—even with a dread of the future—This is Chance will help. After Anchorage rebuilt, it was better than ever. All because of its courageous people like Genie Chance. 4 stars!

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was such an interesting read, and a different book than I thought it was going to be when I started. This seemed like it would be a straightforward record of the earthquake that shook Anchorage, AK in the 60s, and the voice on the radio, Genie Chance, that helped rally the town and help with disaster. And, for a good chunk of the book, that's the story, with a few odd divergences here and there - there's a profile of the person running local theater in Anchorage in the same timespan that felt like its own separate magazine profile until I realized it absolutely needed the framework of this event, and recurring mention of _Our Town_, the play he was putting on.

And then about 2/3 of the way into the book, Jon Mooallem becomes a character in his own book, and it's less about Genie Chance (whose story we see the end of with at least a quarter of the narrative to go). He's become the Stage Manager of this town's story, and though I'm not sure if it fully works, it ties together all of the threads of the book in a great way, and I respect the hell out of the attempt.

A really interesting look at a part of the country I will probably never visit. Not long after it became a state, Alaska had a huge earthquake that disrupted everything in one of the major cities. I had never heard of it before so it was interesting to read what happened and how they dealt with it.

Jon Mooallem has written a very informative, interesting story about the huge earthquake of 1964 in Anchorage. Being somewhat familiar with Anchorage I found this book to be easy to read and filled with facts both large and small.

I do think the story could have been shortened and a good editor would have helped quite a bit, but the piece of history that is this book was good enough to keep me reading.

I would definitely recommend this to people who enjoy reading history, those familiar with Anchorage or those who enjoy reading about how communities come together to survive disasters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts in this review re my own.

This non-fiction book detailing the events of the horrific earthquake that hit Alaska in 1964 was extremely fascinating. The people highlighted in this book were all endearing and amazing individuals. However, the author’s writing style did not work for me and the arrangement of the book was odd. As a note, this book was written in the style of the play “Our Town,” so if you are a big “Our Town” fan this may appeal to you.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51231340

This book was riveting. I couldn't put it down. It is part history, part memoir. It was very interesting how Jon Mooallem put the story together. Genie Chance should have a larger place in history for all that she accomplished after the earthquake and later in life. It is a shame that her story is just being told outside of Alaska.

I liked this story - when it told its story and didn't divert into ancillary information about the history of Alaska - but do have some issues with the way the book was presented as a whole. The story starts out fascinating, describing the immediate moments before the earthquake and then quickly throwing the reader into the turmoil of the event itself. The majority of the book that focuses on the earthquake and its aftermath - the proclaimed point according to the cover and blurb - was very interesting. It was well-presented and compellingly-written and I really enjoyed learning about this bit of American history. There were a number of areas entwined with that narrative where the author delivered what I felt was a bit more history of Alaska than this particular book called for though and I found those distracting. They yanked me out of the flow of the narrative about the disaster itself in a way that felt tangential rather than intentional.

I also questioned the decision to provide the entirety of Genie Chance's life in the middle of the narrative about the earthquake and it's aftermath. That felt very odd to me and dissonant in the read. Tying up her life in the course of the book did not bother me per se, but where this was placed in the narrative did not feel logical or coherent. It also felt a little slap-dash - the entirety of her remaining life, which was apparently chock full of fascinating events and actions she undertook, felt summarized rather than presented. I thought the book was wrapping up in a hurry (but wasn't sure why), then suddenly was thrown back into the earthquake narrative. It was confusing...

I also found it a little odd that the author repeatedly referred to himself in the third person at the end of the book. I got the Our Town references, and the concept of the omniscient narrator, but still found it a little unusual and to feel odd in the course of reading.

But despite what I've said, do NOT be dissuaded by those things - I still really enjoyed this read. There's a great, surprising, and uplifting story here about community and coming together in response to natural disaster, and that story was a great one. It's a bit of history I wasn't familiar with and one I found intriguing and definitely worth the read. Just be aware that you may have to meander a bit to get to it all.

A gripping blow-by-blow account of the 1964 Anchorage earthquake, combined with a savvy exploration of community, memory, and eternal questions about what makes life worth living. Mooallem set himself a near-impossible task, to use the play Our Town as a template for this retelling, and he accomplishes it with grace and enormous skill.

I couldn't put this book down! The narrative was so vivid and completely immersive, it took you to the time & place. I am a recent resident of Anchorage and I loved this glimpse into its past. I will say it was chilling to think of the scale of the damage, considering how commonly we still have quakes up here. Oh, and Genie Chance was fascinating, I couldn't get enough of her story.