Fact-checking real-life disasters

In this blog author Susan Martineau tells us how she set about fact-checking the information she wanted to use in her new book, Real-Life Disasters (b small publishing), including the catastrophic effects of an earlier pandemic, the Black Death.

'One of the last 'big words' I explain to readers in Real-life Disasters is 'pandemic'. The final pages of the book are about the deadly Black Death and the catastrophic effects of this 14th-century pestilence. But there is good news in the book, too. Experts, from epidemiologists to archaeologists, have researched to find out as much as they can about that dreadful plague. Now, in the face of our own pandemic, we need that human ingenuity and determination to understand what is happening more than ever before. I have always loved reading about disasters but, as a child, I frightened myself into such a state that I was always expecting the worst and it was hard to know what to believe. After writing Real-life Mysteries (another obsession) and creating a 'case file' for each one to try to unravel the truth or, at least, the most likely theory behind it, I knew I should do the same with disasters. For each disaster I created a 'dossier' with the help of my wonderful illustrator and designer, Vicky Barker. These include eyewitness statements (where possible), statistics on deaths and survivors, location maps and timelines. Also included are newspaper reports from the time which show that nothing has changed where shouty, scary headlines are concerned. Choosing which disasters to research and write about was incredibly difficult. After some conversations with young readers, I decided that it was best not to include any that were too recent. I then aimed for a good balance between man-made and natural catastrophes and also unearthed some lesser-known stories from around the world, like the appalling explosion that destroyed Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917 and the mysterious killer lakes of Cameroon. The main emphasis, though, is on what happened AFTER these disasters to understand why it had happened. Who were the experts called in at the time to investigate the event and how might it be avoided in future? In some cases, of course, not all the experts agreed (or agree even to this day). I researched and raked over a variety of sources, in books and online, including official investigation reports, historical records and scientific journals. I hope that readers will be fascinated to consider the evidence on the dossiers for themselves and maybe even do more research of their own. You can never do enough cross-checking after all! Real-life disasters are terrifying and devastating for those involved. With the internet comes immediate awareness of global events and we can be overwhelmed by information and images of what is happening. One of the most fascinating disasters in the book is the mega-eruption of Krakatau in 1883. The electric telegraph had only been invented a few years earlier so this meant that Krakatau was the first major world disaster to be a global news story at the same time as the incredible effects of the eruption were being experienced all over the world. As we continue to fight our own real-life disaster, it has never been more important to cut through fear-inducing headlines and terrifying statistics. For young readers especially, we must calmly search for the plain facts behind this unbearable noise and uncover the many reports of scientific endeavour, medical research and acts of sheer heroism that give us hope for the future.' Ends Susan Martineau is the author of Real-life Disasters, illustrated by Vicky Barker, published this month by b small publishing. It is the follow up to the Blue Peter Book Award winning Real-life Mysteries. Real-life Disasters pound&7.99 for ages 7+ www.bsmall.co.uk Twitter: @bsmallpub Instragram: bsmallpubishing