First reviews in for Silver Lining in a Funnel Cloud

The first reviews are in for Silver Lining in a Funnel Cloud: Greed, Corruption, and the Joplin Tornado. Four have been posted on Amazon.com, with three reviewers giving it five stars out of five, the top score, and one rating it one star out of five, the lowest you can receive. Thanks to all four reviewers for providing their input.

First, the one star review:

Sadly, Mr. Turner was a teacher who was dismissed from the Joplin school systems. His negative blogs and sour book is merely a continuation of his wretchedness. I certainly wouldn't waste $22.00 for this drivel.

And the others:

This book is a very good read. It flows extremely well despite the need to cover a lot of ground and a lot of players/ contributors. I especially appreciated the dedication at the end to those people who worked tirelessly days and months on end to take care of the PEOPLE of Joplin ... never seeking the spotlight and understanding that schools and cities aren't merely buildings. They are people. THEY are-- indeed-- the heroes. Thank you for this book!


If this were non-fiction it would be a good read. Sadly, it's a true and well documented account of what happens in a small town in the aftermath of a devastating tornado when money, egos, and the hunger for power collide. (The reviewer apparently meant to say if this were fiction.)

If you want to know what really happened after the horrifying day in May 2011 when an EF5 tornado devastated the city of Joplin, Mr. Turner's book provides an excellent portrayal illuminating questionable actions by city and school leaders and also the contorted events over the years that followed. Many hidden secrets are just recently coming to light now, four years later. The story line proves intriguing, interwoven and an eye opener on what fame and fortune hunters attempt to pull over on honest and unsuspecting folks. Sometimes the unraveling story is so strange that it resembles a fiction novel but is a true story covering misdeeds of the superintendent of schools, unscrupulous con men pulling the wool over the eyes of the local paper, and the shocking untimely death of the state auditor who committed "suicide" just prior to providing the results of the city and school audits. Years ago stories circulated about the corruption and undercurrent in Joplin and the city fathers who wanted to maintain control of the city. The present day undercurrent attempted to control the city, power and money following the disaster but. thankfully, informed voters are in the process of taking back their city.

***
A meet the author/book signing event will be held 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at Joplin VFW Post  534, 110 E. Veterans Way.