David Laskin's The Children's Blizzard offers a grim, extensively researched account of the blizzard of 1888.

It took me awhile to work my way through this 2004 book. It's not the sort of thing one wants to read before dropping off to sleep. There are dense sections of details, providing background information and effectively putting a face on some of the victims and survivors.

Thousands of people immigrated from Northern Europe in the 1880s, drawn by the promise of free homestead land in the prairies. They were isolated and ill equiped to deal with the harsh realities of the environment, particularly the brutal winters.

An unknown number of people died in what became known as the schoolchildren's blizzard. The storm struck the southeast corner of the Dakotas in the afternoon when school children were attempting to find their way home. Estimates for fatalities range from 250-500, with some suggesting much higher numbers. Many died later from illnesses resulting from exposure.

At the time, weather announcements were handled by the military, the Army Signal Corps, where politics and policies resulted in delayed announcements.

Although many lives were lost, Laskin's book is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit as people persevered in dire circumstances and coped with immeasurable loss.