Ali, Yasmine
WALK THROUGH FIRE: THE TRAIN DISASTER THAT CHANGED AMERICA
ABOUT THE BOOK
On the night of February 22, 1978, a devastating freight train derailment drastically altered Waverly, Tennessee, and its place in history. This was one of the worst train explosions of the twentieth century, killing 16 people, injuring hundreds more, and causing millions of dollars in damage.
What could have been dismissed as a single community’s terrible misfortune instead became the catalyst for radical change, including the formation of FEMA, much-needed reforms in emergency response training, and the creation and enforcement of national and state safety regulations. Response to the disaster reshaped American infrastructure and laid the groundwork for the future of emergency management and disaster relief . . . and yet most Americans have never heard of Waverly.
Dr. Yasmine S. Ali, an award-winning medical writer and Waverly native, sets out to change this in WALK THROUGH FIRE, drawing from over a decade of meticulous research and interviews with survivors, first responders, and other firsthand accounts, including those of her own parents, first-generation Americans who were on call at the local hospital that treated the victims. Ali weaves a compelling narrative of small-town tragedy set against the broader backdrop of U.S. railroad history, rural healthcare, and other elements of American infrastructure that played a part in the creation—and the aftermath—of the Disaster.
A tribute to resiliency and a call to action, WALK THROUGH FIRE tells the harrowing story of the Waverly Train Disaster from the perspectives of those who survived it, and those who still feel its impact today, illuminating how much a nation still has to learn from one small town in Tennessee.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Yasmine Ali is an award-winning medical writer, researcher, professor, and Waverly native whose writing sits at the intersection of health and public policy. She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and of the American College of Physicians (FACP). She is a member of the Authors Guild, the American Medical Writers Association. the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the National Lipid Association, and the Tennessee Medical Association. She holds MD and MSCI (Master of Science in Clinical Investigation) degrees from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she is now an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine. She lives near Nashville and can be found online at YasmineAliMD.com.
