Overview

"On April 16, 1947, a devastating series of explosions at the docks in Texas City, Texas, killed 576 people, injured more than 3,000, and almost destroyed the soul of an entire town. RISE UP, A novel about this well-known 1947 Texas City explosion, epitomizes the courage, resilience and determination of the ordinary people who lived there. Louis Broussard who owns a ship supply business on the docks and struggles to be authentic. Clayton Malveaux who works on the docks fights to give his young sister a better life. Grace Hanson, just released from prison in Chicago, who traveled to Texas City to live with her sister because she had no other place to go. And Father Joe who daily balances the needs of his parishioners with the greater Catholic Church. The worst man-made disaster in the history of the United States changed the entire town and is still remembered today in annual memorial services. This fictionalized account is intended to present the emotional impact on people's lives, to convey some of the pain and suffering they experienced, and how they slowly ""rise up"" to live again."

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9781648831546

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Reviews

Praise for RISE UP from other survivors of the 1947 Texas City tragedy: I was a small boy in April 1947, just as Carl Trepanier was, and reading RISE UP has recreated vivid images in my mind of the disaster that we both experienced. Carl Trepagnier brings a fresh new element in this account of the disaster that occurred in Texas City, Texas in 1947. Other books that have been written are either based on first-person accounts or are statistical in nature, i.e., including mortality counts, physical and financial damage that resulted. Carl brings a fresh new element to his story of the disaster. He has imbued his characters with feelings and emotions set in the ambiance of the time. He has told this heart-rending story of something that we thought could never happen to us, our families or our town, and placed an emphasis on individual victory over the unthinkable. This is a book that will be bittersweet nostalgic reading for those of us who were there and an emotional experience for those readers lucky enough not to have been there! -- Thomas Linton, TAMU Professor Emeritus (Ret.) Author Legacy of the Gulf Coast Cowboys Water is for Fighting Over Carl's novel based around the 1947 Texas City Disaster, certainly stirred up emotions in me that I have not experienced in many years. The sadness and sense of loss within the survivors was almost overwhelming. Carl has captured the heartbreak - as well as the perseverance and sense of rebirth within Texas City's people - with his wonderful narrative. -- Joe A. Hoover, Architect A 1947 Texas City Disaster Survivor

Praise for RISE UP from other survivors of the 1947 Texas City tragedy: I was a small boy in April 1947, just as Carl Trepanier was, and reading RISE UP has recreated vivid images in my mind of the disaster that we both experienced. Carl Trepagnier brings a fresh new element in this account of the disaster that occurred in Texas City, Texas in 1947. Other books that have been written are either based on first-person accounts or are statistical in nature, i.e., including mortality counts, physical and financial damage that resulted. Carl brings a fresh new element to his story of the disaster. He has imbued his characters with feelings and emotions set in the ambiance of the time. He has told this heart-rending story of something that we thought could never happen to us, our families or our town, and placed an emphasis on individual victory over the unthinkable. This is a book that will be bittersweet nostalgic reading for those of us who were there and an emotional experience for those readers lucky enough not to have been there! -- Thomas Linton, TAMU Professor Emeritus (Ret.) Author Legacy of the Gulf Coast Cowboys Water is for Fighting Over Carl's novel based around the 1947 Texas City Disaster, certainly stirred up emotions in me that I have not experienced in many years. The sadness and sense of loss within the survivors was almost overwhelming. Carl has captured the heartbreak - as well as the perseverance and sense of rebirth within Texas City's people - with his wonderful narrative. -- Joe A. Hoover, Architect A 1947 Texas City Disaster Survivor

Author Information

Carl Trepagnier grew up in Texas City, Texas and was nine years old (and inside the Danforth elementary school) when the SS Grandcamp exploded. He went to college at Southern Methodist University on a scholarship, and subsequently graduated from the University of Texas School of Dentistry. He practiced general dentistry for nine years, and after returning to graduate school, practiced for 27 years in the specialty of endodontics. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.After retiring, Carl decided that he would learn to be a better writer and communicator. He took classes at the University of Houston and University of St. Thomas, as well as attended various workshops. RISE UP, his first novel, is the result of these efforts.Carl has five wonderful daughters and nine beautiful grandchildren. He lives with his loving wife Susie in Houston, Texas.

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