THE MERCY OF THE SKY

The inside account of Oklahoma’s deadliest tornado, by a local writer who became a national correspondent.

Oklahomans have long been known for their fatalism and grit, but even old-timers are troubled by the twisters that are devastating the state with increasing frequency. On May 20, 2013, the worst tornado on record landed a direct hit on the small town of Moore, destroying two schools while the children cowered inside.

Oklahoma native Holly Bailey grew up dreaming of becoming a storm chaser. Instead, she became Newsweek’s youngest ever White House correspondent, traveling to war zones with Presidents Bush and Obama. When Moore was hit, Bailey went back both as a journalist and a hometown girl, speaking to the teachers who put their lives at risk to save their students, the weathermen more revered than rock stars and more tormented than they let on, and many shell-shocked residents.

THE MERCY OF THE SKY is a suspenseful tale of human courage and natural catastrophe. Holly Bailey does for the Oklahoma flatlands what Jon Krakauer did for the Himalayas: she tells a dramatic, page-turning story about a small group of people who must survive the elements—or die.

Holly Bailey is a correspondent for Yahoo News, where she has written many prominent national stories. She covered politics, policy, and lobbying during her seven years as the White House correspondent for Newsweek and traveled with President Obama to Baghdad and with President Bush to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Bailey joined Newsweek from the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C., where she covered campaign finance and ethics, and had previously worked at the Oklahoma Gazette and assisted with CNN’s coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox to discuss her work and has also contributed to Slate, Salon, Entertainment Weekly, Oklahoma Today, and Texas Monthly.