What happened when the biggest earthquake ever destroyed North America hit Alaska?

John Muallum will be here to talk about his new book, This Is Chance.

Looking for a book to soothe and inspire the whole family?

Elizabeth Egan will join us to talk about her April pick for group text.

Alexander Altair will join us with an update from the publishing world.

Plus, our critics will be here for the latest in literary criticism.

This is the Bookerview podcast for The New York Times.

It's April 24th.

I'm Pamela Paul.

John Muallum joins us now.

He's a writer at large for The New York Times magazine and his new book is called This Is

Chance, The Shaking of an All-American City, A Voice That Held It Together.

John, thanks so much for being here.

Thank you for having me.

So this book, This Is Chance, is a book about a seismic event like our current pandemic,

except that it was an actual seismic event.

Tell us about the earthquake that hit Alaska on March 27th, 1964.

It was good Friday evening and this was the largest quake that's ever been recorded in

North America.

It's still the second largest one in the world.

I think even more disturbingly and almost with more surreality to the experience, it

lasted for four and a half minutes.

...