In the late 1990s catastrophic droughts, floods, fires and famines became synonymous with the term El Nino. But El Nino was etching its imprint on the world in a myriad of different ways, long before it made headline news. From the Irish potato famine to the sinking of the Titanic, from the outbreak of the War of Independence in Mexico to the collapse of Hitler's Russian campaign, El Nino has helped shape world history and will continue to do so.

The Uncontrollable Child is an exploration of El Nino's impact on millions of people and animals around the world, piecing together a multitude of seemingly disconnected events. Touching upon people and events from all continents, the story of El Nino reflects much about the global interconnectedness of our world. Only through modern developments in science and communications has that jigsaw begun to be put together, and can the story finally be told.