of media reporting about the Oakland Hills fire.
Hoffman, Susanna M. “The Monster and the
Mother: The Symbolism of Disaster.” InCatastro-
phe and Culture: The Anthropology of Disaster, edited
by Susanna M. Hoffman and Anthony Oliver-
Smith. Santa Fe, N.Mex.: School of American Re-
search Press, 2002. A consideration of the Oak-
land Hills fire’s effects on the community by an
anthropologist who lost her home, two pets, and
all of her possessions.
Oliver-Smith, Anthony. “Anthropological Research
on Hazards and Disasters.”Annual Review of An-
thropology25 (1996): 303-328. A review of disaster
research, with brief reference to the Oakland
Hills fire and some broader themes for under-
standing its context.
Shusterman, Dennis, Jerold Z. Kaplan, and Carla
Canabarro. “Immediate Health Effects of an Ur-
ban Wildfire.” Western Journal of Medicine 158
(1993): 133-138. An examination of the effects of
the Oakland Hills fire on human health, docu-
mented by coroner and hospital records.
Susan J. Wurtzburg
See also Chicago heat wave of 1995; Hurricane
Andrew; Mississippi River flood of 1993; Natural di-
sasters; Northridge earthquake; Oklahoma tornado
outbreak.
O’Connor, Sinéad
Identification Pop singer
Born December, 8, 1966; Dublin, Ireland
Sinéad O’Connor is a Grammy Award-winning interna-
tional recording artist whose successful career has been
sprinkled with controversy.
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor was born in
Dublin, Ireland, to Jack and Marie O’Connor. The
O’Connors had five children, of whom Sinéad is the
middle child. At eight years old, her parents di-
vorced, and she lived with her physically and men-
tally abusive mother. Her father later became a bar-
rister to protect the rights of children and divorced
fathers.
At age thirteen, O’Connor was sent to a reform
school after incidents of shoplifting and truancy. Un-
happy at Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, O’Connor
enrolled at the liberal Newtown School, in 1983.
Her musical talents were recognized at once, and
by 1984, O’Connor had formed a band called Ton
Ton Macoute. She gained the attention of Fachtna
O’Ceallaigh, former head of U2’s Mother Records,
who helped produce her first album in 1987,The
Lion and the Cobra, which contained the college radio
hits “Mandinka” and “I Want Your (Hands on Me).”
The album received tremendous praise and earned
O’Connor a Grammy nomination for Best Female
Rock Vocal Performance.
In 1990, O’Connor releasedI Do Not Want What I
Haven’t Got, which contained her biggest hit,
Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The song’s inter-
national success was aided by the haunting video di-
rected by John Maybury, which primarily featured
O’Connor’s face. Her striking shaved head and
large eyes, coupled with her raw emotional and pow-
erful delivery of the song’s lyrics, resonated with
fans and made the song a number one hit interna-
tionally.
O’Connor’s career was not without controversy,
as she made her political, social, and religious beliefs
known throughout her career. This came to a head
in 1992, when she performed onSaturday Night Live.
During a live performance of Bob Marley’s “War,”
O’Connor replaced the lyric “racism” with “child
abuse” in a protest against the sexual molestation
scandals plaguing the Catholic Church, and she cul-
minated the performance by holding up a photo of
Pope John Paul II to the camera and tearing it to
pieces while saying “fight the real enemy.”Saturday
Night Livenever aired the incident again, choosing
instead to air rehearsal footage. The reaction to the
performance was mixed; some radio stations refused
to play her music, and people destroyed her albums,
others praised her for her passion and bravery.
By the end of the decade, O’Connor was more
comfortable with herself and her background. In
1996, she married John Waters, a journalist, and
they had a daughter named Roisin. She also ap-
peared in Irish director Neil Jordan’sThe Butcher Boy
(1997).Impact Sinéad O’Connor’s music and convictions
inspired music lovers throughout the 1990’s and
beyond. She appeared on compilation albums and
performed in several benefit concerts. Her devotion
to her beliefs and causes comes through in her lyrics
and music, offering inspiration to her fans.The Nineties in America O’Connor, Sinéad 631