#1 New York Times BestsellerFrom the bestselling author and master of narrative nonfiction comes the enthralling story of the sinking of the LusitaniaOn May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly … The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack.
Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger’s U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small—hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more—all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.
Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history.
more
Erik Larson is a wonderful story teller and brought the tragic story of the Lusitania to life. His research and attention to detail adds depth to his writing, which is engaging and entertaining.
Love a Larson book any any thing nautical
Gave me a new perspective on how the US got into the war.
Interesting. Well researched. Well written. However, I personally found it a little dry. There just wasn’t that kind of human interest that usually hooks me into good nonfiction. But it was definitely worth reading
Larson brings this tragedy into view from the perspective of several passengers including the ship’s captain. He also gives the reader a powerful glimpse into how America was brought into World War 1.
This was an awesome description of the times, the current culture, and political climate, nit to mention details of some of the passengers.
I’ll be honest, I had a hard time getting into the book, I’m not sure if it was because of the spoiler effect of knowing ahead of time that the ship would sink or if it was the narrative pace in general. I did enjoy all the vignettes about passengers, though it did make it harder to read after getting to know them, knowing that most of them were …
As with most Eric Larson Books, the story telling is great and the level of detail is wonderful. There are certain parts of the book that read more slowly than others because of the level of detail Larson brings to the story. But overall it is great story telling.
One of the most difficult things about historical writing is giving life to the history. This book makes you feel as if you’re there every moment — going through the pains and pleasures
History presented like fiction.
Everything he writes is great to read and true to life
I can’t remember spending much time on this piece of history in high school, so this turned out to be a most interesting book. I love a well researched, dig down into the smallest detail kind of true story and how It influenced the trajectory of history. Erik Larson tells this story as if it is happening right now, and brings to life the …
This is one of my favorite books and a wonderful researched book. I love the way the author has woven all the stories together, all the different perspectives.
Fascinating!
On May 1, 1915, the Lusitana sailed from New York bound for Liverpool. It has almost 2000 passengers on board. Germany had declared the seas around Britain part of the war zone, but the boat went on its course anyway. What the captain and passengers didn’t know was that a German U-boat would be waiting for them when they got into the waters …
Husband loves all EL books.
A good retelling of the story of the Lusitania.
Very good for a narrative of the Lusitania tragedy that reads like a novel. Erik Larson’s practice of using documentary evidence to build possible dialogs between participants in the events makes his books very readable popular histories.
this is a true account highly cited. it gives a person a whole new outlook on the machinations of world leaders and the thrings they do to affect world conditions. this was a real eye-opener for me.
Such a realistic portrait of how the Lusitania sunk from the perspective of those on the shit and the U-Boat captain. Such a unique perspective that I never would have thought of and really enjoyed. One of my favorite authors and he did not disappoint. Great read!