Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author and master of narrative nonfiction comes the enthralling story of the sinking of the Lusitania
“Both terrifying and enthralling.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Thrilling, dramatic and powerful.”—NPR
“Thoroughly engrossing.”—George R.R. Martin
On 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 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.
Finalist for the Washington State Book Award • One of the Best Books of the Year: The Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Miami Herald, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, LibraryReads, Indigo
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Readers say *Dead Wake* is a richly detailed, engaging account blending personal stories, technical details, and geopolitical context. Most praise Lar...
As always I won't do any detailed review for popular books that already have good reviews.
In this book we read details of single lives and anecdotes that make us feel like we know these people. At first it felt like too much random stuff unrelated to history. But I actually think this is essential for laymen readers who are not history or science nerds. For me this worked well at the end even though I did want more WW1 history, country history and technical details.
Later in the book we get more into geo politics, submarine stuff and leadership. And these parts are the best parts of the book as they give us essential history. It's nice to read about some random mom on a ship but it's not really anything that sticks with you as there are so many characters and no photos. The short and to the point stories on the other hand do stick with you. And the technical stuff is amazing. I think for me, as a man, the personal parts may maybe not engage as much as this bigger stuff even though I liked it all. On the other hand I could imagine that women would be more partial to these personal stories even though the technical parts are clearly more important and intellectual. It's a mix of personal drama and history. So there is something here for all readers.
But it does feel weird that this is not a movie like Titanic. In my mind this is a much more interesting story than Titanic. It has a powerful WW1 backdrop which pretty much makes this story work. I kept looking up photos and documentaries. I needed some visual guides. There is even a video game where you are on the ship while it sinks and maybe 10 documentaries and then a ton of YouTube videos on this sinking.
You do need to take some time off to read this. It's not a short book even though the topic is very focused. But because of fine enough geo political info I'd say it's very much worth it. I didn't want to put this book away even though I didn't read a ton in it each day. It's a hard read at times when the events don't progress fast. And that's mostly because there are so many personal stories here. You can't really remove them, it's just something to keep in mind. It may drag a bit at times.
It's great writing, great storytelling, tons of great small anecdotes, good technical info and just an overall great history book with no great ideology preaching.
I'll be sure to check out his other books. But I assume none are close to this good. It's a recommended read if you have the time and energy for it for sure. Just be aware that it's melodrama at times.
It's not always top entertainment compared to more drama event focused stories but it is top quality. If you are looking for more action there are better books for that. There are also better books about history. This is just a great mix of everything.
In this book we read details of single lives and anecdotes that make us feel like we know these people. At first it felt like too much random stuff unrelated to history. But I actually think this is essential for laymen readers who are not history or science nerds. For me this worked well at the end even though I did want more WW1 history, country history and technical details.
Later in the book we get more into geo politics, submarine stuff and leadership. And these parts are the best parts of the book as they give us essential history. It's nice to read about some random mom on a ship but it's not really anything that sticks with you as there are so many characters and no photos. The short and to the point stories on the other hand do stick with you. And the technical stuff is amazing. I think for me, as a man, the personal parts may maybe not engage as much as this bigger stuff even though I liked it all. On the other hand I could imagine that women would be more partial to these personal stories even though the technical parts are clearly more important and intellectual. It's a mix of personal drama and history. So there is something here for all readers.
But it does feel weird that this is not a movie like Titanic. In my mind this is a much more interesting story than Titanic. It has a powerful WW1 backdrop which pretty much makes this story work. I kept looking up photos and documentaries. I needed some visual guides. There is even a video game where you are on the ship while it sinks and maybe 10 documentaries and then a ton of YouTube videos on this sinking.
You do need to take some time off to read this. It's not a short book even though the topic is very focused. But because of fine enough geo political info I'd say it's very much worth it. I didn't want to put this book away even though I didn't read a ton in it each day. It's a hard read at times when the events don't progress fast. And that's mostly because there are so many personal stories here. You can't really remove them, it's just something to keep in mind. It may drag a bit at times.
It's great writing, great storytelling, tons of great small anecdotes, good technical info and just an overall great history book with no great ideology preaching.
I'll be sure to check out his other books. But I assume none are close to this good. It's a recommended read if you have the time and energy for it for sure. Just be aware that it's melodrama at times.
It's not always top entertainment compared to more drama event focused stories but it is top quality. If you are looking for more action there are better books for that. There are also better books about history. This is just a great mix of everything.
Incredible storytelling. I really hope they make this into a movie, following the lives of so many of the ships passengers, the captains and political figures of the time, really broadened the story and added depth. I felt a deep sympathy for those on board the Lusitania, and the events that followed.
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