Here we are with another maritime disaster, although this one takes place long before most of the others on the list. In 1819, the whaleship Essex, sailing from its home port of Nantucket, was attacked and capsized in the middle of the Pacific ocean by an 80-foot-long sperm whale. The members of the crew set out in three small whaling ships (roughly 25 ft oar boats) for the coast of South America, a trip of close to 3000 miles. Before the end, six men would die of hunger and thirst, three would be lost at sea, one would be executed, and the rest would resort to cannibalism. The men sailed for nearly 93 days straight, suffering from starvation, dehydration, exposure, and an almost crushing sense of despair. This story comes from the accounts of the survivors.
The author, Philbrick, has done an excellent job with research. (There are nearly 50 pages of notes at the end of the book as well as an extensive bibliography.) There is quite a bit of information about the whaling trade itself, as well as about the island of Nantucket's place in that trade. As an island with a mere 3000 residents (many of whom were gone for years at a time on whaleships, home only to drop off their precious whale-oil cargo, resupply, and take off again), the environment was very influential on those who had grown up there, and definitely effected the dynamics of the stranded sailors. There was also quite a bit of information about the daily lives of whalers and how they lived. However, the most interesting parts were the accounts of the survivors.
This is a story about overcoming all odds, and the consequences and guilt that remains after doing anything and everything to survive. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good sea-story or well-researched non-fiction. (I will say that it can be disturbing at some parts and is not recommended for children or the faint-of-heart.)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Cannonball Read #9: When the Dancing Stopped: The Real Story of the Morro Castle Disaster and Its Deadly Wake by Brian Hicks
Well, here we are with number three in "The Caustic Critic's Maritime Disaster Series". (I will warn you...I have become totally obsessed. I have actually been checking Wikipedia for other disasters to see if in fact there are any non-fiction books about them. In case you're wondering, in the near future you can expect the whale ship Essex, the Andrea Doria, the Mary Celeste, the Lusitania, and the steamboat General Slocum. I have also added several related movies to my Netflix queue--Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, A Night to Remember, Poseidon [the made-for-TV-movie with "The Gutt"], and Deep Water as well as a couple documentaries on the Titanic.)
The Morro Castle was a luxury liner which sailed from New York City to Havana, Cuba during the early thirties. Although its primary function was to transport mail between the two cities, the ship also had a decent passenger business--despite the ever-worsening depression--taking tourists to "Gay Havana" which at the time was still a wild party town. On the Labor Day cruise in 1934, the ship mysteriously caught fire and sunk, killing more than half the passengers and crew aboard. This book tells that story, but also tells the story of George Rogers, a radio operator who was convicted of murdering two elderly neighbors as well as attempting to kill a friend with a bomb. The connection between those two stories is that George Rogers was the radio operator on the Morro Castle, and many believe he was responsible for setting the fire, and possibly also for murdering the ship's captain before the fire began.
The author of the book, Brian Hicks, has obviously done painstaking research, and although the book tends to be a novelization, it is comfortable with inserting facts (as well as their sources) into the story. The main voice we hear from during the parts of the story which take place on the Morro Castle is Tom, a young man who was working on the ship that summer. Hicks had a chance to interview Tom (who was roughly 84 at the time Hicks met him) and get a lot of details not just about the fire itself, but also about the way the ship ran and about the tensions and problems among the crew leading up to the disaster.
Hicks follows an extensive description of the disaster itself with coverage of the various trials held to attempt to get to the truth about the matter with regards to fault and blame. The aggregious errors made by the replacement captain and the crew are brought to light by the combined efforts of the U.S. District Attorney's office, the department which would soon become the FBI, and the board that dealt with issues of the sea. After that, Hicks continues on to follow George Rogers, and the case quietly being built against him as far as the Morro Castle was concerned.
This book is well-written and includes a lot of interesting, gripping details. It has a certain feeling of being a detective story without getting totally side-tracked, never forgetting what the story is REALLY about. The author ties his strings together well, and in general I found the book to be a fascinating read.
The Morro Castle was a luxury liner which sailed from New York City to Havana, Cuba during the early thirties. Although its primary function was to transport mail between the two cities, the ship also had a decent passenger business--despite the ever-worsening depression--taking tourists to "Gay Havana" which at the time was still a wild party town. On the Labor Day cruise in 1934, the ship mysteriously caught fire and sunk, killing more than half the passengers and crew aboard. This book tells that story, but also tells the story of George Rogers, a radio operator who was convicted of murdering two elderly neighbors as well as attempting to kill a friend with a bomb. The connection between those two stories is that George Rogers was the radio operator on the Morro Castle, and many believe he was responsible for setting the fire, and possibly also for murdering the ship's captain before the fire began.
The author of the book, Brian Hicks, has obviously done painstaking research, and although the book tends to be a novelization, it is comfortable with inserting facts (as well as their sources) into the story. The main voice we hear from during the parts of the story which take place on the Morro Castle is Tom, a young man who was working on the ship that summer. Hicks had a chance to interview Tom (who was roughly 84 at the time Hicks met him) and get a lot of details not just about the fire itself, but also about the way the ship ran and about the tensions and problems among the crew leading up to the disaster.
Hicks follows an extensive description of the disaster itself with coverage of the various trials held to attempt to get to the truth about the matter with regards to fault and blame. The aggregious errors made by the replacement captain and the crew are brought to light by the combined efforts of the U.S. District Attorney's office, the department which would soon become the FBI, and the board that dealt with issues of the sea. After that, Hicks continues on to follow George Rogers, and the case quietly being built against him as far as the Morro Castle was concerned.
This book is well-written and includes a lot of interesting, gripping details. It has a certain feeling of being a detective story without getting totally side-tracked, never forgetting what the story is REALLY about. The author ties his strings together well, and in general I found the book to be a fascinating read.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Cannonball Read #8: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord
Yes, another Cannonball Read entry. It's been sort of exhilarating to do so much reading--I'd really gotten out of the habit the past few years, and now that I have a goal and a motivational push (my goal right now is to try and keep pace with Mr. Controversy and Figgy, who seem to moving at about the same speed I am) I have been getting an awful lot of reading done. It also helps that I've discovered Half.com where I can order books for basically the cost of shipping (yes, I know about libraries, but our local book-den is kind of pathetic, and besides, I like to KEEP my books.)
Walter Lord's A Night to Remember is another addition to my strangely expanding "nautical disasters" book list. It's another book about the Titanic, this one written in 1955. Lord had the opportunity to interview more than 60 of the wreck's survivors, and he compiled a detailed narrative account of the disaster from the perspective of those who were there, beginning with the lookout who first saw the ice burg all the way to the passengers on the steamer Carpathia who were jolted awake in the middle of the night by the frantic dash to try and rescue survivors.
This book is far less technical than Ghosts of the Titanic, because it is based solely on survivor accounts rather than on an scientific exploration of the wreckage (the wreckage would not be discovered until the mid 1980s, long after this book was not only completed but already made into a TV movie--at Lord's time, it was still believed the ship had sunk as one whole piece, which we now know to be incorrect). There is much more detail here about what life was like on the ship--who the passengers were, where they were coming from, and how they spent their time. There are also details about the ship itself, about how the rooms looked, how the dining rooms functioned, about the staff and the crew and what their positions entailed. There are accounts from the crew of the Carpathia, testifying to heroic actions taken by themselves and their captain which helped save many lives. This story is much more human than clinical; Lord didn't have the luxury of science yet, he had only the survivors and the benefit of their 40 years of reflection, as well as news reports and the transcripts from various trials.
Lord also has a chapter which touches on the impact of Titanic on society at large--the only chapter that really takes us out of the narrative and allows Lord to voice some of his own personal opinions. In his mind, Titanic shook the confidence of the western world. That something seen as a beacon of modern strength and ingenuity--something thought to be well nigh invincible--could fail so spectacularly was a shock. If even the massive Titanic was fallible, what COULD be counted on? Lord also muses on the effect the tragedy had on class separation in the US--the fact that 75% of 1st class passengers and perhaps only 15% of 3rd class passengers survived says a lot about how things were done on the Titanic, and by extension in the world at large. Lord draws no solid conclusions, but asks a lot of questions for the reader to think about.
This is a well-known book about the Titanic, and a reference point for many scholars who have gone on to write about the disaster, since Lord had the most original sources. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Titanic, or who wants a tight, gripping read.
Walter Lord's A Night to Remember is another addition to my strangely expanding "nautical disasters" book list. It's another book about the Titanic, this one written in 1955. Lord had the opportunity to interview more than 60 of the wreck's survivors, and he compiled a detailed narrative account of the disaster from the perspective of those who were there, beginning with the lookout who first saw the ice burg all the way to the passengers on the steamer Carpathia who were jolted awake in the middle of the night by the frantic dash to try and rescue survivors.
This book is far less technical than Ghosts of the Titanic, because it is based solely on survivor accounts rather than on an scientific exploration of the wreckage (the wreckage would not be discovered until the mid 1980s, long after this book was not only completed but already made into a TV movie--at Lord's time, it was still believed the ship had sunk as one whole piece, which we now know to be incorrect). There is much more detail here about what life was like on the ship--who the passengers were, where they were coming from, and how they spent their time. There are also details about the ship itself, about how the rooms looked, how the dining rooms functioned, about the staff and the crew and what their positions entailed. There are accounts from the crew of the Carpathia, testifying to heroic actions taken by themselves and their captain which helped save many lives. This story is much more human than clinical; Lord didn't have the luxury of science yet, he had only the survivors and the benefit of their 40 years of reflection, as well as news reports and the transcripts from various trials.
Lord also has a chapter which touches on the impact of Titanic on society at large--the only chapter that really takes us out of the narrative and allows Lord to voice some of his own personal opinions. In his mind, Titanic shook the confidence of the western world. That something seen as a beacon of modern strength and ingenuity--something thought to be well nigh invincible--could fail so spectacularly was a shock. If even the massive Titanic was fallible, what COULD be counted on? Lord also muses on the effect the tragedy had on class separation in the US--the fact that 75% of 1st class passengers and perhaps only 15% of 3rd class passengers survived says a lot about how things were done on the Titanic, and by extension in the world at large. Lord draws no solid conclusions, but asks a lot of questions for the reader to think about.
This is a well-known book about the Titanic, and a reference point for many scholars who have gone on to write about the disaster, since Lord had the most original sources. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Titanic, or who wants a tight, gripping read.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Cannonball Read #7: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
I am an unabashed thriller/horror novel geek. I am not ashamed to admit that Stephen King is my favorite author and that my favorite book in the world is IT. I like a good scary story with some creepiness and some tension and a little gore in it. When I heard that King's son Joe was also a writer, and had been winning some very serious awards for his writing, I figured I might as well check him out.
Heart-Shaped Box is the story of Judas Coyne, a washed-up heavy metal star, who has an obsession for the occult and macabre. One day, an offer comes in online of a ghost for sale. Jude can't resist, and a short while later he receives his purchase...and it isn't at all what he expected. Turns out the ghost has his own agenda, and Jude is not going to like it much. Jude, and his girlfriend Georgia (so called because that's where she's from, and that's how Jude labels his girlfriends) have to work together to figure out what the ghost wants and how to stop him before it's too late.
I found the characters very well-drawn (although I kept forgetting Jude was supposed to be in his mid-fifties and kept picturing him as looking like Rob Zombie) and engaging. Despite being someone who may not sound that sympathetic a character at first blush, I really liked Jude--he's a man who has made a lot of mistakes, but isn't afraid to own up to them. He knows who he is and isn't ashamed of it. Georgia is also great--she starts out as sort of a stereotypical groupie, but as the story goes on she shows her strength and determination. They are both characters that you want to root for.
The plot moves along quickly and doesn't drag, but it also doesn't fly along so quickly that there's no time for atmosphere or metaphors or literary gymnastics. The suspense is good, and your expectations are definitely turned upside down several times by the twists the story takes. It's a little gory and rather scary (though not "lying-in-bed-terrified-by-every-noise-and-dreading-the-nightmares scary) and has its funny moments, too. I will admit that I tore through this book faster than anything I've read for the Cannonball read thus far (unlike Manhunt and Gangs of New York [which I haven't even blogged about because it's such a drag] which were a constant battle to stay awake through.) Hill's work (as much as I'm sure this is something he's been desperately trying to avoid) reminds me a lot of his father's early work, back when Stephen King was really good and had editors who would tell him no once in a while.
It's a tight story and a fun read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys spooky reads.
Heart-Shaped Box is the story of Judas Coyne, a washed-up heavy metal star, who has an obsession for the occult and macabre. One day, an offer comes in online of a ghost for sale. Jude can't resist, and a short while later he receives his purchase...and it isn't at all what he expected. Turns out the ghost has his own agenda, and Jude is not going to like it much. Jude, and his girlfriend Georgia (so called because that's where she's from, and that's how Jude labels his girlfriends) have to work together to figure out what the ghost wants and how to stop him before it's too late.
I found the characters very well-drawn (although I kept forgetting Jude was supposed to be in his mid-fifties and kept picturing him as looking like Rob Zombie) and engaging. Despite being someone who may not sound that sympathetic a character at first blush, I really liked Jude--he's a man who has made a lot of mistakes, but isn't afraid to own up to them. He knows who he is and isn't ashamed of it. Georgia is also great--she starts out as sort of a stereotypical groupie, but as the story goes on she shows her strength and determination. They are both characters that you want to root for.
The plot moves along quickly and doesn't drag, but it also doesn't fly along so quickly that there's no time for atmosphere or metaphors or literary gymnastics. The suspense is good, and your expectations are definitely turned upside down several times by the twists the story takes. It's a little gory and rather scary (though not "lying-in-bed-terrified-by-every-noise-and-dreading-the-nightmares scary) and has its funny moments, too. I will admit that I tore through this book faster than anything I've read for the Cannonball read thus far (unlike Manhunt and Gangs of New York [which I haven't even blogged about because it's such a drag] which were a constant battle to stay awake through.) Hill's work (as much as I'm sure this is something he's been desperately trying to avoid) reminds me a lot of his father's early work, back when Stephen King was really good and had editors who would tell him no once in a while.
It's a tight story and a fun read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys spooky reads.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Cannonball Read #6: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints by Dito Montiel
I happened across the film based on this book (also written and directed by Dito Montiel) on OnDemand last month, and decided to stop and watch it because Robert Downey Jr. is so awesome and Channing Tatum is not especially talented, but very VERY pretty. I was fairly pleased with the movie, though it is nothing particularly new or innovative--it is the story of young Dito Montiel (played by a surprisingly talented Shia LaBouf) growing up in a tough neighborhood in New York, and also the story of adult Dito (RDJ) returning many years after fleeing the violence and dead-end fates that he and his friends were destined for if they stayed.
Since I enjoyed the film, I decided to track down the book, since it is supposedly a memoir. The book deals less with Dito's youth and more with his adult life: touring the country with his momentarily famous band, meeting people like Allen Ginsberg, a brief stint as a Calvin Klein model, and generally dealing with the trials of trying to become a functional adult.
The book is very reminiscent of On the Road, which makes sense, since it seems Montiel has been heavily influenced by the beats. There is no real story structure, just a sort of rambling collection of stories, anecdotes, photos, poems, and steam-of-consciousness rants woven together around the vague theme of "saints." Although there was no plot to speak of, I found the characters to be distinct, well-drawn, and interesting. And I also enjoyed the specificity and detail of Montiel's memories.
On the whole, while no work of literary genius, this is an easy and interesting read.
Since I enjoyed the film, I decided to track down the book, since it is supposedly a memoir. The book deals less with Dito's youth and more with his adult life: touring the country with his momentarily famous band, meeting people like Allen Ginsberg, a brief stint as a Calvin Klein model, and generally dealing with the trials of trying to become a functional adult.
The book is very reminiscent of On the Road, which makes sense, since it seems Montiel has been heavily influenced by the beats. There is no real story structure, just a sort of rambling collection of stories, anecdotes, photos, poems, and steam-of-consciousness rants woven together around the vague theme of "saints." Although there was no plot to speak of, I found the characters to be distinct, well-drawn, and interesting. And I also enjoyed the specificity and detail of Montiel's memories.
On the whole, while no work of literary genius, this is an easy and interesting read.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Cannonball Read #5: Manhunt: The Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson
As I have mentioned before, I have always had a certain fascination with the events surrounding the Lincoln assassination. As a child, I read anything I could get my hands on, and forced my parents to take me to Ford's Theater and the Petersen house (aka The House Where Lincoln Died). Obviously, this meant I came to James L. Swanson's Manhunt: The Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer with more information than the average reader. Unfortunately, I think this effected how much I enjoyed the book.
The book details the events preceding and following the Lincoln assassination (as well as the attempts on the lives of the Secretary of State and Vice President) and the nationwide hunt for the killer and his accomplices.
There were some parts of the historical record that I didn't know--for example the time between John Wilkes Booth's flight from Washington and his death in the Garrett barn in Virginia had not been fully explored in previous books I'd read, nor had I previously read anything about the efforts the government had made to capture the perpetrators--but a great deal of the book covered things that were common knowledge to me. However, there was enough new information to keep me interested all the way through. Swanson has done his research into all the people and events, so there are a lot of fascinating details. (There is an extensive bibliography/footnote section in the back which is great for those who might wish to do more research on their own).
My main problem with this book was the way it was written. It's done in third person, and although there are interjections in the author's voice, they aren't consistent. It's kind of an uncomfortable compromise between the style of The Killer Angels and Ghosts of Titanic. The Killer Angels is written as a multiple-first person narrative based on (but not directly referencing) original documents, while Ghosts of Titanic is a first-person narrative which directly references original documents and research. Manhunt is written in third-person, with inconsistent instances of direct-research and first-person authorial interjections. Swanson expresses personal opinions on certain events, but in other places merely relates events. He sometimes but not usually notes in the text where his information comes from, but other parts of the narrative are admitted conjecture. For me, this brings to mind high school research projects which were returned with the notes "I know YOUR opinion, but where are your FACTS? Where did you get them? HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?" Is this book historical fiction or a well-documented historical timeline? Or is it both?
I would say that the book is definitely full of information that someone who is already interested in the subject would enjoy. However, as far as a good read, I'm not sure I'd recommend it.
The book details the events preceding and following the Lincoln assassination (as well as the attempts on the lives of the Secretary of State and Vice President) and the nationwide hunt for the killer and his accomplices.
There were some parts of the historical record that I didn't know--for example the time between John Wilkes Booth's flight from Washington and his death in the Garrett barn in Virginia had not been fully explored in previous books I'd read, nor had I previously read anything about the efforts the government had made to capture the perpetrators--but a great deal of the book covered things that were common knowledge to me. However, there was enough new information to keep me interested all the way through. Swanson has done his research into all the people and events, so there are a lot of fascinating details. (There is an extensive bibliography/footnote section in the back which is great for those who might wish to do more research on their own).
My main problem with this book was the way it was written. It's done in third person, and although there are interjections in the author's voice, they aren't consistent. It's kind of an uncomfortable compromise between the style of The Killer Angels and Ghosts of Titanic. The Killer Angels is written as a multiple-first person narrative based on (but not directly referencing) original documents, while Ghosts of Titanic is a first-person narrative which directly references original documents and research. Manhunt is written in third-person, with inconsistent instances of direct-research and first-person authorial interjections. Swanson expresses personal opinions on certain events, but in other places merely relates events. He sometimes but not usually notes in the text where his information comes from, but other parts of the narrative are admitted conjecture. For me, this brings to mind high school research projects which were returned with the notes "I know YOUR opinion, but where are your FACTS? Where did you get them? HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?" Is this book historical fiction or a well-documented historical timeline? Or is it both?
I would say that the book is definitely full of information that someone who is already interested in the subject would enjoy. However, as far as a good read, I'm not sure I'd recommend it.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Cannonball Read #4: Ghosts of the Titanic by Charles Pellegrino
Ghosts of the Titanic by Charles Pellegrino is another entry into my seemingly death-and-disaster laden Cannonball Read list. I wasn't really familiar with the sinking of the Titanic (no, despite being a teenage girl when it came out, I have never seen James Cameron's Titanic). However, I do remember as a kid reading with great interest an article about the wreckage's discovery in National Geographic. (Once again: morbid, morbid child.) When I saw this book among Half.com's "recommendations" for me, I just had to have it.
This book is a combination of first-hand archaeological experience (Pellegrino has participated in numerous ventures to Titanic with a variety of groups including James Cameron--the filmmaker managed to turn his prop investigatory robot into one of the most effective wreck investigators to date) and real witness accounts (from both conversations Pellegrino held with the few remaining survivors and from source documents written at the time by those involved.). The author documents some of the situations that lead to the sinking, the sequence of events that occurred the night the ship went down, some of the aftermath, and also some of of the discoveries that have been made since scientists first began unearthing the debris of the ship.
One of the most interesting things to me are the number of details involved. There are complex diagrams showing the ship's layout and what transpired in relation to the ship itself. Contrary to popular belief, the Titanic did not t-bone itself on an ice berg, dragging a giant gouge in the side. More likely, there were probably a number of small holes--probably totalling not more that 12 meters of open area (roughly the combined size of 2 sidewalk squares)--letting in water. Also, the sinking of the ship was not inevitable--instead a series of unfortunate circumstances and mistakes lead to the disastrous conclusion.
Another thing the book touches on are discoveries that have been made in the modern area with the assistance of the Titanic. Much has been learned about the kind of bacteria and organisms that thrive at the depths of the ocean, including an new organism (dubbed "rustcicles" by the explorers) which may one day lead to advances in medical science and antibiotics. There is much left under the water which scientists and archaeologists have not even begun to investigate. According to the book (which may not be current) much exploring has been delayed or prohibited due to the number of people whose remains were likely trapped in the wreckage. However, it's likely that sometime beyond 2012 (the hundred year mark) more explorations will be undertaken, and it's mind-boggling what might be discovered.
The most fascinating thing (as I find with most history of disaster) is the human factor: how did the people who were there react? When disaster struck, did people rise to the challenge or sink to the lowest depths of their natures? It seems with the Titanic (as in nearly every other situation) there were an equal number on either side, as well as many in the middle who perished without documentation one way or another. It is enough to prove a point for the most pessimistic pessimist or the most optimistic optimist. For every gentleman who sacrificed his space in a life boat in order to leave room for women and children, there is a story of how steerage passengers were locked in below decks in order to "avoid confusion" while the first and second class passengers were led to the life boats (the first class dogs were actually set free of their kennels for a chance at escape before the third class passengers). On the other hand, for every story of cowardice--such as the owner of the White Star Line making sure he got himself in a lifeboat even if it meant leaving women and children behind--there is a story of bravery--the engineers who stayed below decks, sacrificing their lives in order to keep the lights on just a little longer to help with the evacuation. It's all so crazy--the best and worst of humanity shows up in situations like this, and THAT I think is why I love disaster books.
This is a great book, although some of the descriptions of the physical destruction can be a little tough to follow if you're not versed in physics and such. However, the diagrams are a great help, and there is enough going on that you can skim those highly scientific bits a little and not miss too much. I recommend it.
This book is a combination of first-hand archaeological experience (Pellegrino has participated in numerous ventures to Titanic with a variety of groups including James Cameron--the filmmaker managed to turn his prop investigatory robot into one of the most effective wreck investigators to date) and real witness accounts (from both conversations Pellegrino held with the few remaining survivors and from source documents written at the time by those involved.). The author documents some of the situations that lead to the sinking, the sequence of events that occurred the night the ship went down, some of the aftermath, and also some of of the discoveries that have been made since scientists first began unearthing the debris of the ship.
One of the most interesting things to me are the number of details involved. There are complex diagrams showing the ship's layout and what transpired in relation to the ship itself. Contrary to popular belief, the Titanic did not t-bone itself on an ice berg, dragging a giant gouge in the side. More likely, there were probably a number of small holes--probably totalling not more that 12 meters of open area (roughly the combined size of 2 sidewalk squares)--letting in water. Also, the sinking of the ship was not inevitable--instead a series of unfortunate circumstances and mistakes lead to the disastrous conclusion.
Another thing the book touches on are discoveries that have been made in the modern area with the assistance of the Titanic. Much has been learned about the kind of bacteria and organisms that thrive at the depths of the ocean, including an new organism (dubbed "rustcicles" by the explorers) which may one day lead to advances in medical science and antibiotics. There is much left under the water which scientists and archaeologists have not even begun to investigate. According to the book (which may not be current) much exploring has been delayed or prohibited due to the number of people whose remains were likely trapped in the wreckage. However, it's likely that sometime beyond 2012 (the hundred year mark) more explorations will be undertaken, and it's mind-boggling what might be discovered.
The most fascinating thing (as I find with most history of disaster) is the human factor: how did the people who were there react? When disaster struck, did people rise to the challenge or sink to the lowest depths of their natures? It seems with the Titanic (as in nearly every other situation) there were an equal number on either side, as well as many in the middle who perished without documentation one way or another. It is enough to prove a point for the most pessimistic pessimist or the most optimistic optimist. For every gentleman who sacrificed his space in a life boat in order to leave room for women and children, there is a story of how steerage passengers were locked in below decks in order to "avoid confusion" while the first and second class passengers were led to the life boats (the first class dogs were actually set free of their kennels for a chance at escape before the third class passengers). On the other hand, for every story of cowardice--such as the owner of the White Star Line making sure he got himself in a lifeboat even if it meant leaving women and children behind--there is a story of bravery--the engineers who stayed below decks, sacrificing their lives in order to keep the lights on just a little longer to help with the evacuation. It's all so crazy--the best and worst of humanity shows up in situations like this, and THAT I think is why I love disaster books.
This is a great book, although some of the descriptions of the physical destruction can be a little tough to follow if you're not versed in physics and such. However, the diagrams are a great help, and there is enough going on that you can skim those highly scientific bits a little and not miss too much. I recommend it.
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