Dead Wake: More Than a Story About the Sinking of the Lusitania

There is something about an Erik Larson book that makes the reader embrace, even enjoy, history. Even if history isn't your genre of choice, Larson makes his books completely compelling and brings moments of history to life in a way that is accessible to everyone.

Larson's latest, Dead Wake, subtitled The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, tells the fateful story of the British luxury ocean liner en route from New York to Liverpool. We all know from history class that the sinking of the Lusitania was one of the key events that brought the U.S. into World War I. But this book manages to make the history read like a novel. And even though we all know the outcome, the book still keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, almost hoping history got the telling wrong.

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

The devil truly is in the details, and this book is packed with information about the Lusitania, from details about the passengers to what it was like to travel on the liner. It's odd to say that I felt connected to the "characters" because these people really existed as did their ultimate life and death struggle. Personal tragedy as a story always pulls readers in (hello Titanic, anyone?), but Larson manages to recount each passenger's storyline in a way that makes you feel temporarily removed from the reality of the story.

But this wasn't just a book about the sinking itself. Larson gives the reader political perspectives too, from both the British and the American point of view. As readers, we got into Churchill's head, as well as Wilson's. We learned about Germany's U-boats and how they revolutionized the way wars were fought. There was also the fascinating angle of code breaking.

Of course, as is so often with history, facts later come to light that makes the reader wonder how easily the outcome could have drastically changed. Many small choices and coincidences all came together that factored into the torpedoing of the Lusitania, which as a reader I found to be most fascinating. I also found myself questioning a lot of the actions, or more specifically inactions, that could have altered the course of history.

It's hard to read this book as history, partially because it is difficult to imagine such horrible events taking place despite the fact that we know them to be true; but also mainly because Larson has a knack for telling history in a way that makes the reader understand it in a new light while remaining strictly factual and shying away from any of the Lusitania conspiracy theories that abound.

I devoured this book in four days despite it's lengthy size (450 pages, Kindle version), which is a testament to how it kept me on the edge of my seat and awake well into the early hours of the morning. This book is a great read for the history buff in your life, but would be equally appreciated by those who enjoy thrilling novels. Have a student learning about World War I? They would benefit from reading this as well.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.