Ten bloated bodies washed ashore at White Oaks and became part of a Last Thursday coroner's inquiry. The following questions were posed and answered:
Bob S: I had a slight problem with the book - like the Chilean mine disaster [Deep Down Dark], the details were a bit much. Too much minutia. Well written, well researched, not literately creative. Masterly presentation of historical events, but I did not enjoy the book. B
Dick J: I read the book with no preconception of the Lusitania situation. I really enjoyed it and learned quite a bit of historical events. I'm glad you chose this book. A-
Keith: Well crafted, bringing together the Four Forces (Lusitania, U-20, Wilson, Admiralty/Room 40). Well done, should be in our Top 25. A
Mike: I have a "Like/Annoy" relationship with Erik Larson. He comes across as a 'Populist Historian' like Brian Killmeade rather than a 'true historian' like Hampton Sides or Steven Ambrose. Every author [with the 'help' of their editor] has to choose what to include and exclude, however ... Couldn't he have told us when depth charges did come into the war? (apparently less than a year later). In both books the LTBC has read, Larson lays on the foreshadowing with a putty knife. B+
Karl: This was a good read, presented well. The juxtaposition of the U-boat story with the Ocean Liner story and the British MI-6 story made for an interesting tale. It was perhaps a bit too detailed in places - his penchant for detail got in the way. The unanswered question about why the British didn't do more to protect the Lusitania - and Churchill's role in the decision making - is thought provoking. Bringing in Woodrow Wilson's personal life added something to the story and seems like a pretty unique idea. However, I didn't think the Wilson part worked at all.
I don't think that the various characters were painted in enough detail for me to feel any empathy or enmity toward them. Certainly, though, the U-boat captain, Schwieger, seems to have been pretty ruthless. But apparently no less ruthless than the British government in placing the blame for the liner's sinking on Captain Turner. The author presented a good picture of Churchill, who was just as ruthless as Schwieger.
I was one of the folks who hadn't realized that it was two years after the sinking of Lusitania that the US joined the Allies. So, in that respect, this book was eye-opening.
I can't say that this is a great book. If however someone is interested in the story of the sinking of the Lusitania, I would recommend the book as a source of information, presented in an interesting, readable way. B+
Jack F: I enjoyed the book - unlike Devil in the White City, I found it captivating: the hunter and the hunted. Perhaps more than anything else we've read, it illustrates the end of one era, the beginning of another. I would recommend it. A
Bob W: I found it very entertaining. I learned a great deal about Wilson; the book covered a wide spectrum of historical events. A-
Charlie: The author spent too much time trying to entertain; I got the feeling he was trying to sell books. This was not top level non-fiction. B+
Tom G: I agree with Charlie - the Devil in the White City was two stories shoved together with disparate story lines. The author spent too much time on the paranormal - what, is he a wack job? The writing itself was pedestrian. B
Kenny G: I really enjoyed the book. The way it jumped between the pursuit and the pursued. lI leaned a lot of history. I was blown away by the research he does. I gave it an A.
[side note from Charlie: see "Berlin Diaries" by William Shirer]
... and from well outside the War Zone:
I'm sorry but I won't be able to attend tomorrow's meeting. My two sons are coming into town for the weekend - to help us sort through pictures and stuff (because we're making plans to move to a retirement center). (I thought my sons were coming Friday.) I'm also trying to get Susie into a Rehab facility soon - to help her build up strength prior to our moving.
I will host July LTBC as scheduled. I'm planning on an evening meeting, not a Greenside lunch this time.
A footnote pertinent to Dead Wake
My dad joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor. During WWII he was on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. After the war he enrolled at the University of Colorado. He ended up getting a PhD (in 1951: history) with a thesis that is a study of convoys vs. U-boats in WWI. I'll have his thesis and maybe some articles he wrote available for perusing in July.
I'll give Dead Wake B+ grade. It's very thorough and certainly well researched, but at times I thought the details were overdone. (I've had this same complaint about some of our other well-researched history books, so maybe it's just me.)
- Rob
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