Review: Titanic: Iceberg Ahead

Titanic — Iceberg Ahead: The Story of the Disaster by Some of Those Who Were There by James W Bancroft

Nonfiction — History
☆☆☆☆

When I first learned about the Titanic in 4th grade, it captured my attention. I became hooked on history. A few months later, the wreck was discovered. Then I ordered a book (Discovering the Titanic) from a Scholastic book order, which I still have. I pored over this book over and over and over, eventually finding more books to supplement my addiction. (I did not like the 1997 movie.) My interest was piqued by this new book, but was there really anything new to learn about the Titanic?

Yes! I was pleasantly surprised. The first half of the book is a timeline of the disaster, pieced together through multiple witness accounts. Quite a few of these accounts I had never seen before. It started with the ship’s construction and concluded with the Carpathia rescue and initial reports. It really brought the disaster to life.

The second half provides a brief biography of many of the passengers (some survivors, some victims). This included parents’ names and birth dates and places—information less interesting to read through. Some people had really interesting lives that would make good biographies on their own.

Overall, it’s a nice addition to the collective history of the Titanic.

I received a free e-copy from NetGalley.