Book Review: Dead Wake – The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

~ Book Club Mom

Dead Wake
by
Erik Larson

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I hadn’t read a nonfiction book in a while, so I picked up Dead Wake by Erik Larson, an excellent storyteller. What a great choice!

Dead Wake is about the 1915 sinking of the British (Cunard) passenger ship, the Lusitania, on its way from New York to Liverpool. On May 17 of that year, a German U-boat torpedoed the ship off the shores of Ireland. It sank in eighteen minutes. Close to 1,200 people died with 764 survivors. During that time, passengers and crew had a short time to make crucial decisions. Some of them mistakenly put their life jackets on backwards. Getting on a life boat was difficult because of the way the ship listed to the starboard side. Some people jumped into the fifty-degree sea. Some stayed on the ship until the last minute. Some were sucked into the ship’s funnels, only to be spit back out alive. There were no logical solutions and the ones that seemed the safest often turned out to be the worst ones.

Larson gives the reader the world backdrop, crucial to understanding the situation in the North Atlantic and the waters around the UK. German U-boats prowled the area, sinking merchant ships. Although the New York Times had just published a warning from the German embassy about the dangers, passengers and crew falsely believed that they were safe, that only merchant ships would be attacked, and that once they got close, the British navy would escort them to Liverpool. In addition, we learn about the ruthless captain of the U-20 that sank the ship.

Another shocking fact was that the British Admiralty knew about the dangers and did not inform the ship’s captain. A conspiracy theory emerged that Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, secretly hoped a neutral ship would be attacked because he wanted the U.S. to enter the war on Britain’s side. We also learn about President Wilson, his depression after his wife died, and his relationship with Edith Bolling Galt, whom he would marry in 1915.

Larson tells the passengers’ stories, too and the survivors’ accounts were fascinating, probably the most interesting because of the human element. He talks about Captain Turner and the strategic decisions he made, all without knowledge of imminent danger. In addition, we learn about the aftermath and how blames were laid and lives were altered.

I highly recommend Dead Wake to readers who like a human story with a historical backdrop. I look forward to reading more books by Erik Larson.

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25 thoughts on “Book Review: Dead Wake – The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson”

  2. U-boat commanders were ruthless. That was their job. They were feted in Germany for the tonnage they sank. Radar was primitive. U-boat wolf packs were winning the Atlantic war. I do like the sound of this book. Tens of millions of Americans in a popular American First programme led by figures like Charles Lindberg argued for American isolation. Churchill, of course, would have been delighted by the leverage the Lusitania gave his wartime government. But equally so would FDR. His Land-Lease package was crucial to keeping Britain afloat.

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    1. Hi Jack – thank you for stopping by and filling in the history of that time period and later. The captain of U-boat 20 was indeed ruthless and was going for the most tonnage possible. Some of his log entries suggested he regretted the loss of lives, but he went on to sink many other boats anyway.

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  7. Hi, Barb – Your review is excellent and the book sounds like a very good one. The problem for me is that I have a packed with myself to never read an Erik Larson book every again. Yes, I know he is a brilliant and much beloved writer. But, years ago for book club I read ‘Devil in the White City.’ Years later, I continue to have nightmares about this. Other than ‘Helter Skelter,’ no other book has negatively impacted me in quite this way.

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    1. Hi Donna – I know about Devil in the White City, but I haven’t read it. It’s a disturbing topic and I would probably stay away from that one, especially after reading your comment. My work friend recently read The Splendid and the Vile and I was thinking about reading that next. I haven’t read Helter Skelter either. I did read In Cold Blood because I love Truman Capote’s books, but that was also disturbing and not something I would ordinarily read. I appreciate your honest comment.

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    1. Hi Lisa – I know what you mean about nonfiction, yet when I do read one I always ask myself why I don’t read more, because all my experiences have been excellent. Thank you for reading and commenting!

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    1. Hi Jason, thanks for stopping by. I would definitely recommend this one. I haven’t read any other books by Erik Larson, but I’m glad I finally got around to reading one!

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