![]() But, if they are reading for the context, frame, and historical detail, they will be very happy with the pacing. If they are reading for the "action" of the ship sinking and the rescue, they should skip to that part (toward the end) or read one of the "adventure" readalikes I have listed below instead. As a result, the "story" moves slowly toward the moment of impact. Everything else is either frame, detail, or context. But honestly, the only action is the ship sinking, a fact that every reader knows is coming before they even open the book. As too was the information about Wilson's personal life.Īs you can probably tell from what I have said so far, this is a methodical read, something I have heard a few patrons complain about. The in depth look into daily life on a German U-boat was also extremely fascinating here. Again, as the RA librarian, you just need to be aware of these appeals/limiters to point them out and let the reader decide if this book is right for him or her. But I understand that for some readers this is frustrating. If I were on the ship, they would pop in and out of my life and I might forget who they were one time and then the next time we met, I might spend time having a long conversation with them. I liked the large cast of characters and enjoyed how I didn't always remember exactly who each of them were when they reappeared because to me it was more realistic. There are a lot of these people popping in and out of the story. ![]() For example, for book lovers, there is a reoccurring passenger who is a rare book dealer, taking a priceless volume across the ocean. He connects the dots for us in a way we have not considered before.Īs mentioned above, it is the small side stories of the passenger,s both famous and not, scattered throughout the book which allow readers to connect with this story. This storytelling style allows history to come alive by giving the reader a 360 degree view of large historical events. With Dead Wake you get the standard Erik Larson style of multiple story lines converging, but in this case they literally converge as the ship collides with the U-boat which brings Wilson around to the US entering the Great War. We get three sides of the global story-the U-boat commander, British Admiralty and President Wilson-but what really elevates this book are the affecting stories of individual crew and passengers. Larson has a wonderful way of creating a very readable, accessible story of a time, place, and event. In cinematic terms, this dramatic page-turner is Das Boot meets Titanic. So I am going to practice what I preach here and share the March 2015 Library Reads soundbite for Dead Wake: It is a great way for booktalking novices to get started because the list always includes a soundbite from a fellow library worker. Don't forget when we suggest leisure books for patrons that when a reader encounters a book is sometimes more important than what is written in the book itself.īooktalking Soundbite: Here on the blog, I advocate each and every month for using the Library Reads lists to help you to suggest books to readers. I mention this because this example is a testament to the fact that when you encounter a book can seriously effect your enjoyment of it.īack in 2010 I wrote a much longer post about the issue of Right Book, Wrong Time? I wanted to take this time before my discussion about the appeal of this book to remind all of us of this important point though. Many planned to read it still, but later. To them, it sounded like the worst, most heartbreaking experience they could imagine. In fact, I know this to be true as I brought up my experience with both patrons and librarians and more than a few cringed when I described what I found to be an awesome reading experience. However, I understand that for many, reading the book back in May would have been too intense. It was extremely eerie, but at the same time it also felt like a fitting tribute to those who died. My experience was more visceral and intense than if I had read it now or sometime in the future. įor me as a reader, I read this book at the perfect time. During the 100th Anniversary this past April and May from the day the Lusitania left harbor until it sunk, Erik Larson himself live tweeted the crossing here. I know this may sound a bit macabre to some, but I purposely timed my listening of this book to the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the ship, even holding off on getting to the day the ship sank in the story until I was on that day in real life. Back in May, I listened to Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |