This nonfiction book by Erik Larson, as expected, does not disappoint. It read as a novel and is full of compelling details and characters as he tells you the story of the Lusitania, a British passenger liner that was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915.

I read this book recently, and if I remember correctly, the book starts two years earlier, and chronicles in order the events that started World War I to this incident. You learn about the history of how things were reported in the newspapers. You learn a lot about the passengers of the ship, as well as their Captain. I was surprised on how much detail is given about what these passengers did onboard the ship during its journey. He gets these details from the survivors as well from the journals and letters by the passengers.

You learn about the commander of the German U-Boat, and you learn about his crew and their missions, and communications. You learn about British intelligence and the information they intercepted, and what they did with the information. And there’s also interesting information about President Woodrow Wilson, and what he was dealing with at the time that had nothing to do with the war. You learn when and how the Americans got involved into the war.

Honestly, it was a very fascinating book to read, even as you feel terrible for all these from the boat who did not survive. If you’re into history and nonfiction- I recommend this book!