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A review by nicrtay
How to Survive the Titanic, Or, the Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay by Frances Wilson
5.0
"J. Bruce Ismay died on the night of 14–15 April 1912, and died again in his bedroom twenty-five years later. He was mired in the moment of his jump; his life was defined by a decision he made in an instant. Other survivors of the Titanic were able, in varying degrees, to pick themselves up and move on, but Ismay was not. His was now a posthumous existence."
Before starting, I was slightly worried that this book would be less objective than it turned out to be, and that the author would feel the urge to insert personal opinions within what should be a factual text. I think everyone reading this or any other account about Ismay's ordeals before, during, and after the wreck will likely develop a stance on how just or unjust Ismay's actions were in the years that followed. But an account is not the place for that. Neither is a review for that matter, so you won't find anything here.
The work itself was highly engrossing. I'm not a stranger to the subject, but I haven't come across a book on the RMS Titanic that focused so heavily on the aftermath where the law was concerned. I was impressed with the amount of detail that was given, in despite of redundancy and repetition.
I'm also really glad I decided to read this after reading some of the other reviews. I highly doubt the reviewers that stated that the second half of the book was entirely about Lord Jim cared to read on after the first mention of Conrad. The author does include a sizable few chapters comparing and contrasting fact and fiction, but it in no way encompasses half the text.
Whatever one may think about J. Bruce Ismay, I think he deserved this text. I wouldn't go so far as to use the word "humanize", but it at least adds more depth to a figure, dare I say a man, that is entitled to have his full story told without Horner playing in the background.
Before starting, I was slightly worried that this book would be less objective than it turned out to be, and that the author would feel the urge to insert personal opinions within what should be a factual text. I think everyone reading this or any other account about Ismay's ordeals before, during, and after the wreck will likely develop a stance on how just or unjust Ismay's actions were in the years that followed. But an account is not the place for that. Neither is a review for that matter, so you won't find anything here.
The work itself was highly engrossing. I'm not a stranger to the subject, but I haven't come across a book on the RMS Titanic that focused so heavily on the aftermath where the law was concerned. I was impressed with the amount of detail that was given, in despite of redundancy and repetition.
I'm also really glad I decided to read this after reading some of the other reviews. I highly doubt the reviewers that stated that the second half of the book was entirely about Lord Jim cared to read on after the first mention of Conrad. The author does include a sizable few chapters comparing and contrasting fact and fiction, but it in no way encompasses half the text.
Whatever one may think about J. Bruce Ismay, I think he deserved this text. I wouldn't go so far as to use the word "humanize", but it at least adds more depth to a figure, dare I say a man, that is entitled to have his full story told without Horner playing in the background.