Book Review of
Dead Wake

Lynn's Review

Dead Wake by Erik Larson was published in 2015. It is a nonfiction WWI book. 

In May of 1915, the Lusitania, a luxury ocean liner, set sail from New York to Liverpool. At the time Germany had declared the waters around Britain a warzone. The passengers and crew set sail expecting to be at sea for just a few days. Instead, a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, killing over one thousand people. 

Erik Larson makes the story come alive. You follow the stories of the wealthy Americans and Europeans who were on the Lusitania, along with the crew and people that worked both on the Lusitania and the U-boat that torpedoed it. 

The sinking of the Lusitania changed WWI and how Americans viewed it. Erik Laron does a great job weaving in facts about President Wilson, Winston Churchill, and more into the story. 

Once I got about fifty pages into the book I could not put it down. Erik Lason is one of my favorite nonfiction history writers. You can tell that he takes his time doing his research. I have read several of his books and can’t wait to read his others.