A. A. Hoehling (1914–2004)

This is a non-fiction account of the tragedy of the sinking of the Lusitania. The book was published in 1957 and at that time there were still survivors of the event for the author to interview. The only knowledge I had of this event was what I learned in school, which was not much. This book filled in a lot of the gaps and I am glad I found it among older books I had packed away. The research the author did was obvious, giving the reader a look at the more common people who were among the passengers. Also, the events are told from the eyes of the captain in submarine that sunk the ship. Recommended for those who enjoy well written history.… (mehr)

Originally published in 1956 and reprinted in 1991; I bought it thinking it was a more recent book. (However, the authors, A.A. and Mary Hoehling, did get a chance to interview a few Lusitania survivors). A generic but readable disaster narrative; we’re introduced to passengers and crew on the Lusitania and allowed to wonder who will be saved and who’s doomed. It’s unfortunate that the first book I read about the sinking, Colin Simpson’s rel="nofollow" target="_top">The Lusitania, suggested a sort of conspiracy theory, with various arguments that the Lusitania was carrying illegal cargo; it may have colored my thinking. A lot of this was cleared up by Erik Larson’s Dead Wake. I think Larson’s book is the best so far, but Hoehling and Hoehling is a reasonable introduction to Lusitania lore.… (mehr)

Having just finished Dead Wake by Erik Larson, I had to struggle to give this one three stars. Larson's book was so well documented. In this book, I became engrossed with the story of one of the crew, a fireman named Frank Tower, who had been a "survivor of both the Titanic and The Empress of Ireland". In the end, it wasn't clear whether he had survived or not so I went looking. Frank Tower was shown on the Lusitania's crew list as Francis "Frank" Toner (Tower), so perhaps his handwriting wasn't very clear. He is listed as having survived. However, when I checked both the passenger and crew lists of the other two ships I could not find him, or anyone by a name that could have been Tower or Toner. So with this bit of the story questionable I didn't find myself overly confident of the rest. My next book is about the Empress of Ireland. I saw a nice exhibit of this disaster in the museum in Ottawa last summer, so I am eager to read it. Perhaps Frank will show up.… (mehr)