Iceberg, Right Ahead! The Tragedy of the Titanic

by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson

"Iceberg, Right Ahead!" Only 160 minutes passed between the time a sailor on lookout duty uttered these chilling words and the moment when the mighty ocean liner Titanic totally disappeared into the cold, dark waters of the North Atlantic. This century-old tragedy, which took more than 1,500 lives, still captivates people in the twenty-first century.



Seventy-three years separate the two major Titanic events—the 1912 sinking of the vessel and the dramatic 1985 discovery of the wreck by Robert Ballard. But additional stories about the victims, survivors, rescuers, reporters, investigators, and many others show the far-reaching effects this tragedy had on society. Award-winning author Stephanie Sammartino McPherson has collected numerous personal accounts of the event, including the knighted man who spent the rest of his life in seclusion because he was accused of dishonorable behavior in a lifeboat, the stewardess who survived two shipwrecks and a mid-ocean collision, and the New York Times executive who sent multiple reporters to meet the rescue ship, thus earning a national reputation for his newspaper. She also links the Titanic tragedy to changes in regulations worldwide. After a Senate Inquiry and a British trial attempted to assign blame for the disaster, new laws on ship safety were put in place. A group of nations also banded together to form an ice patrol, eventually leading to the formation of the U.S. Coast Guard.



Even the most avid Titanic fans will learn something new as McPherson brings the reader up to date on the politics and intrigue still surrounding the wreck—including what modern science can reveal about what really happened to the ship and who was at fault. Prepare to follow the never-ending story of the Titanic into its second century.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical, Middle Grade, Survival, Childrens, Action

112 pages, Library Binding

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Stephanie Sammartino McPherson wrote her first children's story in college. She enjoyed the process so much that she's never stopped writing. A former teacher and freelance newspaper writer, she has written twenty-eight books and numerous magazine stories. She especially enjoys writing about science and the human interest stories behind major discoveries.

Stephanie and her husband, Richard, live in Virginia but also call California home. They are the parents of two grown children.

Reviews

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

ICEBERG, RIGHT AHEAD!

Really short and quick historical read about the sinking of the Titanic and the lost souls.

5 stars

Happy Reading!

[Avery Ernst · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, boring BORING.
I chose this book, hoping that I would be somewhat interested since I had some prior knowledge of the Titanic. However, this book wasn't even about what happened on the boat. It was all about what happened before, and mostly after. Which, no offense, I really don't care about. I'd say only about 10% of the book took place on the actual boat, which really disappointed me. I am not interested in the company that made the boat, nor am I interested in reading 100 pages of stories of people finding the Titanic. I wanted to learn about the experiences of people on the actual ship. I wanted accounts from survivors. I wanted to know what was going through their head knowing this was the last time they would see many of their loved ones. This book did not deliver on any of the above. Very disappointed. The only redeeming quality was that it was a quick read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My appetite for this subject cannot be quenched. This book was better than Titanic Sinks! as the detail is greater and there is not the chance of confusion over fact versus fiction. I think this is an awesome book to give to kids getting interested in the subject. The story boxes throughout the book give additional info while also making it easier to read the book. I read every word but one could read photo captions and/or story boxes and/or the text to get varying amounts of info. The presentation makes it appealing to more reluctant readers who may still be overwhelmed by its length.

[Tyler Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading, "Iceberg, Right Ahead!", I was informed about the horrible event that took place in the April of 1912. This book helped not only give a true understanding of what had happened, but it had also given me factual information on how the Titanic was built, when it was built, and which company had helped during the process of it being built. The author gives incredible detail on 1st class, 2nd class, and 3rd class passengers, and the people (including the survivors) that were on the ship during this tragic event. The book also gives hindsight of the aftermath, and the families who had experienced the death of their loved ones. After the Titanic, World War 1 took place and caused more calamity during that period of time. Later on, rehearsals on Broadway and movies were released to show and entertain the public for their own interests. Many also began to wonder what had happened to the Titanic ship, decades upon decades later. The author gives expressive information on where the Titanic was discovered, when it was discovered, and the man behind the idea of finding the missing Titanic, including his background profile. For those who are interested in learning more about the Titanic, this book is a must. The story explains details that led up to the Titanic and a well-covered description of the aftermath. I was able to comprehend all the information given in this story, and it left me fascinated, wanting to learn more about the aftermath of the Titanic, including the artifacts and remains dug up from the deep sea.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough, informative chronicle of the Titanic. This book is notable for including chapters on the enquiries into the circumstances of the collision and sinking, what became of some of the survivors, exploration of the wreck site, and controversies surrounding the bringing up artifacts for exhibition.

[Lana Krumwiede]

Fascinating! I learned a lot about the Titanic tragedy and the discovery of the wreckage. This book pulls it all together. I loved the design and layout of the book. But my favorite part of this book was the stories of the individual passengers. Absolutely mesmerizing.

[Jill Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend the audio of this book. It is a short read; I read it for a class assignment. I lam fascinated by the Titanic. I always have been. It was interesting to read about the true stories, as we know them. The information was great.

[Seana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book about Titanic

This book is a poor option if you want to know about what happened the night the Titanic went down. It’s readable but not great. There are better options- SS TITANIC by Laurence Beasley, or A NIGHT TO REMEMBER by Walter Lord.

[Victoria Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ecomicslly witten and well-paced.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good facts if you don't know much about the Titanic, but I have seen enough documentaries with similar facts/stories. It was boring to listen to. Good for a quick read though.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[SALLIE PIERCE EURE · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be a pretty dry read. Lots of facts. Not much story weaving. Listened to the audio version- narration was also dry.

[books_wine_and_hiking_goodtime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always read a Titanic book around April 15. This one had lots of information and clearly laid out.

[Kendall Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of boring at times, but also interesting. The Titanic fascinates me!

[Selena · Rating 1 out of 5]

The audiobook narrator is way too fast.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little beauty kept me company while cleaning! (Audio) one to read if you enjoy learning about the titanic.

[Erika witha K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to it as an audio book. The reader had NO inflection, personality,or clue how to end a sentence. Good information, but a terrible performance from the reader.

[Tara Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 15, 2012 is the one hundredth anniversary of the night the Titanic sank in an ice field in the Atlantic. On that fateful night, more than 1,500 people lost their lives in the icy waters after the ship went down. Using photographs, artifacts, and personal accounts from survivors, McPherson takes readers through the complete history of the Titanic. She covers the building of the great ship, its maiden voyage, the sinking, the official inquiry of the incident, the effects on safety regulations, the search for the wreckage, and films. At around 112 pages, this is the perfect book for middle school and YA readers who want to know everything about the Titanic.

I love the Titanic. Since this is the one hundredth anniversary of the ship's sinking, I'm finding myself fascinated by all the new material out there to learn more about the ill-fated ship. This particular book is great because it covers everything. It may not cover it in full-length-adult-non-fiction depth, but it covered it all well enough for me to learn new things. I especially loved the great statistics at the end about the percentages of total passengers in first, second, and third class and the break down of men, women, and children in each who survived.

Though the book is non-fiction, it tells the story well enough to stand out. Well-written non-fiction can pull you into the story like fiction, and this one does exactly that. To me, a child of the 80's, sometimes the Titanic can seem like that -- fiction. I have to step back sometimes and remember that this actually happened. There is a spot in the Atlantic Ocean where 1,500 people floated in life jackets until they died of hypothermia in the middle of the night. And that is terrifying.

I think that is why the Titanic fascinates us. We all wonder what we would have done in the face of such chaos and tragedy. Would we escape? Become heroes? Accept our fate with peace or terror? The photos and descriptions provide by McPherson left me questioning all of those things. Of course, then I found myself wanting to watch the 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio/Kate Winslet Titanic movie and watch the big-budget Hollywood version of what happened. In fact, two of my favorite quotes in the book come from the movie's director, James Cameron:

"I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to the movie."

"[The Titanic is] the quintessential story of loss, of coming to terms with death, heroism and cowardice, and the full spectrum of human response before, during, and after a crisis."

Final Grade: B I've said before that it's hard for a non-fiction book to get an A from me, and that holds with this book. It's a FABULOUS read, a great non-fiction book, and it definitely stands out among other young adult non-fiction titles and Titanic books alike. But non-fiction always falls a little short of "OMG AMAZING" for me. And that's okay! My students will love this one, so will adults, and I highly recommend it for everyone over the age of eleven. I could see this paring well for a fiction/non-fiction unit with The Watch The Ends The Night by Allan Wolf, which covers a lot of the same people.

[Lillian Lostetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It tells you so many different things about the Titanic; how it was built, who built it, what happened before during and after.

[Mary Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short read at just over 100 photo-enhanced pages, Iceberg, Right Ahead! is an excellent account of the Titanic, from its conception through the 1985 discovery of its North Atlantic resting place. Author Stephanie Sammartino McPherson has done a stellar job of laying out the story, humanizing the facts with personal accounts and conveying the horror and tragedy of the great ship’s sinking – and all in a straightforward, highly readable manner. Even though much of the story of the sinking was familiar to me, I was absolutely riveted. Less familiar, but just as interesting, were the sections on the aftermath – the American and British inquiries into the disaster, the formation of the ice patrols in the hope of preventing future accidents and the stories of some of the survivors.

While, because of the book’s short format, none are explored in great depth, Iceberg, Right Ahead! touches on many of the issues and controversies surrounding the Titanic – the insufficient number of lifeboats, the ship’s speed, the higher mortality rate of third class passengers and the failure of the Californian to render aid, among others. IMHO, Iceberg, Right Ahead! could well spur readers into further research on any or all of these issues. Fortunately, there is a wealth of material available for curious minds.

Aimed at the younger end of the YA market, the text includes parenthetical definitions of terms that might be unfamiliar to readers. (Example: “boatswain” – supervisor of unlicensed deckhands.) The book design is appealing and the many photos and other artwork illuminate the text well, adding great visual appeal. A timeline, a brief glossary, source notes and a bibliography are included along with mention of the fate of other famous ships of the Titanic’s era.

Iceberg, Right Ahead is concise, yes, but nonetheless, it’s a riveting telling of one of the most famous disasters of all time. I literally could not put it down.

Highly recommended.

[Karen Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, one of the greatest ocean disasters of all time. This first class collection of Titanic information opens with the moment the iceberg was sighted in the starry darkness, and how that led to the terrifying rapid sinking. Details of the disaster from passengers of all classes, the rescue ship Carpathia, and the arrival in New York of the survivors make this a gripping read. McPherson includes a section about how steamship travel developed, and why luxury cruise liners were being built at increasingly enormous sizes for ocean travel. How did the disaster affect not just the survivors, but the travel and safety laws across the world? Investigations were held on both sides of the Atlantic and the results were mixed. Though there were many oddball ideas on how to raise the Titanic, the wreck wasn't located at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean until the mid-1980's by an international team led by Robert Ballard. Now, the debates are about recovering more artifacts before the wreckage deteriorates, or leaving the place as a hallowed grave for the 1500 people who died in the disaster. The book is filled with high-quality photos, sidebars and fascinating facts about the ship and its victims, the survivors, and the scientists and adventurers who have searched out and documented the wreck using incredible technology. For strong 6th grade readers and up. Review copy received from publisher, publication date November 2011

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is highly browsable, with each header providing a self-contained 'story' about a person or an aspect of the ship's story. While organized in chronological sections, anyone who already knows the order of the story won't be thrown off by browsing around. It was good to see the contemporary photos, illustrations, and diagrams from the time of the sinking, but just as interesting to see some of the underwater photos and museum exhibit pieces.

Overall, I find the staying power of this story strange. There are thousands of well-documented shipwreck stories and many lives lost. In its own way, this book has become almost a genre. There's a clear set of expectations for a sense of darkness and tragedy, a theme running around the possibility the sinking could have been averted, the hubris of the builders, the injustices of lost lives. So why is this story so iconic?

Some masterful design choices made the book compelling. The sea-green and black color scheme in particular seems to be lifted from many of the actual underwater photos, and contributes to the tone. These colors were used for the text vignettes and the diagrams to good effect. No designer was credited, which is a shame.

Sources: The book is very well sourced, with a thorough page sourcing section, a two-page bibliography, and a full page of outside resources for further information. While all of this information might be found on the internet if one were to look up specific topics or people, having it all compiled and organized in one place is a handy strength.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Stephanie Sammartino McPherson has written a fact filled account of the tragedy that was Titanic. Just about 100 pages in length, she easily shares accounts, photos, sketches and enough information about what happened after the survivors returned home, to engage a reader of any age. Iceberg, Right Ahead is directed at a YA audience and I think that's such a fabulous thing! There are many lessons to be learned and McPherson touches on the most important, that actions matter and lives and reputations can be ruined with false accounts and misinformation. She also tells of the great heroism, from so many people in all walks of life that night. The term "women and children first" bring a whole new concept to how life was a hundred years ago, both good and not-so-good.

Iceberg, Right Ahead is an easy read and a gorgeous read thanks to the many photos and sketches. I especially like that she included the "unsinkable" Margaret Brown, Titanic's Captain Smith and also the recovery mission of Robert Ballard in 1985.

Iceberg, Right Ahead is a great way to introduce readers of all ages to the human and the physical tragedy that was Titanic. I've always been mesmerized by the accounts of the Titanic and I hope this book will entice another generation to learn more about how the unsinkable Titanic when down in a few hours.

5 out of 5 stars.

* This book was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley and that, in no way, affected my honest review.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! I received a digital ARC of it from NetGalley, and though it was absolutely gorgeous on my computer, I can't wait for the opportunity to be able to page through the actual book. It's the story of the Titanic disaster--before, during, and after--but it's also a collection of stories of people, companies, and even objects associated with the ship. My son was crazy about the Titanic when he was younger, so I've read countless books about it to and with him as well as watching several programs about it (we got Ghosts of the Abyss almost as soon as it came out) and even so there were so many pieces of information and stories in here that I'd never heard before. It's engagingly written so that both adults and young readers can enjoy it--a glossary a the back explains nautical terms, and throughout the book important vocabulary is defined in the reading so that the information makes sense. The amount of research that went into this book is incredible, and it really pays off--the latest information is in here, disproving some long-held beliefs about the sinking of the ship. With the 100th anniversary of the disaster right around the corner, this book will make an excellent addition to any library or Titanic enthusiast's collection.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Icebeg, Right Ahead! by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson was an interesting book. I did not see the movie Titanic, and I have read little about the ship, until now.

What I liked: the photos of the Titanic and its passengers were wonderful and made me feel as if I was there. I appreciated its before, during and after organization so I got a really full view: from its conception and construction to its sinking,location, and salvage exhibitions. The inclusion of art and artists who painted about the accident gave me yet another view. I like the direct quotations used of passengers and crew persons. I also enjoyed the bits of biographical information about some passengers. I did not know that at least two passengers committed suicide, although it was long after the incident.

What I did not like: there were at least two typographical errors in the text. Although this does not ruin the book, it definitely detracts from its credibility, an important element in an informational book. At times it was difficult to know if the art renderings were done recently or something from the archives. (page six painting?) I also would have liked a little more biographical information on the Captain, Edward J. Smith.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the 100 year anniversary mark of the Titanic's sinking this spring, this book will fill a need for any collection. In reading Iceberg, Right Ahead! The Tragedy of the Titanic, the reader learns about how the Titanic was built, the details of its launch, the events of the night she sank, and the ultimate discovery of her wreckage on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The author also discusses the controversy over the salvage of items from the ship as well as new theories on why she sank. I really like how the author included what happened to some of the survivors after they were rescued, since many times this is overlooked.

Although this is an informative book, I found the text to flow smoothly, almost like fiction. The illustrations and photographs add to the words while finding a way to not overpower the page -- a nice selection that includes historical as well as current illustrations. Readers will find this book fascinating. B+ rating.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fabulously done. It is definitely going on my shelf of favorites. Not only is the writing crisp and easy to read, but the whole design is beautifully done. The photographs, illustrations, and sidebars are placed so that they add to the overall design but don't interrupt the flow of the narrative. This is the sort of nonfiction that would work really well as a read-a-loud. One of the things I especially appreciated were the sidebars explaining some of the things we are still learning about the Titanic and why she went down. For example, on page 10, the author points out that ideas are changing about just what damage the iceberg did to the ship. From the beginning, it was assumed that the iceberg created a 300 foot long gash in the starboard side of the ship. But a new theory suggests that was not the case, instead the rivets gave way creating hundreds of small holes. The water pressure was so great that it forced water through these holes at a remarkably fast pace. I highly highly recommend this book.

[Stephanie (My Book Throne) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iceberg, right ahead! recounts the terrible event of the Titanic sinking in 1912. It provides lots of information about the Titanic as a ship itself, through to the people aboard, including some passengers such as, Frank Browne's personal story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Iceberg, Right Ahead! I loved the old black and white images used! The Titanic is a piece of history that will be remembered forever. I've read a few books on the Titanic but this one is the best.

It was very interesting to know about all the background information in Behind the Scenes, such as the fact the ships wireless had broken down on April 12th.

I would definitely recommend this book to enthuasiasts or people who were interested in the Titanic.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as a wonderful introduction to the tragedy of the Titanic. Many people may already know the information contained in the book but for those just beginning to look into the tragedy, this book would be a fabulous method to get started. Due to its short length, it does not go into great detail of any of the facts but, instead, provides enough information to garner interest in learning more and prompting further research. An excellent addition for school libraries and public libraries with a strong young adult non-fiction section would do well to add this to their collection as well. It is a fast read with wonderful graphics that will appeal to even reluctant readers.

(ARC Galley Proof)

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iceberg, Right Ahead discusses the terrible events surrounding the 1912 Titanic disaster. It also includes a lot of information about the ship itself and the people that were involved. There are photos on every page which also made it a lot more interesting.

At 100 pages, it is a very easy read and I think Titanic enthusiasts, as well as younger people who are first learning about the Titanic will really enjoy this book. It is very educational and I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know about the ship itself, as well as the actual disaster. There is also a timeline and a glossary for those unfamiliar with certain words being used.

Overall, Iceberg, Right Ahead is very educational and I would definitely recommend it for the younger YA crowd wanting to learn more about it.