Sinkable

March 1, 2022

Another book on the Titanic? It's story is much told, but though former National Geographic staffer Stone explains why and how the ship cracked apart, he turns much of his attention to its afterlife: the search efforts that spanned seven decades (it was found only in 1985), the rust and decomposition that will obliterate it within decades, and what lying two miles deep on the ocean floor really means. He also wants to explain why so many people--himself included--are obsessed the ship.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 6, 2022
Journalist Stone (The Food Explorer) examines in this incisive and entertaining history how the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 has captured the public’s imagination. Though Stone dives deep into technical matters, including how icebergs form, the “downblast effect” that occurs when a sinking ship pulls a column of water behind it, the limitations of sonar technology, and the survival rates of men, women, and children in maritime disasters, the book’s most intriguing sections spotlight obsessives who have devoted their lives to the subject. Massachusetts jeweler Edward Kamuda formed the first Titanic fan club in 1960, convincing 75 of the ship’s 87 living survivors to join. Oklahoma oilman Jack Grimm spent most of the 1970s and much of his fortune in an ill-fated attempt to find the wreck, while Doug Woolley, a former pantyhose factory worker whose great-aunts allegedly had tickets to sail on the Titanic but backed out when they “had the same dream about disaster striking the ship,” has claimed ownership of what’s left of the passenger liner since the 1960s. Colorful personalities, astute cultural analysis, and fascinating details about the science of shipwrecks and the mechanics of salvage operations make this a must-read for Titanic buffs.

June 15, 2022
An exploration of the aftermath of the Titanic's fatal voyage. Since the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, the ship has been the subject of legends and myths, edging on an obsession for some. Rather than focusing on what caused the ship to sink, science writer Stone, author of The Food Explorer, chronicles what has happened since the night the ship struck an iceberg. "In cultural lore, the Titanic is the wreck around which all others orbit," writes the author. "The same way a pop musician can't escape the influence of the Beatles or Michael Jackson, shipwreckers can't bypass the brightest star." Stone attributes much of the ship's outsized, iconic status to "good storytelling." Drawing on eyewitness accounts and expert reports, the author tracks the shipwreck's history, including how it broke apart, the discovery of its resting place in September 1985, and subsequent plans and attempts to salvage the ship. "Raising it, however, would create a new set of problems," writes Stone, including accelerating the ship's decay. The author also discusses how surviving the tragedy changed many lives, particularly the survivor's shame faced by those who were able to find a lifeboat and row away from the sinking ship, leaving hundreds behind. One woman "lived the rest of her life trying to salvage her and her husband's reputations as heartless cowards." Additionally, Stone discusses versions of the Titanic's story that have appeared in books and film, including, of course, James Cameron's 1997 mega-blockbuster. Though the author focuses on the Titanic, he writes about other maritime tragedies and maritime-related science, including hypothermia, what to do if you find yourself on a sinking ship, how sound travels underwater, disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle, and the effects of water pressure on the lungs. From the beginning of the narrative, Stone effectively draws readers in with his own great storytelling skills. A captivating read for Titanic and maritime enthusiasts.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2022
Popular fascination with the Titanic may ebb and flow, but it never disappears. Stone (The Food Explorer, 2018) looks at the iconic maritime tragedy in a new light, focusing not on the personalities who died or survived but on the abyssal dwelling place of the Titanic's remains, and reconstructs what likely happened to the ship as it sank. Stone situates all this in the context of shipwrecks in general, noting the astonishing statistic that the Titanic is but one of some three million vessels now resting beneath the waves. He immerses readers in the science of shipwrecks and the actual effects on materials that make the inexorable dive to the seafloor. He tells the story of Charles Smith, a mining engineer, who, shortly after the Titanic's sinking, devised a plan to raise the wreck using electromagnets to buoy the steel hull and tow it to much shallower water for salvage. The breadth of Stone's coverage includes a summary of American Black journalism's attitudes toward the disaster. Stone's mastery of his subject and his novel approach to this so-often-told tale will compel even readers who think they already know too much about the Titanic to take a plunge into this fresh narrative.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2022
Popular fascination with the Titanic may ebb and flow, but it never disappears. Stone (The Food Explorer, 2018) looks at the iconic maritime tragedy in a new light, focusing not on the personalities who died or survived but on the abyssal dwelling place of the Titanic's remains, and reconstructs what likely happened to the ship as it sank. Stone situates all this in the context of shipwrecks in general, noting the astonishing statistic that the Titanic is but one of some three million vessels now resting beneath the waves. He immerses readers in the science of shipwrecks and the actual effects on materials that make the inexorable dive to the seafloor. He tells the story of Charles Smith, a mining engineer, who, shortly after the Titanic's sinking, devised a plan to raise the wreck using electromagnets to buoy the steel hull and tow it to much shallower water for salvage. The breadth of Stone's coverage includes a summary of American Black journalism's attitudes toward the disaster. Stone's mastery of his subject and his novel approach to this so-often-told tale will compel even readers who think they already know too much about the Titanic to take a plunge into this fresh narrative.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2022

While almost everyone knows the story of the Titanic's first, and final, voyage--this is not that story. Stone, instead, chronicles the aftermath of the sinking and how one ship became a cultural zeitgeist that keeps resurfacing. Intertwined with the Titanic's continuing saga is a look at the history of salvage operations, deep-sea diving, sailing, shipwrecks in general and one man's life-consuming obsession. Stone's book is an interesting intersection of science and psychology as he traces the history of the Titanic, and our continual fascination with it, after its sinking. Although centered around that most famous of wrecks, Stone enlarges his view to encompass other famous wrecks and the obsessions, and subsequent actions they create in the hearts of (by and large) men. The details are exquisite, the science is insightful and the personalities of the men who seek, and even claim, shipwrecks is over-the-top entertaining. VERDICT A delightful read about humanity's fascination and obsession with the sea and sea-wrecks.--Laura Hiatt

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.