How to Survive the Titanic: The Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay by Frances Wilson

Oct 17, 2011 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There’s a book about the Titanic that you’ve never read. It’s called MGY (after Titanic’s wireless call sign) and weighs in at 620 Microsoft Word ’95 pages. It was written in a wood-paneled basement from 1996 to 1999. It was never edited, spell-checked or proofed. It was printed on a rickety printer, using two reams of paper and an extra ink cartridge. Each page was inserted into a clear plastic protector, and placed in a massive teal binder, so that it resembles the safety protocols of a nuclea...more

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May 26, 2012 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can a tragedy the size of the Titanic be blamed on just one man? This is the question Wilson attempts to answer by looking at Ismay's upbringing, the American and British investigations of the sinking of the Titanic, and shedding light on how he spent his later years. Throughout the book much mention is made of Joseph Conrad, especially his novel Lord Jim as the story can be seen as paralleling Ismay's life. I haven't read Conrad's novel, but I didn't feel like this fact alienated me from the st...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Rhiannon Ryder rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ever have a really bad day where, say, you call someone names at work and maybe back into someones car on the way out of the grocery parking lot and then, I don't know, cut a thumb off while cooking dinner? Well next time this happens you can take comfort in the thought that it could have been much worse. You could be J. Bruce Ismay, and spend your life known as the man who jumped on a lifeboat as the Titanic was sinking. While hundreds of women and children were still on board. Oh right, and he...more Ever have a really bad day where, say, you call someone names at work and maybe back into someones car on the way out of the grocery parking lot and then, I don't know, cut a thumb off while cooking dinner? Well next time this happens you can take comfort in the thought that it could have been much worse. You could be J. Bruce Ismay, and spend your life known as the man who jumped on a lifeboat as the Titanic was sinking. While hundreds of women and children were still on board. Oh right, and he was a sort of owner of the boat.

See? It could totally be worse.

I lucked into this book at the Ontario Book Blogger gathering back in late October/early November. There were these gift bags filled with a random assortment of books, and by some act of luck I ended up with a bunch of YA and one historical biography. And not just any historical biography but a super interesting one about a topic I've always been fascinated by- the Titanic.

It's interesting to me, that in all the many, many, Titanic books nobody has ever before looked exclusively at the reviled Ismay. He's been turned into one of those caricatures of thoughtless, wealthy, self-serving villains on par with Marie Antoinette and the "let them eat cake!" myth, and this is the first time I've seen someone sit down and actually look at him and his actions in the light of facts instead of emotion.

It was a fascinating biography and expose´ on many levels. Without a doubt Ismay was a socially awkward man with many failings, but he was far from the only man to get on a lifeboat that night. Nor did he actually perpetrate any of the heinous actions that happened from various lifeboat members over the course of that night. Like Lord and Lady Duff Gordon who commandeered the first life boat for them and their staff plus some crew, leaving in a boat with room for a large number of other people, and who were rumoured to have paid the crew not to return to pick any of the survivors out of the freezing waters. There was in fact even another 1st class male passenger who got in Collapsible C with Ismay as it launched. So why was Ismay so maligned? Was it because of his sort of owner status as the heir to the White Star line (even though he'd already sold it to J.P. Morgan, and was just the acting president)?

Wilson digs into the mysteries surrounding the accident and the 25 unhappy years Ismay lived through after, in a thoroughly engrossing manner. Highlighting the actions of supposed heroes and villains alike in a way where the line becomes thoroughly blurry. By the end of the book it seems a miracle anyone survived or that any of the survivors were able to look each other in the eye afterwards. Anyone who's lived through a serious tornado warning, car crash or other disaster will immediately identify. It's impossible to know how you'll act in a crisis until you have to do it, and lets face it, most of us aren't up to the task. And although many heroes of that fateful night did a wonderful job, everyone did things that seemed in bad judgement when looked upon on dry land later.

My only complaint about the book, which was relatively small, was Wilson's use of a Joseph Conrad's story of Lord Jim. She goes to great lengths to compare the story to Ismay's life, and I mean great lengths as in she even dedicates a chapter to a small biography on Conrad, but I never really got the point. The comparison seemed to be her hypothesis for the whole book, but somehow there never seemed to a be a punch line. It left me a bit mystified. Also, although I love Conrad's work (Heart of Darkness got me through a hospital visit while suffering through a kidney infection in my early 20's, 2 provinces away from any family members), his biography and the details of the Lord Jim story were very out of context for me, and thus kind of boring. I wanted stuff about Ismay, what did I care about a fictional character's moral plights?

Conrad comparisons aside, this was a fascinating read, definitely one to add to your list if your looking for a Titanic book that's not about the same old things.

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Jan 13, 2012 Roxanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a huge Titanic fan and before I begin my review, I have to say I have a slight connection with the historic event.

I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin which since 1834 had pretty much been owned by millionaire John Jacob Astor (Senior). Living in the Green Bay area in 1912 was Dr. William Edward Minahan. A very well-liked man/physican and one of the most prominent families in the Green Bay area. The Astor and Minahan families became friends. Dr. Minahan along with his wife and sister boarded the...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Nancy marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I will not be finishing this one. There was a time when I would have read every word and been fascinated by it. It is extremely well researched and fairly comprehensive in describing the Titanic and Bruce Ismay's life and fall.

Frances Wilson has gathered documents and interviews of survivors of the Titanic and those surrounding Ismay, the token White Line Shipping owner who hopped aboard a lifeboat while the Titanic was sinking. This is significant because he and Captain Smith, and Thomas Andrew...more I will not be finishing this one. There was a time when I would have read every word and been fascinated by it. It is extremely well researched and fairly comprehensive in describing the Titanic and Bruce Ismay's life and fall.

Frances Wilson has gathered documents and interviews of survivors of the Titanic and those surrounding Ismay, the token White Line Shipping owner who hopped aboard a lifeboat while the Titanic was sinking. This is significant because he and Captain Smith, and Thomas Andrews were the top three who understood the perilous tragedy that was unfolding. Ismay knew how many lifeboats were available (he being the executive to only outfit the ship with enough boats for half of the passengers in lieu of more spacious accommodations for the first class passengers) and he knew that the lifeboats were not filled to capacity. He knew the boat would sink long before the regular passengers understood this fact. It was also a time of chivalry. Women and children were supposed to board the lifeboats.

Although Ismay is not the only man to survive the Titanic's demise, he rated somewhere between the captain of the ship (who went down with the ship) and a passenger, many of whom did not survive. Accounts differ and it is believed that not all passengers held boarding passes, over 700 people survived while over 1500 did not.

The subject fascinates me not only because the Titanic is simply a fascinating tragedy (I know, not cool that it is fascinating but it is) but also my grandfather was a passenger on its sister ship, The Olympic in the same time period and heading towards Australia (it took 3-6 months each way). So I did a lot of reading about the Titanic about 15 years ago. This book includes new information but it is compilation of many first hand reports, court documents and different perspectives. It reads much like a history book without telling the reader how to form an opinion.

Like I said, it is comprehensive, well organized and more information than I want at this point in time. (less)

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Zenei Wow... I'm soooo undecided. Your review seems so well thought out and comprehensive. I have to respect it but like you I am fascinated with this subje...more
Oct 25, 2011 08:25am

Derrick Ismay Lord Mersey Commissioner - British Titanic Inquiry 1912 Announcing Judgment
Quote
" An attack was made in the cource of the inquiry on the moral conduct...more
updated Mar 27, 2012 02:50am

Nancy Zenei wrote: "Wow... I'm soooo undecided. Your review seems so well thought out and comprehensive. I have to respect it but like you I am fascinated w...more
Mar 26, 2012 04:54pm

Oct 12, 2011 Jennifer Rayment rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Good Stuff

* Extremely thorough and well researched
* Interesting background information on other members of the crew of the Titanic
* Fascinating to read about all of the different accounts from the survivors of the disaster - even people on the same boat have completely stories on the events of that night
* The comparison to Conrad's Lord Jim really does make it a compelling read at times
* The background info on Ismay's childhood give you insight into the man himself and you can understan...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Misty rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: titanic, history

Firstly, if I wanted to read about Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim," I'd read the novel myself rather than someone else's book report on the subject. That Frances Wilson decided to pepper her book with detailed descriptions of the Conrad novel is to the book's detriment. I found myself skipping over those sections until I found content relating to Bruce Ismay or the Titanic story because I found the "Lord Jim" content irrelevant. True: Conrad's story is eerily similar to what Ismay did as the Titanic...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Antimidas rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Part I of the book was an interesting read about the coming of age of J Bruce Ismay as well as the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic told through the lens of senate inquiries.

Part II so far seems as it should be a wholly separate book. It begins with a critical analysis and Cliff Notes version of Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad then becomes a biography of Conrad's life with cursory linkages to Ismay and the Titanic incident. It thus far appears to be wholly irrelevant to the supposed purpose of...more

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May 28, 2012 Nena rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

Audiobook Version:

Two for the price of one, this is a well researched book about the owner of the doomed luxury liner, Titanic.

The first part of this book gives pretty detailed accounts from the hearings and inquiries that took place after the sinking. It also gives an in depth description of the childhood, youth and background of both the Captain and the owner of the ship and how the ship and the company White Star Lines, came to be. If you take away the author's slant and personal opinions, it...more Audiobook Version:

Two for the price of one, this is a well researched book about the owner of the doomed luxury liner, Titanic.

The first part of this book gives pretty detailed accounts from the hearings and inquiries that took place after the sinking. It also gives an in depth description of the childhood, youth and background of both the Captain and the owner of the ship and how the ship and the company White Star Lines, came to be. If you take away the author's slant and personal opinions, it is very informative and enlightening and anyone who is curious about these people or this ship can get what they need out of this book.

The second half of this book is a cliffnotes accounting of another book, Lord Jim. The author seems to want desperately to convey that the captain and crew of the Titanic were eerily similar to Lord Jim and it's characters. Since I have never read or heard of Lord Jim, don't take me at my word here but I believe the author is saying that the author of this second book, Lord Jim, used the people from the Titanic tragedy as a basis for his characters. All I can say with absolute certainty is that the continual references and comparisons to Lord Jim (Lord Jim said this, Lord Jim did that, Lord Jim had pancakes for breakfast... ad nauseum) throughout this book quickly got on my last nerve.

I agree with the other reviewer here who said that if we had wanted to read Lord Jim, we would have.

So here is my recommendation. Yes, absolutely get this book if you are curious about the subject matter. I would not recommend audioversion because the narrator has a tendency to droll on without emotion and put a person to sleep. I would also recommend stopping when you read (or hear) the words "Part Two". Just stop. Then scroll or skip through to the last two chapters and read the conclusion. Unless you are interested in a cliffnotes book report version of Lord Jim, listening to the second part is a waste, adds nothing to the story or the facts and is merely the author's spin.

I could only give this a two star rating because while it did quell my curiosity as far as the Titanic, the narrator ruined the listening experience for me and the second half was such a huge waste.

So don't forget. Read (or listen), stop, skip/scroll through to the last chapters, and continue to the end.

Also, don't be surprised if you have a hard time keeping track of what is what. It seems that the author forgot to do a clear, well organized outline before he/she wrote this book. Even to the end, the story was all over the place. One minute talking about the ship going down, the next paraphrasing Lord Jim and then next talking about the grandchildren (who was jealous of whom) and the house. Being the smarty-pants that I am, I would say the author should lay off the tequilla before writing a manuscipt. But I digress. As I was saying, pay attention otherwise you, like the 1,500+ on the Titanic, will be lost.

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Apr 07, 2012 Lady Knight rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-c, adult, americas, england-uk, high-seas, non-fiction, online-library, victorian-edwardian

For someone like me who has eagerly grabbed any and every book, documentary, etc. about the Titanic since I was about eight this book did shed some light on things I didn't know, but overall it was just kind of 'okay'.

I did not really feel any sympathy for Isamy and while I quite liked the juxtaposition of Lord Jim with Ismay's experiences, I think it was only because I was a huge fan of Joseph Conrad's writing when I was in high school.... had I had no previous encounters with either subject,...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Amanda Wheet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Wilson's work is somewhere between a literary dissertation and a biography, yet it appears to have no linear elements. While the division of the book into two parts, At Sea and On Land, makes sense, the chapters within appear to have blur these lines. Included in On Land is a lengthy, PhD candidate style summation and analysis of Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim." While Wilson has used this novel as a parallel to Ismay throughout At Sea, she devotes an entire chapter to essentially retelling the story...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Lauren Bentley rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book had the potential to be so much more. J. Bruce Ismay is to some a set piece villain, to others a scapegoat. With our 21st century understanding of the human psyche, this was the time to present J. Bruce Ismay the flawed and recognisable man. Instead the author gives us half a book re-presenting the same old information and half dubious book review and hero worship of Conrad. Conrad's "Lord Jim" was not inspired by the events that took place that April night. It's place in this book is...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Lola rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, history, biography-account-of-event-or-ppl

This was something I picked up at whim at B&N. One good thing about the anniversary of the Titanic is the overflow of new books and History Channel specials. Of course, I was compelled to this one because of the primary focus on J. Bruce Ismay. Unfortunately, I was somewhat disappointed.

Of course, my disappointment had nothing to do with the research or writing of How to Survive the Titanic. It was incredibly well-researched, and every word is carefully thought out. An detailed portrayal o...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Girl with her Head in a Book rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, titanic, history, disaster, 2012-challenge

The title of this one attracted me, then I was put off to realise that it was all about Ismay but I had a change of heart again when I read a review of it so decided to give it a go. For people who don't like to read all about a shipwreck that happened a century ago in their spare time, Ismay was the moustache man in the dressing gown who jumped in to the lifeboat unlike the other noble crew members who Went Down With The Ship. The week after I read this, I was able to go to the Titanic museum i...more The title of this one attracted me, then I was put off to realise that it was all about Ismay but I had a change of heart again when I read a review of it so decided to give it a go. For people who don't like to read all about a shipwreck that happened a century ago in their spare time, Ismay was the moustache man in the dressing gown who jumped in to the lifeboat unlike the other noble crew members who Went Down With The Ship. The week after I read this, I was able to go to the Titanic museum in Belfast which is still pretty new and also very fizz whizz bang with all of the interactivity - I was in there three hours and still didn't get to the final two stages of the museum, I think I'll need to go back again in the summer time.

Anyway, up until this point, I had never really thought that much about The Aftermath of the Titanic, beyond the eventual fates of the survivors - basically the practical side of the shipwreck had escaped my interest. And it is interesting. J. Bruce Ismay is the de facto villain of the piece, the Nazis even made a propaganda movie where he was Jewish and he sailed the ship too fast because he was in the middle of a shares scam despite the Good Aryan Captain trying to advise him otherwise. I like to think of myself as a fairly open-minded person, I'll admit that I watched A Night to Remember as a child and thought that Mr Ismay seemed A Bit Of A Coward and the 1997 Titanic version of him was somewhat similar but when I read the book of A Night to Remember, I ended up feeling kind of sorry for him. Apparently, he had not jumped in to the lifeboat rather than share the ship's fate, he had been ordered in to it by the Fourth Officer who subsequently drowned. He was so upset that his hair turned white overnight, then he was ostracized by society and ended up living as a hermit in Ireland, refusing to ever speak the name of the ship which he had once been so proud of. Or so I thought.

For my full review: http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspo...(less)

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Nov 07, 2011 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received this book as part of a goodreads giveaway (my first one) and delved in. As a history major, I was fascinated by this book. As other reviewers have pointed out, it is rather comprehensive, and statements are well researched and backed up with facts and cogent arguments.

How to Survive the Titanic: The Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay puts a human perspective on the sinking of the Titanic itself, complete with tales of heroism from the actual sinking, and by putting a face to the man who has t...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook-2012, nonfiction, read-in-2012, history, survival

While some reviewers found it irritating, I liked how the author attempted to draw parallels between Ismay and Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim. In some aspects the literary comparisons reached a bit (and were perhaps over-used), but overall it was an interesting take on the disaster and its aftermath. This was my first book about the Titanic, however, so I'll be interested in how I'll feel after I've read other books about it. I also enjoyed the discussion of how wireless communication impacted (or fai...more

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May 06, 2012 Kara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nautical, biography

The trouble with this book is it has a distressingly tendency to (forgive me) go off course.

When the book focuses on Titanic and the owner J. Bruce Ismay, it is a fascinating new examination of the one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters, filled with eye witness statements, interesting facts about the ship and her passengers and crew, and the fall out of what happened after the ship went under.

However, I did not pick up a book about Titanic in order to read about the life and works of Jose...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Sarah Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways

I won this book as a giveaway on Goodreads. I was somewhat disappointed with this book. Like a lot of people, I have a fascination with the Titanic, but instead of an intriguing new look at the Titanic story, I found a dry novel that reminded me of a long-winded scholarly article. I did like Wilson's approach as she looked at the Titanic through the lens of the ship's owner, Bruce Ismay. However, less than a story about the Titanic, this was a cultural/social analysis of the time period that con...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I gave this 3 stars only because the actual information about J. Bruce Ismay and the hearings after the sinking of the Titanic. He jumped/was pushed/was ordered to leave in a lifeboat that was not completely filled. And could never live it down. He was a very strange man and my uneducated opinion is he might actually have been mentally ill in some way. But I have never read Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad and I had a tough time slogging through the comparisons and parallels the author was writing abou...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Sarah (Head Stuck In A Book) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copy, titanic, non-fiction, historical, owned-and-read

I gave this book 2.5/5 stars

Before I start this review I have to say that I'm a huge Titanic fan, if I ever see a book I don't have I buy it even if it's the same story over and over again.
I was so excited when I received this book to review it was about the Titanic and I was always interested to know what happened to Ismay after the sinking of the Titanic and the American and British Inquiries into the sinking.
Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of this book at all, the parts about the Titanic and...more I gave this book 2.5/5 stars

Before I start this review I have to say that I'm a huge Titanic fan, if I ever see a book I don't have I buy it even if it's the same story over and over again.
I was so excited when I received this book to review it was about the Titanic and I was always interested to know what happened to Ismay after the sinking of the Titanic and the American and British Inquiries into the sinking.
Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of this book at all, the parts about the Titanic and Ismay were good, but then for some unknown reason the author decided to compare Ismay's life to some story called 'Lord Jim', and then proceeded to it seemed, put the whole story into the book (which I wasn't even remotely interested in) then after as if that wasn't enough, then decided to give us the life story of this guy who wrote the 'Lord Jim' story and after that his bibliography, everytime it came to one of these bits (and they're spread out throughout the book, so it's not like you could skip a chapter or whatever) it got to the point where I was like not this again, it was too much and didn't really have anything to do with the story.
But there were some good bits, I learned Ismay grew up in a household with a Father who didn't like his kids, and subsequently Ismay treated his own children the same way, he had fallen out of love with his wife after the death of their oldest son and while on the Titanic, seemed to fall in love with one of the 1st class passengers Marian Thayer.
We read about how he contradicted himself quite a few times at the inquiries and after never ever spoke of the Titanic again.
It's hard to say whether Ismay deserved to be the scapegoat that he became after the sinking, he says he got into the lifeboat because there were no other women or children around, other's say he was forced into the lifeboat but we do know around 1,500 people died that night and he could I'm sure easily have found women and children somewhere on the ship to take his spot in the lifeboat.
But it's something we'll never know, only the people there that night knew the truth, it's something that will forever remain a mystery.(less)

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Nov 04, 2011 Gail rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What destroyed this book for me were the constant references to Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim," which was about a sailor who abandoned his ship leaving hundreds of passengers behind. The author was comparing fiction with fact but it ruined what could have been a much better book. Not having known anything about J. Bruce Ismay, the owner of the Titanic, he was certainly not a lovable kind of guy. He was depressed, morose, untalkative, undemonstrative, had a horrible marriage (treated his wife as if s...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very informative record of the life and legacy of the Ismay family. Bruce Ismay was the managing director of the White Star Line, and was on board the Titanic on her maiden voyage. When the ship sank, he left in a lifeboat and faced dishonor and ridicule for the rest of his life. This book was very helpful in my research for the Titanic 100. It is obviously a secular work with no Biblical worldview. Left more to be desired. Lots of rabbit trails, which deviated from the main subject. A good stud...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Larry Rogers rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

J. Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line, responded badly to every minute of the Titanic's sinking, both during and after. His conduct makes an interesting addition to the literature of the Titanic. What makes WIlson's book a bit different is that she uses the writings of Joseph Conrad as a lens for understanding Ismay's situation. Whether this approach works or not (and sometimes it is a tenuous undertaking) depends on how much one likes Conrad. I like Conrad, and I admire W...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Anthony rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is difficult to find any new take or angle on the Titanic story but this really is one. The book takes a fresh view of the sinking of the ill fated ship but this time the main focus is on the role played throughout by J Bruce Ismay who survived the tragedy but in the process became one of the key targets on which the blame for the sinking could be pinned. If you had thought that you had read or seen all there was to read or see about the Titanic then this book will surprise you and it will al...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: firstreads, history, hns

How to Survive the Titanic is great history -- always seeking to understand, sympathetic, literate, witty, and, in the end, tragic.
The book begins with two quotes, one from J. Bruce Ismay, owner of the Titanic, at the New York inquest about the tragedy: "I took the chance when it came to me. I did not seek it." The other is from Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim: "Ah! What a chance missed! My God! What a chance missed!"
The chance Ismay was referring to, of course, was the chance to save his life, and st...more How to Survive the Titanic is great history -- always seeking to understand, sympathetic, literate, witty, and, in the end, tragic.
The book begins with two quotes, one from J. Bruce Ismay, owner of the Titanic, at the New York inquest about the tragedy: "I took the chance when it came to me. I did not seek it." The other is from Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim: "Ah! What a chance missed! My God! What a chance missed!"
The chance Ismay was referring to, of course, was the chance to save his life, and step into a lifeboat with empty seats. There were no women or children nearby, the lifeboat was about to be lowered into the sea. Ismay did what most of us would have done -- and most of us mothers, sisters, and daughters would have wanted our sons, brothers, and fathers to have done.
Ismay never recovered from that decision on 14 April 1912. He was vilified around the world and his position in society lost. One observer, at an inquest in London, wrote that you would never guess that Ismay was a captain of industry. He'd told the investigators that he was like any other passenger, and everything about his demeanor spoke to that. He had been revealed a common man, in its worst sense.
The first half of the book covers what happened at sea, including information from the inquests, from Second Officer Charles Lightoller's book, and other sources. There was plenty here that was new to me -- but then I'm not a Titanic aficionado. For instance, Ismay's faith in the ship was so fierce that he evidently gave the order to keep moving even after they hit the iceberg. Lightholler defended the shipping line in the inquests, but:

According to Lightoller's granddaughter, Louise Patten, the officer confided to his wife a very different version of events. What he told her was kept a 'family secret' for nearly a century. Following the collision, when he had gone to the bridge to ask if the blow was serious, Ismay had told the Captain to continue moving 'Slow Ahead'. The ship, which had stopped following the collision, now started up again and continued at a speed of around 5 or 6 knots until 12.15 a.m., when the Captain sent down the order to once again stop the engines. In pushing her forward, Lightoller believed, Captain Smith had allowed water to pour through the damaged hull at hundreds of tons a minute and to burst through six watertight compartments, one after another. Had the Titanic stood still, 'the whole ship would have assumed a fairly acute and mighty uncomfortable angle, yet, even so, she would, in all probability have floated -- at least for some considerable time, perhaps all day. Certainly sufficient time for everyone to be rescued'.

The second half of the book moves through more investigations and castigations of Ismay, including Conrad's insights and Ismay's betrayal of his family with a woman he fell in love with on the Titanic's sole voyage, Marian Thayer.
Author Wilson's beginning quotes - about a chance taken to save one's own life vs. the hero's chance to go down with the ship (the buck stops where?) gives focus to this book, revealing a man who lost his own life even as he saved it. This book has the twists and turns you'd expect from a psychological thriller -- with characters shifting from bad guys to victims and back again; and good guys revealed to have less than pure motives. It's good reading.
* I received this book through a firstreads giveaway.(less)

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Sep 18, 2012 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I have read many books about the sinking of the Titanic, some factual and others to do with the first hand accounts of survivors themselves but this is the first book I have read on J. Bruce Ismay.

I'm sure we all have made up our minds about Mr Ismay, whether he was a coward for getting in a lifeboat or whether he should have taken his chances on board like the other gentlemen.

This is his story, his testimony at the U.S. Senate Inquiry into the sinking as well as the British Board of Trade Inqui...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Chad Bullard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The “Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay” showed another side to the Titanic story that most people today probably never give much thought. This story is more about what is going on when the Carpathia arrives in New York and what transpires thereafter than just the sinking of the Titanic. Frances Wilson goes over the trial and story that ensues when the survivors return to New York. It is hard to tell what Ismay thinks about this trial because he only shared his thoughts in his letters to Mrs. Marian Thay...more The “Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay” showed another side to the Titanic story that most people today probably never give much thought. This story is more about what is going on when the Carpathia arrives in New York and what transpires thereafter than just the sinking of the Titanic. Frances Wilson goes over the trial and story that ensues when the survivors return to New York. It is hard to tell what Ismay thinks about this trial because he only shared his thoughts in his letters to Mrs. Marian Thayer, a surviving and now widow from the Titanic that becomes his friend after meeting on the Titanic. The Titanic’s sinking was a big story in the world at that time, and this is a big part of t heTitanic story that is left out of James Cameron’s movie and documentary’s too. The trials in New York and later in England could be a movie unto themselves. I have never read a book about the Titanic before, so this was very interesting to me, but the book did not really go into full details about the sinking of the Titanic. If a reader wants to learn more about that part of the Titanic story then this would not be the book for them, but to someone that has read about the Titanic and would like to know more about the events after the sinking. When the survivors arrive in New York and how the world is reacting to the sinking, then this will be an interesting book.
I found Bruce Ismay’s conduct at first in this book; called cowardice by most people, disturbing and reprehensible. He supposedly jumped into an empty seat on the last lifeboat on the starboard side as it was being dropped into the ocean. No other people were there at the time on the starboard side, stated in the British inquiry. Later in the book I was changed by the author and by the story of Bruce Ismay as his life unraveled and could somehow put myself into his place. I found him discharged from moral duty, if it his testimony was true. I am still not sure about that. Lord Mersey summed up my thoughts best during the British inquiry about Bruce Ismay’s. Lord Mersey said, ‘discharge of the moral duty of Mr. Ismay was relevant’ – he was cleared of blame. ‘Mr.Ismay, after rendering assistance to many passengers, found “ C” collapsible, the last boat on the starboard side, actually being lowered. No other people were there at the time. There was room for him and he jumped in. Had he not jumped in he would merely have added one more life, namely, his own, to the number of those lost.’ I am not sure though that this is true, no witnesses survived so the reader will never know the actual truth. The author, Frances Wilson, relates Bruce Ismay to maritime novelist Joseph Conrad’s character Jim in his novel Lord Jim. I was not familiar with Joseph Conrad’s books, so this part of Frances Wilson’s book “How To Survive The Titanic”was more difficult to read and keep up with in this book. I thought it relevant and fitting and I think it should be in this book, but it was the hardest part of this book for me to read. I liked the pictures Frances Wilson put in this book and I am glad she did. All books about history needs pictures; if there are any, to help see the characters better. I liked looking at these old pictures in this book.
In closing why I think this book is interesting is because we are all curious how people react to extraordinary situations in life. We all hope to do the courageous and exemplary thing, but what defines courage and honor in our behavior sometimes is not always well defined. In this story about J. Bruce Ismay we will never know the real story because most of the witnesses died on the sinking ship. Somehow the story of the Titanic is like the ‘Battle at the Little Bighorn,’we are kept pulled to these types of stories in life and the real life characters that play out the history in them. Frances Wilson said it best about J. Bruce Ismay, she wrote, “He was an ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances, who behaved in a way which only confirmed his ordinariness.” “Ismay is the figure we all fear we might be.” “He is one of us.” I really enjoyed this book, and Ismay means more than just his actions after reading this book.
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Chad Bullard The “Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay” showed another side to the Titanic story that most people today probably never give much thought. This story is more a...more The “Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay” showed another side to the Titanic story that most people today probably never give much thought. This story is more about what is going on when the Carpathia arrives in New York and what transpires thereafter than just the sinking of the Titanic. Frances Wilson goes over the trial and story that ensues when the survivors return to New York. It is hard to tell what Ismay thinks about this trial because he only shared his thoughts in his letters to Mrs. Marian Thayer, a surviving and now widow from the Titanic that becomes his friend after meeting on the Titanic. The Titanic’s sinking was a big story in the world at that time, and this is a big part of t heTitanic story that is left out of James Cameron’s movie and documentary’s too. The trials in New York and later in England could be a movie unto themselves. I have never read a book about the Titanic before, so this was very interesting to me, but the book did not really go into full details about the sinking of the Titanic. If a reader wants to learn more about that part of the Titanic story then this would not be the book for them, but to someone that has read about the Titanic and would like to know more about the events after the sinking. When the survivors arrive in New York and how the world is reacting to the sinking, then this will be an interesting book.
I found Bruce Ismay’s conduct at first in this book; called cowardice by most people, disturbing and reprehensible. He supposedly jumped into an empty seat on the last lifeboat on the starboard side as it was being dropped into the ocean. No other people were there at the time on the starboard side, stated in the British inquiry. Later in the book I was changed by the author and by the story of Bruce Ismay as his life unraveled and could somehow put myself into his place. I found him discharged from moral duty, if it his testimony was true. I am still not sure about that. Lord Mersey summed up my thoughts best during the British inquiry about Bruce Ismay’s. Lord Mersey said, ‘discharge of the moral duty of Mr. Ismay was relevant’ – he was cleared of blame. ‘Mr.Ismay, after rendering assistance to many passengers, found “ C” collapsible, the last boat on the starboard side, actually being lowered. No other people were there at the time. There was room for him and he jumped in. Had he not jumped in he would merely have added one more life, namely, his own, to the number of those lost.’ I am not sure though that this is true, no witnesses survived so the reader will never know the actual truth. The author, Frances Wilson, relates Bruce Ismay to maritime novelist Joseph Conrad’s character Jim in his novel Lord Jim. I was not familiar with Joseph Conrad’s books, so this part of Frances Wilson’s book “How To Survive The Titanic”was more difficult to read and keep up with in this book. I thought it relevant and fitting and I think it should be in this book, but it was the hardest part of this book for me to read. I liked the pictures Frances Wilson put in this book and I am glad she did. All books about history needs pictures; if there are any, to help see the characters better. I liked looking at these old pictures in this book.
In closing why I think this book is interesting is because we are all curious how people react to extraordinary situations in life. We all hope to do the courageous and exemplary thing, but what defines courage and honor in our behavior sometimes is not always well defined. In this story about J. Bruce Ismay we will never know the real story because most of the witnesses died on the sinking ship. Somehow the story of the Titanic is like the ‘Battle at the Little Bighorn,’we are kept pulled to these types of stories in life and the real life characters that play out the history in them. Frances Wilson said it best about J. Bruce Ismay, she wrote, “He was an ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances, who behaved in a way which only confirmed his ordinariness.” “Ismay is the figure we all fear we might be.” “He is one of us.” I really enjoyed this book, and Ismay means more than just his actions after reading this book.(less)
Jun 26, 2012 07:01pm

Jun 05, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: titanic

"How to Survive the Titanic or The Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay" was a nonfiction novel about the events that preceded the sinking of the Titanic and what happened to Ismay afterwards. J. Bruce Ismay owned the Titanic and the whole line of ships she belonged to (White Star), and after escaping the sinking on what is speculated to be the first lifeboat to leave, became an icon for the world to debate over. In the novel, author Frances Wilson starts out strong giving a well-written account of the sin...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Doug Dams rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've always been fascinated with The Titanic and thought this book might lend some insight. It's not a quick read or a page turner by any means. The main theme of the book is the parallel between J. Bruce Ismay and the book by Joseph Conrod called Lord Jim. I haven't read Lord Jim so some of this was lost on me. The book dealt a lot with who was a coward or who was a hero and how the press and people judged the survivors. But I did get some interesting facts about the sinking and why the British...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Helen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finally received my ARC that I won on Goodreads (Thanks, Goodreads!) This is now queued up among my other to-read books. Someday I will have the pleasure of digging into the book in its totality- but for now, I merely offer first impressions. Judging a book by its cover (shame on me), I would say this looks pretty good. I love the sort of newspaper vibe the jacket design projects. The blurbs on the back are appealing, and I believe I will enjoy the perspective it promises to take. Instead of t...more I finally received my ARC that I won on Goodreads (Thanks, Goodreads!) This is now queued up among my other to-read books. Someday I will have the pleasure of digging into the book in its totality- but for now, I merely offer first impressions. Judging a book by its cover (shame on me), I would say this looks pretty good. I love the sort of newspaper vibe the jacket design projects. The blurbs on the back are appealing, and I believe I will enjoy the perspective it promises to take. Instead of taking a broad, dry, and scholastic look at the Titanic as a whole, this focuses in on a single person, its owner, and the singular scandal that surrounded him. Just opening to a random page or two, I can tell that this is engagingly written and stuffed full of interesting information. We'll see if I'm write or wrong within the next few weeks.

***

Took me a bit longer to get around to this than expected; dreadfully sorry. I began reading today. So far, dense with tidbits and facts. It's obvious that Wilson did some heavy researching, reading through archives, and digging around. I am enjoying the many literary references too. Will continue this review once I actually finish reading.

***

The entire world seems to be conspiring against me reading this book. Right after I added the last tidbit, I misplaced my copy. It finally turned up as I was throwing everything on to my bed because the carpets were getting cleaned. This was the day before I left on a week-long mission trip to Belize, from which I got back yesterday. I put a little more reading time in during the flight back, but I had one of those annoying seatmates that never stops talking, not even to breathe. Which is kind of a pity, because I'm really liking what I've read so far.

***

It's done at last- and I must say I enjoyed it. Frances Wilson seems to be attempting to echo the author to whom he returns so often, Conrad. He weaves back and forth, revisiting quotes and squeezing every bit of possible meaning out of Ismay's jump as Marlow squeezed out of Jim's. And I will admit that toward the end the repetition and rather slow pace began to drag a bit; however, Ismay himself is simply one of the most dull individuals who ever lived, and so it's a miracle that the book is as enthralling as it quite often is. I enjoyed the short biography of Conrad's life, and the (exhaustively) detailed account of the inquiries.

I've heard that the Titanic is habit-forming; that its fans are more like fanatics; and I'm beginning to believe it. My curiosity is piqued, and I would like to read considerably more about the world's favorite disaster. Does anyone have any good books to recommend?(less)

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