Customer Reviews

Alive on the Andrea Doria! The Greatest Sea Rescue in History

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There are few people in the world I regret never having met. This author is, in many ways, a kindred spirit and one I would like to meet. Perhaps one day!

Although well qualified to write such an account - after all she did survive the sinking of the Andrea Doria, no one person could possibly write the complete story of the loss of this ship from personal experience - if only because that person would have to have been present at every single event on both ships, as they took place. The only way, therefore, for any author to produce such a definitive account is, as I have said so many times, through research, research and yet more research.

There are some accounts of this particular tragedy which are confined to a collection of photographs and others which seek to change facts by portraying the guilty as innocent. Elsewhere, there are versions which add nothing to the boiling pot of knowledge except to rewrite what is already known after a research confined to a limited amount of previously published information.

In this work, however, the author was drawn inextricably to the subject through numerous conversations about the ship. She was surprised to learn that so many people either knew another survivor or of someone who had missed the sailing and was, therefore, spared the tragedy. Over time she became more involved and eventually wrote this account to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the ship's loss.

Rarely, if ever, have I read such a complete account of the loss of any single ship and we students of shipwreck should be grateful that such a complete and honest account was finally published.

NM

What a wonderful book (and story). I read it straight through and couldn't put it down. The author, Pierette Domenica Simpson, did a marvelous job especially in recanting so many details (sights, sounds, smells) - and I know how hard that is because an author has it all in their mind and memory but putting in the "reader's" mind, well, that's a different story. As a retired Navy pilot and haven't spent most of my life at sea (and in the air) I really enjoyed reading Chapter 10 and Part II in general for it was extremely detailed and complete about the circumstances surrounding the collision. Moreover, as a story teller, Part I was terrific and moving as well. I was especially enamored with the author's experience as an Italian-American and how we share the stories of our families and their courage in coming to a new land to live the American dream. I write of this as well in my latest book, My Father's Compass: Leadership Lessons of an Immigrant Son, found here on [...].
Again, wonderful story with a happy ending and a must read! Perry Martini, My Father's Compass.

I am a member of the Detroit Historical Society and other historical organizations and have read many history books. "Alive on the Andrea Doria" is not only an interesting factual presentation of the events of this historic sea collision, but also a well written and riveting drama describing the human emotions and reactions of passengers, crew, rescuers, the anxious families and friends of passengers and crew, news media, and others involved in this tragedy. It is also the author's fascinating personal story of a young girl pulling up roots in Italy, leaving her town, friends, and school behind to come to America, where all was new and different: family, language, food, school, etc. This book is highly recommended for all.

Ms. Simpson was a survivor of the Stockholm - Andrea Doria collision. In this incredible documentary of that ill-fated trip she does what has not been done before. Alive on the Andrea Doria not only tells passenger and crew stories but also has explanations from nautical experts explaining how and why the collision took place.

Pierette Domenica Simpson was a child on July, 25 1956 traveling with her Grandparents to America where she was going to live with her mother and stepfather. Then her life and many others became perilously endangered when the Stockholm hit the Andrea Doria, the pride of the Italian fleet.

Ms. Simpson does an awesome job of telling the story of this catastrophic event. She tells the story through the eyes of many of the passengers that were aboard - their dreams - their hopes - where they came from - where they were going - their terror - where they are today.

Ever since that tragic night Ms. Simpson had wanted to find out why the collision occurred. She didn't accept the overall belief that it was the Italian, Captain Calamai's fault. It was important to be able to put this to rest and have closure. She sought out the help of nautical experts to recreate the collision paths using documented transcripts of the Bridge crew from both ships and today's technology. In this way they discovered that the assumed guilt of the Italian crew was misplaced.

Alive on the Andrea Doria is a spellbinding tale of the "Greatest Sea Rescue in History." Ms. Simpson did a wonderful job. Rather than making this a run-of the-mill dry documentary, it is a deep-felt account of a tragedy that should not have happened.

What an amazing book! This story is written by an Andrea Doria survivor and what an amazing job. I could not put this book down. Details are amazing, survival stories are amazing, history of the incident is amazing, the book...just AMAZING. Pierette - thank you so much for this wonderful book. As a granddaughter of an Andrea Doria survivor, I can't wait for my children to be old enough to read this book and learn what their great-grandfather survived. Even though their great-grandfather's personal story is not in this book, through this book, my children will be able to learn of this amazing historic event that is rarely mentioned in school!

Many people have heard of the Andrea Doria. It was struck by the Stockholm off Nantucket and the majority aboard were saved.
It was also one of the first wrecks where there was extensive footage of the ship going down. Yet, there is much more to the story.

Pierette Simpson, author and survivor, takes the reader on a highly personal journey of her making peace with a monumental occurance in her life. While sifting through her memories, old clippings and pictures, she realized that the true story of what happened that night had yet to be told. Although, there are many good books on the subject, this is the first one that, through advanced technology, and the aid of critical testimony, she re-constructs the events leading up to the tragic accident.

The author also debunks myths about the 'cowardly crew'. Although there were incidents of panic and terror. The crew, she and the many survivors she interviewed assert that on the whole, the crew were very helpful. Also, she salvages the reputation of Captain Piero Calamai. To many, he was a hero that night.

It is fascinating the read the survivor accounts. Life on board is shown to be carefree and fun with a great comraderie among passengers. Whether it was Madge Young and Linda Morgan eating by the pool or Pedrin Burzio playing cards with his on board friends, it makes one nostalgic for travel aboard the great liners.

My congratulations to Pierette Simpson as to what is one of the best books you will ever read, not just about the shipwreck, but the courage of a young lady making her way to America to start a new life; and succeeding.

A piece of history brought to life by Ms. Simpson through her vivid descriptions of
survivors' travails. A vicarious experience as the tragedy unfolds.

Well worth reading.

Alive on the Andrea Doria is a excellent book on the tragedy that sent the Andrea Doria to the depths of the Atlantic. The author does a good job of having different passengers from both ships share their experiences on that fateful night. With each story told, the reader can visualize the fear and urgency the passengers must have felt while trying to escape the listing ship. It was a shame that Captain Calamai of the Andrea Doria was the scapegoat due to the media and the non-support from his own country. The pictures of the sinking Doria along with a DVD of this tragedy that I have just brings chills to your spine. I would like to thank the author, Pierette D. Simpson for sharing her story as well and the stories of all of the courageous passengers who had to live through the nightmare of July 15, 1956.

In Alive on the Andrea Doria Pierette Simpson has personalized this horrible naval disater by giving the inspirational stories of a cross section of people aboard the ship. One discovers how people conducted themselves during the disaster and what happened to them after being rescued. She tells about the various ships and personnel who helped take 1,661 people off the Doria. By also telling the story of the ship, Pierette has blended personal narrative and factual information to define what truly happened. Her passion for getting to the truth about the accident has enabled her to vindicate the honor of Captain Piero Calami of the Andrea Doria, unjustly blamed for the accident. Living through the disaster hereself has enabled Pierette to make this a much more personal narrative and to create a story of interest for a wide audience

I knew little about the Andrea Doria until I read this book. Pierete Simpson has brought the Andrea Doria back to life with her book. This book was compelling and I truly enjoyed all the individual stories. The amount of research that went into this book is astounding. This book is a testament to human triumph and spirit. I highly recommend it for everyone.