The tragedy of the Titanic continues to fascinate readers and filmgoers. Author Stephen Cox maintains that the true stories of those onboard are even more compelling than the fictionalized tale told in James Cameron's box-office smash. Cox retells the real story in human terms, by focusing on a few individuals. Through these survivors' firsthand accounts, he uncovers the fatal decisions that underlay the events.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Cox dissects the actions of Bruce Ismay, director of the White Star Line, which built and maintained the Titanic, on the fateful night of its sinking. The image of Ismay climbing into a lifeboat and rowing away with his back to the sinking vessel is just one of the lasting, eerie memories portrayed here. Cox has taken the court testimony of passengers, sailors, even a ship's cook, and helped put a human face on the survivors of the wreck; unfortunately, some of those faces would be distasteful to look at, considering the actions of their owners. Cox regales us with tales of the lifeboats and the human struggle going on aboard as some payoffs were made and some boats skedaddled from the site of the sinking ship with all due speed, while many floundered about in the freezing water. Cox has the necessary scorn for Ismay and others whose actions were less than heroic, and his critic's approach to the affair reveals that the event truly did change people's lives. Joe Collins
Review
A stellar blend of analysis and primary source material: good for both recreational reading and history studies. -- Booklist YA, 4/1/99
At a time when the popular media's distortion of the Titanic's story reaches its zenith, this persuasive clarification and debunking of public misconceptions is particularly welcome; it must form an essential part of any Titanic student's library. -- Philip Armstrong, Secretary of the Ulster Titanic Society
In 87 years the story of the Titanic has been reduced to slogans and soap opera. The Titanic, we are told, was doomed from the start by arrogant certainty in technology and progress. It was a time when rich people got out and let the poor sink.
At a time when the popular media's distortion of the Titanic's story reaches its zenith, this persuasive clarification and debunking of public misconceptions is particularly welcome; it must form an essential part of any Titanic student's library. -- Philip Armstrong, Secretary of the Ulster Titanic Society
In 87 years the story of the Titanic has been reduced to slogans and soap opera. The Titanic, we are told, was doomed from the start by arrogant certainty in technology and progress. It was a time when rich people got out and let the poor sink.
Stephen Cox, professor of literature and director of the Humanities Program at the University of California at San Diego, argues modern moviemakers have radically simplified the Titanic story and essentially falsified it.
The lessons drawn from the Titanic are more debatable than they are made out to be today, Cox writes, and in any case are not what makes the story the cultural icon it has become. We remember the Titanic because it was a morality play. Ordinary people were forced to make "lifeboat" choices usually left to college philosophy classes. -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/17/99
There are more comprehensive treatments of the Titanic than this book, but none that better conveys why we should care how a couple thousand people spent two hours in the middle of one hellish night in the North Atlantic eighty-seven years ago. -- The Weekly Standard, 5/31/99
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
The most remarkable thing about this remarkable book is that, after all that has been written about the Titanic, someone has contributed a fresh perspective. Author Stephen Cox quiets the cacophony of finger-pointing moralizers, who so confidently distinguish heroes from villains in this tragedy, with his careful and thoughtful analysis of the ethical paradoxes associated with the event. This impartial treatment and the annotated bibliography are worth the price of admission. But the real treat is the drama of the Titanic Story. Intertwined with the factual descriptions are excerpts from exciting eyewitness testimonies, taken primarily from the American and British inquiries after the disaster. Add to these the fascinating and poignant photographs of the people whose lives were destroyed by the Titanic, and you have a hell of a read. You will enjoy this book.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
The most remarkable thing about this remarkable book is that, after all that has been written about the Titanic, someone has contributed a fresh perspective. Author Stephen Cox quiets the cacophony of finger-pointing moralizers, who so confidently distinguish heroes from villains in this tragedy, with his careful and thoughtful analysis of the ethical paradoxes associated with the event. This impartial treatment and the annotated bibliography are worth the price of admission. But the real treat is the drama of the Titanic Story. Intertwined with the factual descriptions are the excerpts from exciting eyewitness testimonies, taken primarily from the American and British inquiries after the disaster. Add to these the fascinating and poignant photographs of the people whose lives were destroyed by the Titanic, and you have a hell of a read. You will enjoy this book.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By himichael
This is the best revisiting of the facts that you can buy. However, I fully expected to see a lot of bad reviews here because of the book's originality. Independent research and independent thinking have led the book's author to some controversial conclusions. If you read this with an open, critical mind, some little thought bubbles full of Titanic preconceptions will burst.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book
The Titanic Story is a slender book, the kind that offers entree to the field at the cost of a single Sunday afternoon, but it -- like the story itself -- is "inexhaustible," and... Read more
Published on January 29, 2006 by J. Garrick Thorpe
1.0 out of 5 stars
Arrogant & Unoriginal
As a teacher and lover of history, I have read nearly everything I can on this subject. This book is undoubtedly one of the worst I have encountered. Read more
Published on March 16, 2004 by Kate Smart
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book of perspective
If you had a clear-cut opinion about the Titanic tragedy, Stephen Cox will probably change that. This book not only disputes and destroys certain popular myths, but raises many... Read more
Published on August 21, 2001 by Ian Champagne
3.0 out of 5 stars
Weak
When I began reading, I thought the subtitle should read "Fair Play for Ismay" or "Don't Bash Poor Bruce. Read more
Published on January 15, 2000 by microfiche
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Titanic Story: Hard Choices, Dangerous Decisions
It was hard for me to follow the direction in which the author was trying to lead the reader. From a literature professor, especially, I expected better structure and... Read more
Published on January 14, 2000 by Parks Stephenson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delight to read, teeming with new insight.us
Stephen Cox's THE TITANIC STORY is carefully researched, offering new insight into a fascinating story. More importantly, it is a delight to read: Cox is a brilliant writer.
Published on July 9, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Addition to 'Titanic' Lore
A crisp and engaging read, Cox offers up fresh perspectives on this oft-told maritime tale. A veritable life preserver amid the flotsam of current 'Titanic' literature, I heartily... Read more
Published on April 15, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entered under wrong title.
The correct title is "The Titanic Story: Hard Choices, Dangerous Decisions".
By the way, it's a terrific book!
Published on March 18, 1999
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 31
books:
See all 31 books this book cites
2
books
cite this book:
- A Night to Remember by Walter Lord in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Night Lives On: The Untold Stories & Secrets Behind the Sinking of the Unsinkable Ship-Titanic by Walter J. Lord in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Titanic: End of A Dream by Wyn Craig Wade in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Maiden Voyage by Geoffrey Marcus in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Titanic: An Illustrated History by Donald Lynch in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 31 books this book cites
- The Titanic: Historiography and Annotated Bibliography (Bibliographies and Indexes in World History) by Eugene L. Rasor on page 82, and page 165
- The New Testament and Literature: A Guide to Literary Patterns by Stephen Cox in Front Matter
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