Recommendations based on Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitaniaby Erik Larson

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

    by Daniel James Brown
    An inspiring story of a rowing crew battling against the odds to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

    This novel is about the University of Washington eight-oared crew that represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. The ... (Wikipedia)

  2. The Wright Brothers

    by David McCullough
    The story of the Wright brothers and their pioneering invention of the airplane.

    Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found, here, Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize David McCullough tells the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who ... (Goodreads)

  3. Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

    by Erik Larson
    Story of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, and one man's desperate struggle to save his city.

    September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange ... (Goodreads)

  4. In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette

    by Hampton Sides
    An epic tale of survival and exploration in the unforgiving Arctic Ocean.

    On July 8, 1879, Captain George Washington De Long and his team of thirty-two men set sail from San Francisco on the USS Jeanette. Heading deep into uncharted Arctic waters, they carried the ... (Goodreads)

  5. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

    by Candice Millard
    The riveting story of the assassination of President Garfield, a tragedy of medical science and mistake.

    James A. Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired ... (Goodreads)

  6. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

    by Atul Gawande
    An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.

    In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)

  7. One Summer: America, 1927

    by Bill Bryson
    A vivid portrait of America in the summer of 1927, featuring a host of historical figures and events.

    In One Summer Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved nonfiction writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life. The summer of 1927 began with one of ... (Goodreads)

  8. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

    by Nathaniel Philbrick
    True account of a whaling ship's disastrous voyage and the survivors' struggle for survival.

    "With its huge, scarred head halfway out of the water and its tail beating the ocean into a white-water wake more than forty feet across, the whale approached the ship at twice its original speed - ... (Goodreads)

  9. Thunderstruck

    by Erik Larson
    Fascinating true story of the invention of the wireless and its effect on two men's lives.

    The interwoven stories of two men whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal cases of all time - Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator ... (Goodreads)

  10. John Adams

    by David McCullough
    Biography of the second President of the United States and his contributions to the founding of the nation.

    The enthralling, often surprising story of John Adams, one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous ... (Goodreads)

  11. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

    by David Grann
    Exposé of a series of murders of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma and the FBI's investigation.

    In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, ... (Goodreads)

  12. Seabiscuit: An American Legend

    by Laura Hillenbrand
    An inspiring story of the rise of champion racehorse Seabiscuit and his unlikely jockey.

    There's an alternate cover edition, here, Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more ... (Goodreads)

  13. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

    by J.D. Vance
    An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.

    Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)

  14. Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier

    by Stephen E. Ambrose
    Epic tale of exploration and adventure as Lewis and Clark traverse the American wilderness.

    'This was much more than a bunch of guys out on an exploring and collecting expedition. This was a military expedition into hostile territory'. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his ... (Goodreads)

  15. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

    by Candice Millard
    A daring expedition through the Amazon to uncover the secrets of an uncharted river.

    At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous ... (Goodreads)

  16. Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin

    by Hampton Sides
    An exploration of the investigation and manhunt for Dr. King’s assassin, James Earl Ray.

    On April 23, 1967, Prisoner #416J, an inmate at the notorious Missouri State Penitentiary, escaped in a breadbox. Fashioning himself Eric Galt, this nondescript thief and con man—whose real name was ... (Goodreads)

  17. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

    by Bill Bryson
    A humorous account of a man's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, reflecting on the beauty and history of the American wilderness.

    The book starts with Bryson explaining his curiosity about the Appalachian Trail near his house. He and his old friend Stephen Katz start hiking the trail from Georgia in the South , and stumble in ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    A comprehensive study of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the unique cabinet he assembled.

    Winner of the Lincoln Prize Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from ... (Goodreads)

  19. Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General

    by Bill O'Reilly
    Investigation into the mysterious death of General George S. Patton, and the implications of its cover-up.

    Readers around the world have thrilled to, Killing Lincoln,, Killing Kennedy, and, Killing Jesus,—riveting works of nonfiction that journey into the heart of the most famous murders in history. Now ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

    by Kate Moore
    Uncovering the untold story of female factory workers poisoned by radium paint in 1920s America.

    A New York Times , USA Today , Wall Street Journal , and Amazon Charts Bestseller! For fans of Hidden Figures, comes the incredible true story of the women heroes who were exposed to radium in ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    Examines the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during WWII and their impact on the nation.

    Winner of the Pulitzer for History, No Ordinary Time is a chronicle of one of the most vibrant & revolutionary periods in US history. With an extraordinary collection of details, Goodwin weaves ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

    by David McCullough
    An in-depth account of the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

    Published on the fortieth anniversary of its initial publication, this edition of the classic book contains a new Preface by David McCullough, “one of our most gifted living writers” (,The Washington ... (Goodreads)

  23. Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II

    by Mitchell Zuckoff
    Epic story of a WWII air crash survivors' journey through a dangerous and uncharted jungle.

    “A lost world, man-eating tribesmen, lush andimpenetrable jungles, stranded American fliers (one of them a dame withgreat gams , for heaven's sake), a startling rescue mission. . . . This is atrue ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

    by Simon Winchester
    True story of a murderer's contribution to the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary.

    The book tells the story of the making of the, Oxford English Dictionary, (OED) and one of its most prolific early contributors, William Chester Minor , a retired United States Army surgeon . Minor ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

    by Eric Metaxas
    A biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who opposed the Nazi regime.

    Who better to face the greatest evil of the 20 th -century than a humble man of faith? As Adolf Hitler and the Nazis seduced a nation, bullied a continent, and attempted to exterminate the Jews of ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan

    by Bill O'Reilly
    A narrative of the U.S. in final days of WWII, and the strategies used to end the war in the Pacific.

    The powerful and riveting new book in the multimillion-selling, Killing, series by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard Autumn 1944. World War II is nearly over in Europe but is escalating in the Pacific, ... (Goodreads)

  27. Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest

    by Stephen E. Ambrose
    An epic narrative of the American soldiers of Easy Company during World War II.

    As good a rifle company as any, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, US Army, kept getting tough assignments–responsible for everything from parachuting into France early DDay morning to the ... (Goodreads)

  28. Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II

    by Mitchell Zuckoff
    A gripping account of a WWII aircrew's crash and subsequent survival, and a modern-day investigation into the tragedy.

    Frozen in Time is a gripping true story of survival, bravery, and honor in the vast Arctic wilderness during World War II, from Mitchell Zuckoff, the author of New York Times bestseller Lost in ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

    by David Grann
    Exploring the mysteries of a long-lost Amazonian civilization and an adventurer's obsessive quest to uncover its secrets.

    A grand mystery reaching back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve ... (Goodreads)

  30. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

    by S.C. Gwynne
    Epic tale of the Comanche tribe's rise and fall in North America.

    In the tradition of, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,, a stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, ... (Goodreads)