Rating: 
Summary: Compelling Historical Disaster Saga
Review: Edward T. O'Donnell's "Ship Ablaze" is head-and-shoulders above the glut of historical disaster books lining the shelves these days. O'Donnell's well written narrative history has all of the elements that make a book like this compelling: it details a tragic and nearly forgotten event, it paints the event on the proper historical backdrop and also tells the stories of the victims in a sympathetic and unsensationalistic way. Though it is not well remembered, the fire and sinking of the steamboat General Slocum near New York City was the city's deadliest disaster prior to September 11, 2001. Over 1000 people, mostly women and children, perished in a few horrifying minutes. What is more disturbing about the story is that the disaster was completely preventable. Had the General Slocum's fire safety equipment been properly inspected and maintained and had the crew been trainbed in fire safety, it is unlikely that there would have been any loss of life. All of this O'Donnell describes in vivid detail. He also describes life in turn-of-the-century New York, particularly the so-called Little Germany section where the victims were from. The latter part of the book is dedicated to the legal battles that resulted in the imprisonment of the General Slocum's captain, but not the federal inspectors or boat owners who were equally responsible for the tragedy. Overall, an outstanding work of narrative history that will appeal to history buffs as well as general readers.
Rating:
Summary: Ship Ablaze
Review: I just read this book and it was incrediable. I felt like I was on the Slocum because Mr. O'Donnell captured the pain suffering of those people who were aboard. I never heard of this tragedy. I heard of the Triangle and the Titanic but never have I heard of this disaster and I come from New York. I would advise anyone to buy this book. They won't be able to put it down. I plan on reading it again. It was hard to fathom that greed was as bad back in 1904 as it is today. But please read this book. It will grab your heart and soul and have you praying for these people all over again. I felt the tears in my eyes when it said a little girl drowned with her pet kitten. These people suffered everyday of their lives trying to scratch out a living and when it came time for a little fun which they rarely had this tragedy had to happen. But the sad part is it did not have to. Thank you for letting me share my reading experience. Mr. O'Donnell keep up the good work. You have a new fan. Sincerely, Mrs. Geri A. Rath
Rating:
Summary: Ship Ablaze
Review: Before this year I had never heard of the General Slocum disaster and I was horrified that something of this magnitude had not been included in history textbooks. Eager to learn more, I purchased this book.
It is a moving tribute to those unfortunate souls that lost their lives in 1904 and I had to keep setting it down because I was reduced to tears throughout.
I plan to recommend this book to everyone I know (including my students) so that this tragedy will not continue to go unnoticed.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-told and moving story of the Slocum disaster
Review: Edward O'Donnell does a wonderful job telling a complex story through tracing the actions of certain passengers aboard the General Slocum. This 1904 fire was the largest loss of life in New York City history prior to 9/11, though the story has been forgotten until now. For me, the book is a classic "can't wait to see what happens, but don't really want to see the tragic endings for so many" read. O'Donnell also brings to light, and to life the turn-of-the-century immigrant neighborhood Little Germany that even New York City history buffs tend to be unaware of. Beyond the history, SHIP ABLAZE was more deeply moving than I had expected: not only the varied and terrible deaths of mostly women and children, but the many acts of bravery, the search for survivors, the funerals, the community's dignity and the strength of family bonds. The only missing element for me (beyond the footnotes which will be available online) was more information about how the Slocum families lived after the tragedy, and I hope that the author plans a sequel, perhaps about the influence of German immigrants in the NYC. Congratulations to O'Donnell for a well-researched, well-told and moving story, and for adding to the body of great NYC history books. Readers will never forget the Slocum.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Historical Disaster Saga
Review: Edward T. O'Donnell's "Ship Ablaze" is head-and-shoulders above the glut of historical disaster books lining the shelves these days. O'Donnell's well written narrative history has all of the elements that make a book like this compelling: it details a tragic and nearly forgotten event, it paints the event on the proper historical backdrop and also tells the stories of the victims in a sympathetic and unsensationalistic way. Though it is not well remembered, the fire and sinking of the steamboat General Slocum near New York City was the city's deadliest disaster prior to September 11, 2001. Over 1000 people, mostly women and children, perished in a few horrifying minutes. What is more disturbing about the story is that the disaster was completely preventable. Had the General Slocum's fire safety equipment been properly inspected and maintained and had the crew been trainbed in fire safety, it is unlikely that there would have been any loss of life. All of this O'Donnell describes in vivid detail. He also describes life in turn-of-the-century New York, particularly the so-called Little Germany section where the victims were from. The latter part of the book is dedicated to the legal battles that resulted in the imprisonment of the General Slocum's captain, but not the federal inspectors or boat owners who were equally responsible for the tragedy. Overall, an outstanding work of narrative history that will appeal to history buffs as well as general readers.
Rating:
Summary: Questions about family lore answered
Review: This book was very good. As a desendent of German immigrants that were involved in this disaster, I grew up hearing stories handed down in bits and pieces. Many of the threads of the stories were lost to the years. There was very little available in the way of research and people whose families had lived in NY for generations had never heard of this sinking or even guessed how many lives it took and families it destroyed. As family members read this book, many questions were answered that never made sense in the bits of information handed down through the years. As the 100th anniversary of the event approaches (6/15/04)our family will remember my great grandmother who gave birth to my grandmother on the day the sinking. My grandmother has been dead 24 years but her birth on that day saved 1 immigrant family who cancelled their boat trip to help my great grandmother give birth. For many years the head of the family saved, brought my grandmother a special present on her birthday. Some of these presents were handed down along with bits and pieces of information. This book answers all and will now be handed down in our family along with gifts.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally-Told and Moving Story
Review: Having always been fascinated by great disasters, I was prepared to be engrossed by this book. I was not prepared to be as moved by it as I was. Unlike most other disaster books, O'Donnell really allowed you to empathize with the victims--not only during the fire, but while trying to learn of the fate of their loved-ones and during the subsequent legal proceedings. I was not only moved to tears by the incredible waste and disregard of human life, but also frustrated near the point of illness by the failure to hold anyone but the captain (who was clearly negligent but seemed to bear less guilt than the owners and inspectors) accountable for the disaster despite clearly outrageous behavior. This book was extremely well-written. It is quite thorough yet highly readable.
Rating:
Summary: Innocent Lives Gone but No Longer Forgotten
Review: For the thousands of descendants of the General Slocum fire victims, overdue tribute has come. Edward O'Donnell's SHIP ABLAZE serves as a stinging reminder of not only a catastrophe of enormous proportions but of a deliberate and unjust society determined to forget it. While the tragic event of June 15, 1904, in which over 1,000 mostly German-Americans perished, is the star of the book, Mr. O'Donnell's outrage at the people responsible for it and the court system that allowed all but one of the culpable to go free is palpable. There is no point in my retelling the sad story; anyway, I couldn't begin to approach Mr. O'Donnell's engaging and gripping style. But the compelling questions that emerge from the pages deserve consideration. How could human beings who are responsible for the lives and safety of other human beings behave so indifferently to their jobs? A more pressing question: are things any better today? At the root of this book, however, is the inevitable question: Why don't more people--especially New Yorkers--know about this cataclysmic event that happened in the East River? Mr. O'Donnell offers a few convincing reasons:
1) the pervading sexism and xenophobia of the times had only so much sympathy for the over 1,000 deaths of mostly female foreigners;
2) unlike the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, there was no overtly political or socio-economic connection to the disaster;
3) the First World War wiped out any sympathy for anything German; and
4) unlike the glamour, wealth, and fame surrounding the victims of the Titanic, the Slocum victims were poor working class hacks (I believe it is also for this reason that the deaths of almost 100 commuters in the Malbone Street subway wreck of 1918 is all but forgotten too). All things considered, SHIP ABLAZE is a sad book, but not morbid. The accounts of the several ways the victims died (burns, smoke inhalation, trampling, suffocation, crushing, drowning, etc.) in that harrowing hour or so is offset by the many accounts of heroism and selflessness. And now, with the release of this brilliant book, plus several upcoming memorials to mark the 100th anniversary of this calamity, the world will now be reminded of a day that never should have been forgotten. Rocco Dormarunno,
author of The Five Points
Rating:
Summary: An exciting read grounded in exceletn scholarship.
Review: Researched in painstaking detail "ship Ablaze" could have been little more than a history textbook in less capable hands. O'Donnell combines unimpeachable scholarship with excitement to produce a work which would be outstanding fiction if it were not fact.The combination of human error and greed compounded by the implacable physics of fire are made to unfold into a chilling reality which, if Junger had not gotten to press first, might have been titled "The Perfect Fire"
Rating:
Summary: EXTRA!!! Read all about NYC's worst disaster prior to 9/11
Review: The first decade of the twentieth century in this country was marked by a number of tragic fires. In 1903, more than 600 people, mostly women and children, were killed in the Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago. Later in the decade more than 200 men perished in a coal mine fire in Cherry, Ill. "Ship Ablaze" chronicles the worst fire of them all. In fact, the fire aboard the steamship General Slocum was the worst disaster in New York City history prior to 9/11. Edward O'Connell chronicles the events of that tragic June day in 1904 when more than 1000 New Yorkers lost their lives. What made this event quite unique was that virtually all of the passengers on the General Slocum that fateful day came from the same neighborhood. The steamboat had been chartered by a Lutheran church group for an excursion to Long Island. Just try to imagine the devasting impact this tragedy had on that community!!!
The victims were mostly women and children. Entire families were wiped out.
In a very engaging and well written book, O'Donnell introduces us to the heroes and villains involved. His research was exhaustive and he brings to life many of the central figures. Read all about the owner of the ship and his strategy to avoid prosecution. And then there were the government officials charged with inspecting the boat for safety violations. It becomes quite apparent that this tragedy did not have to happen. As is the case in most tragedies like this. a few greedy individuals put profit ahead of safety. At the same time, many heroes would emerge from this calamity. This is a real page turner and I highly recommend it!!!
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